Preparation

The preparation stage in a Continuous Integration (CI) cycle plays a critical role in the software development process. Its main function is to configure and prepare the application and environment for subsequent testing and analysis.

Features

Dependency Installation: Often, the application may depend on various libraries and modules. At this stage, the necessary dependencies are installed and updated to ensure that the application is ready to run correctly.

Caching: To optimize performance and speed up future iterations, it is common to cache installed dependencies. This means that it is not necessary to download and install the same dependencies on every CI run, which saves time and bandwidth.

Dependency Distribution: Installed and cached dependencies are efficiently distributed to subsequent IC stages. This ensures that all parts of the pipeline have access to the same dependencies and avoids unnecessary duplication of files.

Environment Configuration: The environment variables and specific configurations necessary for the operation of the application and the tests are established. This can include database configurations, credentials, routes and more.

Prerequisite Validation: Before proceeding with testing, it is important to verify that all prerequisites are properly met. This may include the availability of databases, external services, permissions and any other necessary components.