Build, test, deploy stages concept in Jenkins - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Build, test, deploy stages concept

Start Pipeline

↓

Build Stage

↓

Test Stage

↓

Deploy Stage

↓

Pipeline Complete

The pipeline runs in order: first building the code, then testing it, and finally deploying it if tests pass.

Execution Sample

Jenkins

pipeline {
  agent any
  stages {
    stage('Build') { steps { echo 'Building...' } }
    stage('Test') { steps { echo 'Testing...' } }
    stage('Deploy') { steps { echo 'Deploying...' } }
  }
}

This Jenkins pipeline runs three stages: Build, Test, and Deploy, printing messages at each step.

Process Table

Step	Stage	Action	Output	Next Step
1	Build	Start Build stage	Building...	Go to Test stage
2	Test	Start Test stage	Testing...	Go to Deploy stage
3	Deploy	Start Deploy stage	Deploying...	Pipeline Complete
4	End	Pipeline finished	All stages completed successfully	Stop

💡 Pipeline stops after Deploy stage completes successfully.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Build	After Test	After Deploy
stageStatus	none	build complete	test complete	deploy complete

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does the pipeline stop if the Test stage fails?

Because Jenkins runs stages sequentially and stops the pipeline on failure to avoid deploying broken code, as shown by the absence of Deploy stage execution in the table if Test fails.

Can Deploy run before Test finishes?

No, stages run one after another. Deploy only starts after Test completes successfully, as seen in the execution_table step order.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the output at Step 2?

A Testing...

B Building...

C Deploying...

D Pipeline finished

💡 Hint

Check the 'Output' column for Step 2 in the execution_table.

At which step does the pipeline complete all stages?

A Step 3

B Step 2

C Step 4

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Next Step' column and find where it says 'Stop'.

If the Test stage fails, what happens to the Deploy stage?

A It runs anyway

B It is skipped

C It runs before Test

D It runs twice

💡 Hint

Refer to the key_moments section explaining pipeline stop on failure.

Concept Snapshot

Jenkins pipeline runs stages in order: Build -> Test -> Deploy.
Each stage must succeed for the next to run.
If a stage fails, pipeline stops to prevent errors.
Stages print messages to show progress.
This ensures safe, step-by-step delivery of code.

Full Transcript

This Jenkins pipeline example shows three main stages: Build, Test, and Deploy. The pipeline starts by running the Build stage, which compiles or prepares the code. Next, it runs the Test stage to check if the code works correctly. If tests pass, the Deploy stage runs to release the code to users. The execution table traces each step, showing the output messages and the order of stages. Variables track the status after each stage. Key moments clarify that the pipeline stops if tests fail, preventing deployment of broken code. The visual quiz checks understanding of outputs and stage order. This stepwise flow helps beginners see how Jenkins pipelines automate safe software delivery.