What is Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment in Jenkins - Visual Explanation

Process Flow - What is Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment

Code Commit

↓

Automated Build & Test

↓

Continuous Delivery?

No→Stop: Manual Approval Needed

Yes↓

Deploy to Staging

↓

Continuous Deployment?

No→Wait for Manual Deploy

Yes↓

Deploy to Production

↓

Monitor & Feedback

Shows the flow from code commit through build and test, then either stopping for manual approval (Continuous Delivery) or automatically deploying to production (Continuous Deployment).

Execution Sample

Jenkins

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

A simple Jenkins pipeline that builds, tests, and deploys code automatically.

Process Table

Step	Action	Condition	Result	Next Step
1	Code committed to repository	N/A	Trigger pipeline	Build & Test stage
2	Build & Test stage runs	Build and tests pass?	Yes	Check Continuous Delivery setting
3	Continuous Delivery enabled?	No	Stop: Manual Approval Needed	End
4	Manual approval given	N/A	Deploy to staging	Check Continuous Deployment setting
5	Continuous Deployment enabled?	No	Wait for manual deploy to production	End
6	Manual deploy triggered	N/A	Deploy to production	Monitor & Feedback
7	Monitor & Feedback	N/A	Collect metrics and logs	End

💡 Pipeline ends after deployment and monitoring steps complete or waits for manual actions depending on settings.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
BuildStatus	N/A	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
ManualApproval	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
DeployToProd	No	No	No	No	No	Yes or No depending on deployment

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the pipeline pause after build and test in Continuous Delivery?

Because Continuous Delivery requires manual approval before deploying to production, as shown in step 3 of the execution table.

What happens if Continuous Deployment is not enabled after staging deployment?

The pipeline waits for a manual deploy to production, as shown in step 5, so deployment is not automatic.

How does Continuous Deployment differ from Continuous Delivery in automation?

Continuous Deployment automates deployment to production without manual approval, unlike Continuous Delivery which pauses for approval (steps 3 and 5).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, at which step does the pipeline wait for manual approval in Continuous Delivery?

A Step 5

B Step 3

C Step 2

D Step 7

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column for 'Pipeline pauses for manual approval' in the execution table.

According to the variable tracker, what is the value of ManualApproval after step 4?

A Yes

B Pending

C No

D N/A

💡 Hint

Look at the ManualApproval row and the After Step 4 column in the variable tracker.

If Continuous Deployment is enabled, what changes in the execution table after step 4?

A Pipeline waits for manual deploy to production

B Pipeline stops after staging

C Pipeline deploys automatically to production

D Pipeline skips build and test

💡 Hint

Refer to step 5 and 6 in the execution table about Continuous Deployment enabled condition.

Concept Snapshot

Continuous Delivery means code is built, tested, and ready to deploy but waits for manual approval before production.
Continuous Deployment automates deployment to production immediately after passing tests.
Both use automated build and test pipelines.
Manual approval is the key difference.
Jenkins pipelines can implement both by adding or skipping approval steps.

Full Transcript

Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment are two ways to automate software release. In Continuous Delivery, after code is committed, Jenkins runs build and tests. If they pass, the pipeline pauses and waits for a person to approve before deploying to production. This ensures control over when changes go live. In Continuous Deployment, the pipeline skips manual approval and automatically deploys to production after tests pass. Both approaches use automation to build and test code, but differ in deployment automation. The execution table shows each step: code commit triggers build and test, then either manual approval or automatic deployment happens. Variables like ManualApproval track if approval is given. This helps teams deliver software faster while balancing safety and control.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment?

easy

A. Continuous Delivery only builds code, Continuous Deployment only tests code.

B. Continuous Delivery deploys every change automatically, Continuous Deployment requires manual approval.

C. Continuous Delivery requires manual approval before production deployment, Continuous Deployment does not.

D. Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment are exactly the same.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Continuous Delivery

   Continuous Delivery automates preparing the software for release but waits for a manual step to deploy to production.

2. Step 2: Understand Continuous Deployment

   Continuous Deployment automates the entire process, including automatic deployment to production without manual approval.

3. Final Answer:

   Continuous Delivery requires manual approval before production deployment, Continuous Deployment does not. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Manual approval = Continuous Delivery [OK]

Hint: Manual step means Continuous Delivery, no manual means Continuous Deployment [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing which process needs manual approval
• Thinking both deploy automatically
• Mixing build and deploy steps

2. Which Jenkins pipeline step is typically used to pause for manual approval in Continuous Delivery?

easy

A. input

B. deploy

C. build

D. test

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Jenkins step for manual pause

   The input step in Jenkins pipeline pauses the pipeline and waits for user approval.

2. Step 2: Confirm other steps roles

   deploy runs deployment, build compiles code, test runs tests, none pause for approval.

3. Final Answer:

   input -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Manual approval step = input [OK]

Hint: Pause for approval uses 'input' step in Jenkins [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing deploy as manual step
• Confusing build or test with approval
• Not knowing Jenkins pipeline steps

3. Given this Jenkins pipeline snippet for Continuous Delivery:

stage('Deploy to Prod') {
  steps {
    input 'Approve deployment?'
    sh 'deploy.sh'
  }
}

What happens when this pipeline reaches the Deploy to Prod stage?

medium

A. The pipeline pauses and waits for manual approval before running deployment.

B. The pipeline fails with a syntax error.

C. The pipeline skips deployment and ends.

D. The deployment script runs immediately without pause.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the input step in the stage

   The input 'Approve deployment?' pauses the pipeline and waits for a user to approve before continuing.

2. Step 2: Understand what happens after approval

   After approval, the shell script deploy.sh runs to deploy the application.

3. Final Answer:

   The pipeline pauses and waits for manual approval before running deployment. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   input step causes pause = The pipeline pauses and waits for manual approval before running deployment. [OK]

Hint: input step pauses pipeline until approval [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming deploy runs immediately
• Thinking pipeline skips deployment
• Confusing syntax error with input step

4. You have a Jenkins pipeline intended for Continuous Deployment but it includes this code:

stage('Deploy') {
  steps {
    input 'Approve deployment?'
    sh 'deploy.sh'
  }
}

What is the problem if you want full Continuous Deployment?

medium

A. The pipeline syntax is invalid and will fail.

B. The input step causes manual approval, breaking full automation.

C. The deploy.sh script is missing required parameters.

D. The stage name should be 'Continuous Deployment' instead of 'Deploy'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify manual approval in pipeline

   The input step pauses for manual approval, which is not allowed in full Continuous Deployment.

2. Step 2: Understand Continuous Deployment automation

   Continuous Deployment requires no manual steps; every change deploys automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   The input step causes manual approval, breaking full automation. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Manual approval breaks Continuous Deployment [OK]

Hint: No manual steps allowed in Continuous Deployment [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking syntax error causes failure
• Assuming deploy.sh script is the problem
• Confusing stage name with functionality

5. You want to convert a Jenkins pipeline from Continuous Delivery to Continuous Deployment. Which change should you make?

hard

A. Rename the pipeline to 'Continuous Deployment' without changing steps.

B. Add more manual approval steps to ensure safety.

C. Change the build step to run tests only.

D. Remove the manual input approval step so deployment runs automatically.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify manual approval in Continuous Delivery

   Continuous Delivery pipelines pause for manual approval using the input step.

2. Step 2: Remove manual approval for Continuous Deployment

   To achieve Continuous Deployment, remove the input step so deployment happens automatically after tests.

3. Final Answer:

   Remove the manual input approval step so deployment runs automatically. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Remove manual steps for Continuous Deployment [OK]

Hint: Remove input step to automate deployment fully [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding manual steps instead of removing
• Changing unrelated build steps
• Only renaming pipeline without changing logic