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.