Deployment pipelines (dev, staging, prod) in Jenkins - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Deployment pipelines (dev, staging, prod)

Start: Code Commit

↓

Build & Test

↓

Deploy to Dev

↓

Manual Approval?

No→Stop Pipeline

Yes↓

Deploy to Staging

↓

Automated Tests on Staging

↓

Manual Approval?

No→Stop Pipeline

Yes↓

Deploy to Production

↓

End

The pipeline starts with code commit, then builds and tests the code, deploys to dev, waits for manual approval to deploy to staging, runs tests, waits for approval again, and finally deploys to production.

Execution Sample

Jenkins

pipeline {
  agent any
  stages {
    stage('Deploy to Dev') {
      steps { echo 'Deploying to Dev' }
    }
  }
}

A simple Jenkins pipeline stage that deploys the code to the development environment.

Process Table

Step	Action	Environment	Approval Needed	Result
1	Code committed	N/A	No	Pipeline triggered
2	Build and test	N/A	No	Build successful
3	Deploy to Dev	Dev	No	Deployment successful
4	Manual approval for Staging?	N/A	Yes	Waiting for approval
5	Approval granted	N/A	Yes	Proceed to Staging
6	Deploy to Staging	Staging	No	Deployment successful
7	Run automated tests	Staging	No	Tests passed
8	Manual approval for Prod?	N/A	Yes	Waiting for approval
9	Approval granted	N/A	Yes	Proceed to Production
10	Deploy to Production	Production	No	Deployment successful
11	Pipeline ends	N/A	No	Deployment complete

💡 Pipeline ends after successful deployment to Production.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 6	After Step 10	Final
Environment	N/A	Dev	Staging	Production	Production
Approval Status	No	No	Yes (granted)	Yes (granted)	Yes
Deployment Status	Not started	Dev deployed	Staging deployed	Production deployed	Completed

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the pipeline wait after deploying to Dev?

The pipeline waits for manual approval before deploying to Staging, as shown in step 4 and 5 in the execution table.

What happens if the manual approval is not granted?

The pipeline stops and does not proceed to the next environment, as indicated by the 'Waiting for approval' state in the execution table.

Why are automated tests run after deploying to Staging?

Automated tests verify the deployment in Staging before moving to Production, ensuring stability, as shown in step 7.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, at which step does the pipeline deploy to the Staging environment?

A Step 6

B Step 3

C Step 9

D Step 10

💡 Hint

Check the 'Environment' column for 'Staging' deployment in the execution table.

According to the variable tracker, what is the 'Approval Status' after Step 3?

A Yes (granted)

B No

C Waiting

D Not applicable

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Approval Status' row under 'After Step 3' in the variable tracker.

If the manual approval at Step 8 is denied, what happens to the pipeline?

A It proceeds to deploy to Production anyway

B It loops back to Staging deployment

C It stops and does not deploy to Production

D It restarts from the beginning

💡 Hint

Refer to the key moment about manual approval and the execution table steps 8 and 9.

Concept Snapshot

Deployment pipelines automate moving code through environments.
Stages: Build & Test -> Dev -> Staging -> Production.
Manual approvals control promotion between stages.
Automated tests run in Staging to ensure quality.
Pipeline stops if approvals are denied.
Jenkins pipelines define these steps clearly.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows a Jenkins deployment pipeline moving code from development to production. It starts with a code commit triggering build and test. Then the code deploys to the development environment automatically. The pipeline pauses for manual approval before deploying to staging. After deploying to staging, automated tests run to verify stability. Another manual approval is required before deploying to production. If approvals are denied, the pipeline stops. Variables track environment, approval status, and deployment status at each step. This step-by-step flow helps beginners understand how deployment pipelines control safe code promotion.