What are the four stages in Continuous Integration (CI)?

The four stages in Continuous Integration (CI) are indeed Source, Build, Test, and Deploy. This process is foundational to DevOps practices, where the goal is to enable frequent and reliable software updates.

1. Source: This initial stage involves managing the version control of the code. Developers push their code changes to a shared repository, allowing for collaboration and tracking of modifications.

2. Build: Once the source code has been updated, the CI pipeline automatically compiles the code. This step ensures that all the components can be integrated successfully and identifies any compilation errors.

3. Test: Following the build stage, automated tests are executed to verify that the code has not introduced any new bugs. Tests can include unit tests, integration tests, and other forms that verify functionality, performance, and security.

4. Deploy: After successful testing, the code is automatically deployed to a staging or production environment. This step makes the new features and fixes available to end-users.

Together, these stages promote fast feedback, encourage greater collaboration among development teams, and ensure that code remains in a deployable state, enhancing the overall software development lifecycle.