Which Continuous Integration Server Should You Use?

What is a Continuous Integration Server?

Continuous Integration (CI) is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. Each check-in is then verified by an automated build, allowing teams to detect problems early. Here at Swan Software Solutions, each team member on a project development team has their own area of expertise. When our teams are building an application, many layers of the application are being built at the same time. Continuous Integration Servers seamlessly combine everyone’s work into one space. We believe that the implementation of CI servers in the development of our software applications is a must for team-based projects. 

Advantages of Using CI Servers in Software Development

Let us look at the advantages of integrating CI Servers into software application development:

Gives Quick Feedback:
When code is added to a CI Server, that code is automatically detected for errors. The server tests how that code will perform when deployed with the application that it is being built or updated for. This allows software developers to detect errors in their code quickly without even having to manually test the code themselves at this point in time.

Increases Teamwork

When a CI server is used in software development, the entire team can see the progress of all different elements of the application. This means that software developers can plan their projects in context with their team members’ progression of their own projects.

Integrates Seamlessly 

Without CI servers, team members would be working on the different layers of the application on all different databases. This method of software development could be catastrophic. Without one CI server bringing the whole team together, the integration of everyone’s code for the application may not work together.

CI Servers Swan Uses

There are quite a few CI servers available for software development. Let us look at the advantages of servers Swan Software Solutions uses in the development of  their custom applications:

Jenkins

Jenkins is used by many software development services. With thousands of plugins to choose from, Jenkins can help teams automate numerous tasks. Jenkins is full of source-code repositories, allowing developers to integrate complete code from Jenkins into their projects.

Travis

Travis integrates with GitBucket databases allowing developers to test code on the fly.  The interface for Travis is built for easy usability making it simple to understand and use.

TeamCity

TeamCity is loaded with features supporting popular software frameworks and platforms. Our experienced developers appreciate the complexity of this CI Server.

We are interested to know which CI servers you currently use/are considering using. Let us know in the comments! 

Do you have a software project or idea but don’t know what the next step is? Contact us today and bring your project or idea to the SWAN Wedge Team for a FREE technical discovery roadmap of your prospective software project.