# Continuous Integration vs Delivery vs Deployment

> Continuous integration, delivery, and deployment are three different things. Learn exactly where each stops and what the trade-offs are.

Source: https://latchkey.dev/learn/ci-cd-concepts/ci-vs-cd-vs-deployment  
Updated: 2026-06-25

The three terms form a ladder: each one automates more of the path to production than the last. The "CD" in CI/CD is ambiguous on purpose.

People say "CI/CD" as one word, but it hides three distinct practices with different costs and guarantees. Knowing where each ends prevents miscommunication about what your pipeline actually does.

## Continuous integration

CI stops at "verified". Every change is merged to a shared branch frequently and automatically built and tested. The output is confidence that the codebase is healthy - not a release.

## Continuous delivery

Continuous delivery extends CI so that every passing change is automatically packaged and proven deployable, right up to the production gate. The final push to production is a deliberate, often one-click, human decision.

## Continuous deployment

Continuous deployment removes the human gate: every change that passes the pipeline goes straight to production automatically. It demands strong tests, good observability, and fast rollback, because there is no manual checkpoint.

## Choosing where to stop

- CI alone is the baseline every team should have.
- Continuous delivery suits teams that want frequent releases but a human "go".
- Continuous deployment suits mature teams with high test confidence and instant rollback.

## FAQ

### What is Continuous integration vs delivery vs deployment?

People say "CI/CD" as one word, but it hides three distinct practices with different costs and guarantees. Knowing where each ends prevents miscommunication about what your pipeline actually does.

### Continuous integration?

CI stops at "verified". Every change is merged to a shared branch frequently and automatically built and tested. The output is confidence that the codebase is healthy - not a release.

### Continuous delivery?

Continuous delivery extends CI so that every passing change is automatically packaged and proven deployable, right up to the production gate. The final push to production is a deliberate, often one-click, human decision.

### Continuous deployment?

Continuous deployment removes the human gate: every change that passes the pipeline goes straight to production automatically. It demands strong tests, good observability, and fast rollback, because there is no manual checkpoint.

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Latchkey runs CI/CD that repairs its own failures. Agent entry points: https://latchkey.dev/agent.txt, https://latchkey.dev/openapi.json, https://latchkey.dev/llms.txt