Queue Depth - CI/CD Glossary Definition
Queue depth is the number of jobs waiting for a free runner at a given moment. It is the primary health and autoscaling signal for a CI fleet: a depth that stays above zero means demand exceeds available runner concurrency and developers are waiting.
Reading the signal
A queue depth that spikes during business hours and drains overnight is normal. A queue depth that never reaches zero means the fleet is undersized. Autoscaling on queue depth (add a runner per N queued jobs) keeps wait time bounded. Latchkey watches queue depth to add capacity before developers notice the wait.
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