Build Automation

Build automation is the process of converting source code into deployable artefacts without manual steps. It is the first critical stage of any CI/CD pipeline — if your build is unreliable, nothing downstream can be trusted.

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What is a Build?

A build takes source code and transforms it into something runnable or deployable:

• Compiled languages (Java, Go, C#) — compilation into binaries
• Interpreted languages (Python, Ruby) — packaging, dependency resolution
• Web applications (React, Next.js) — bundling, minification, transpilation
• Containers — building Docker images

The Build Process

Source Code
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Install deps     │  npm install / pip install / go mod download
├─────────────────┤
│ Compile / Bundle │  tsc / webpack / go build / javac
├─────────────────┤
│ Run linters      │  eslint / pylint / golangci-lint
├─────────────────┤
│ Run unit tests   │  jest / pytest / go test
├─────────────────┤
│ Create artefact  │  .jar / .zip / Docker image / .deb
└─────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
  Artefact

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Build Tools by Language