Build pipelines

Last updated: 21 March 2025

Build pipelines are a key part of modern software development. They should be used to transform source code and other inputs into deployable software in an automated, repeatable way.

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Requirement(s)

You MUST use build pipelines to produce deployable software artefacts

By automating the process of building software artefacts, you ensure this happens in a controlled, repeatable way and improve consistency. You also avoid the risk of hidden dependencies that are available on a developer’s machine that may cause later builds to fail unexpectedly.

You MUST produce versioned build artefacts

Artefacts that are produced by build pipelines should be uniquely versioned, in an immutable way. This means that once a specific version of an artefact has been created, no later build should overwrite this by reusing the same version number. These artefacts should then be stored in a repository.

You MUST run appropriate tests and checks in build pipelines

By automating tests and checks in a pipeline at build time, you can ensure that deployable artefacts are only produced if these pass. These tests should include low-level unit tests, which are cheap to execute, as well as higher level tests where appropriate. Checks may include measures such as test coverage, code complexity metrics, and dependency scanning.