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Linux in CI/CD: Your Skills in Action

CI/CD pipelines are Linux commands. That's it. They run on Linux. They use Linux commands.

Here's the thing: Your Linux skills directly translate to CI/CD. Understanding Linux = understanding pipelines.

The Connection​

CI/CD pipelines are automated Linux commands:

  • Build = Linux commands
  • Test = Linux commands
  • Deploy = Linux commands
  • All run on Linux

My take: CI/CD is just Linux automation. Your Linux skills apply directly.

GitHub Actions​

Runs on: Ubuntu Linux (default)

Example:

name: Build
on: [push]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: |
          sudo apt update
          sudo apt install -y build-essential
      - name: Build
        run: make build
      - name: Deploy
        run: ./deploy.sh

Linux commands used:

  • apt update = Update packages
  • apt install = Install software
  • make = Build
  • Shell scripts = Deploy

My take: GitHub Actions = Linux commands in YAML. That's it.

GitLab CI​

Runs on: Linux runners

Example:

build:
  script:
    - apt-get update
    - apt-get install -y dependencies
    - make build
    - ./deploy.sh

My take: GitLab CI = Linux commands in YAML. Same concept.

Jenkins​

Runs on: Linux (usually)

Pipeline:

pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                sh 'apt-get update'
                sh 'apt-get install -y dependencies'
                sh 'make build'
            }
        }
        stage('Deploy') {
            steps {
                sh './deploy.sh'
            }
        }
    }
}

The sh command: Runs shell commands. Linux commands.

My take: Jenkins = Linux commands in Groovy. Still Linux.

Common Pipeline Tasks​

Install Dependencies​

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y package1 package2

Build Applications​

make build
npm install
npm run build

Run Tests​

make test
npm test
pytest

Deploy​

./deploy.sh
rsync -av build/ user@server:/var/www/html/

My take: All Linux commands. Your Linux skills apply directly.

The Truth About CI/CD​

CI/CD is Linux automation.

That's it. It's not magic. It's Linux commands running automatically.

My take: Learn Linux well. CI/CD becomes easy. It's the same skills.

What's Next?​

Now that you see the connection, your Linux skills apply to CI/CD. Or learn Shell Scripting to automate these commands.

Personal note: When I started with CI/CD, I thought it was complex. Then I realized: it's just Linux commands. The same commands I use daily. CI/CD is Linux automation. Learn Linux. CI/CD follows.