# Continuous Integration Continuous Integration (CI) is a development practice where developers frequently merge code changes into a shared repository, triggering automated build and test processes each time. The practice aims to detect integration issues early, when they are easier and less costly to fix. A CI system monitors the source code repository for changes and automatically runs a defined set of steps: compiling the code, executing unit and integration tests, performing static analysis, and reporting results. Popular CI tools include GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, and CircleCI. CI is a prerequisite for effective API development and serverless deployments. Automated testing of API contracts ensures that changes to one service do not break consumers. In gateway-based architectures, CI pipelines can validate configuration files (such as routing rules and security policies) before deployment, catching syntax errors and policy conflicts before they reach production. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.serverlessapigateway.com/glossary/c/continuous-integration.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.