A basic pipeline – building automation to deploy infrastructure as code architecture and code

GitOps systems that deploy pipelines are scripting engines that allow complex routines to run. These can be as simple as a single JSON, YAML, or bash script, or extremely complex, looping in other repositories, templates, and even external API calls. The basic ideals of pipelines are remarkably similar between vendors, even though the syntax may be different.

A typical pipeline will leverage variables in its decision-making for us. The pipeline system will introduce a number of pipeline variables, such as what directory the code is in, the hash of the latest commit, the repository name, and even protected values pulled from internal or external protected data storage engines.

The next essential part is the stages, or steps, of the pipeline. These can be used to compile code, deploy IaC, or even perform testing and scan code for malicious content. These blocks often are unable...