Release Candidate Creation

Abstract

You have previously learned how to code, build, and validate a build of software. In order for that build to become a release candidate, you must package the build in a format that is suitable for a production release. In addition, in order to make our continuous integration “Commit Stage” more robust, you will have to package the build for release to a TDD (test-driven development) environment. This environment was covered in previous chapters as a deployed environment dedicated solely to the execution of automated tests. The type of tests executed in this environment is acceptance tests. For a web application, you would commonly use Selenium for tests through the user interface. You can also create other test suites that would require a fully deployed instance of the software system to be deployed. This chapter will focus on the essential elements you will design and configure in order to convert a build to a versioned release candidate suitable for deployment to downstream environments. The chapter will cover the principles involved, the model and relationships of packages to the software architecture, and the process for storing the packages and using them.