A DevOps pipeline is a set of automated processes and technologies that allow developers and operations professionals to cooperate on code development and deployment in a production environment. The DevOps pipeline varies by business, but it typically includes build automation/continuous integration, automation testing, validation, and reporting. It may also have one or more manual gates that a human must open before code may be performed.

A DevOps pipeline is distinguished by its continuous nature. Continuous integration includes things like continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD), continuous feedback, and continuous operations. Each function is carried out on a continuous basis, rather than one-time tests or planned deployments.