What is a build pipeline and what are common stages from development to release?

• A. A manual process only for art assets.
• B. Automated steps to compile, test, package, and deploy; stages include compilation, unit tests, integration tests, packaging, deployment, and release notes.
• C. A process only for audio assets; no code testing.
• D. A process focusing solely on performance profiling.

Answer: (B)

A build pipeline is an automated sequence that takes code and assets from development to a ready-to-release state, ensuring each change is built, tested, and packaged in a repeatable way. It typically runs in this order: compile or build the code to produce executables or libraries; run unit tests to verify individual components work as intended; perform integration tests to check how parts interact; package the results into deployable artifacts; deploy those artifacts to environments (like staging and then production); and generate release notes that document what’s included and updated. This automation keeps results consistent, catches issues early, and speeds up delivery by removing manual steps. Many pipelines also incorporate additional checks such as linting, static analysis, security scans, and artifact publishing to a repository.