• 2023/07/15

Why CI Matters for New Products

When launching a new project, when should you build the CI pipeline? Mature projects usually have CI, but greenfield ones start with nothing—no tests, no static analysis. Here are two common approaches and my thoughts on them.

Option 1: Build CI first

My recommendation. Once specs and stack choices are settled, set up CI before writing production code. I have done this from scratch on a work project and loved the outcome. Having CI in place nudges you to write unit tests from day one, avoiding the trap of “I’ll add tests later” and forgetting edge cases. Even solo developers can do this easily with tools like GitHub Actions.

Option 2: Add CI when CD enters the picture

Sometimes you assemble a basic app, then set up CD (deployment) once it is ready for a server. At that stage, adding CI alongside CD works too—especially if you want to control costs, since CI/CD services may charge per minute (GitHub Actions for private repos, AWS CodeBuild/CodeDeploy, etc.). Just make sure the team still writes tests with each pull request; having CI later does not excuse skipping tests early on.

Closing

CI is crucial, and the bar is lower than ever thanks to modern services. Even for personal projects, enabling CI reinforces testing habits. I hope this helps when planning your next greenfield effort.