CI/CD refers to Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. It is a fundamental practice within DevOps that streamlines software development through automation.

Continuous Integration (CI) involves developers regularly merging their code modifications into a central repository. Automated testing is then performed to ensure that the new code integrates without issues. This process helps identify bugs early and keeps the codebase stable.

Continuous Delivery (CD) builds on CI by automating the process of releasing validated code to a staging or testing environment. It guarantees that the software is perpetually prepared for deployment.

Continuous Deployment (CD) goes even further by automatically deploying code to production following successful tests. This enables rapid accessibility of updates to users.

The objective of CI/CD is to provide high-quality software more quickly and consistently. It minimizes manual work and enhances collaboration between development and operations teams.