Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment
These two terms sound almost identical and are often confused, but the difference matters because it decides who presses the final “go live” button.
Both build on Continuous Integration; the distinction is purely about whether the last step to production is automatic or requires a human to approve it.
The Key Difference
With Continuous Delivery, every change that passes its tests is ready to release at the push of a button, but a person chooses when. With Continuous Deployment, that final push happens automatically.
In both cases the hard work — building, testing and preparing the release — is fully automated. The only question is whether a human presses the final button, and that is a choice you can change as your confidence grows.
| Aspect | Continuous Delivery | Continuous Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Final release step | Manual approval | Fully automatic |
| Best for | Regulated or cautious teams | Mature, well-tested products |
| Release frequency | On demand | Many times a day |
| Human control | High | Low (gated by tests) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which do you recommend for my product?
Most clients start with Continuous Delivery for control, then move to Continuous Deployment once confidence in the test suite is high.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.