The Path From Push to Deployment

A push doesn’t automatically start CI. When the developer pushes commit A to the repository, CI is triggered only if the project’s workflow configuration matches that event. Git records the change; the configured automation decides whether this pipeline starts.

CI doesn't run on the developer's machine. It starts a runner, which fetches commit A from the repository and runs the project's configured tests and other checks. Then the runner sends the result back to CI, where it can determine whether the pipeline continues.

When a required check fails, CI records the job result and its logs, then this pipeline stops. Commit A doesn’t produce a release build, so it can’t be deployed.

A push starts a gated pipeline: commit A becomes a deployable artifact only when its checks pass. The artifact is the built output, not the commit itself.

Let's think this through. Commit A fails a required test in this pipeline. What happens next? A: The pipeline stops before building and deploying. B: The push is removed from the repository. C: The artifact deploys to staging anyway. Choose an answer, or just think it through. I'll explain in a moment.

The answer is A: The pipeline stops before building and deploying. The push has already updated the repository, but the failed check blocks this pipeline's release path. Git does not undo the push, and this configured workflow does not deploy a failing build.

Once checks pass, CI fetches commit A’s built artifact. That’s separate from building it: the deployment job sends that artifact to Staging, then Staging reports status to CI. A successful report confirms the deployment step, not that the app behaves correctly for users.

A push may update the repository, while branch filters, failed checks, or deployment rules keep staging unchanged.

Configured conditions and passing jobs determine whether a build reaches an environment. Commit A reaches staging only if its checks pass and deployment rules allow it; a push alone isn't deployment.