· Engineering · 2 min read
Minimal CI and CD for small teams
The smallest set of checks that still protects production.
Minimal CI and CD for small teams is about maximizing signal while keeping the pipeline fast. You do not need a complex system to protect production, but you do need discipline.
Start with core checks. Run unit tests and linting on every change. Add a build step that produces the deployable artifact. Keep these steps fast so feedback arrives quickly.
Safety gates
Require manual approval for production deployments. Validate environment specific configuration. Block deployments on failing health checks or failed migrations.
Security basics
Scan dependencies for known vulnerabilities. Add a simple secret check to prevent accidental credential leaks. These are low cost and high value steps.
Release notes and visibility
Generate a short change summary per release. It helps support teams and reduces guesswork during incidents. A minimal pipeline should still leave a clear trail of what changed.
Add a single source of truth for deployments. A small changelog or dashboard is enough, but it needs to be accurate and current.
Minimal does not mean careless. It means you only keep the steps that clearly reduce risk and protect delivery speed.
Keep pipeline runtimes predictable. If a pipeline takes too long, teams will bypass it. Measure runtime and treat slowdowns as defects.
Use environment parity for critical steps. If you deploy to production, test using similar configuration. A small mismatch can hide deployment errors.
Automate rollback where possible. Even a simple script that restores the previous release reduces risk and increases confidence.
