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Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice that involves automatically and frequently integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository. The primary goal of CI is to detect and address integration issues early in the development process, ensuring that the software remains in a consistent and releasable state at all times.

Key aspects of Continuous Integration include:

1. Automated Builds: With CI, code changes are automatically built and compiled into executable artifacts, such as binaries or libraries, whenever a developer commits their changes to the version control system.
2. Frequent Integration: Developers commit their code changes to the shared repository multiple times a day, ensuring that the codebase is continuously being updated and integrated.
3. Automated Testing: CI systems run automated tests on the newly integrated code to identify potential issues or regressions early in the development process. These tests can include unit tests, integration tests, and other forms of automated testing.
4. Rapid Feedback: CI provides rapid feedback to developers on the quality and correctness of their code changes, allowing them to address issues promptly.
5. Detecting Integration Issues: By frequently integrating code changes, CI helps identify integration conflicts and issues early, preventing the accumulation of integration problems that are more challenging to resolve later.
6. Commit Hooks: CI systems can enforce certain quality checks and code standards before allowing a code commit. These checks help maintain code consistency and quality across the team.
7. Version Control Integration: CI systems are typically integrated with version control systems (e.g., Git, Subversion), automatically triggering builds and tests upon code commits.

CI is a crucial part of modern software development practices, particularly in Agile and DevOps environments. It enables teams to deliver high-quality software more consistently, reduces the risk of integration-related problems, and streamlines the development workflow. By continuously integrating code changes, teams can confidently make incremental improvements and respond quickly to customer feedback and changing requirements. CI lays the foundation for a seamless and efficient Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment (CD) pipeline, where software changes can be automatically deployed to production environments after passing through the CI process.