Build Automation

Build automation is the act of scripting or automating a wide variety of tasks that a software developer will do in their day-to-day activities including things like:

1. Compiling computer source code into binary code
2. Packaging binary code
3. Running tests
4. Deployment to production systems
5. Creating documentation and or release notes

This automated build is in contrast to a manual build process where a person has to perform multiple, often tedious and error prone tasks. The goal of this automation is to create a one-step process for turning source code into a working system. This is done to save time and to reduce errors.