6 Continuous Integration Books That Will Elevate Your DevOps Workflow

Discover Continuous Integration Books authored by leading experts like Jez Humble and Christopher Cowell, offering trusted guidance for mastering CI/CD pipelines.

Updated on June 28, 2025
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What if your software delivery could be faster, more reliable, and safer without sacrificing quality? Continuous Integration is reshaping how teams build, test, and deploy code, yet many still struggle to implement it effectively. This collection brings together books by practitioners who have walked the path—from Jez Humble's meticulous frameworks to Christopher Cowell's real-world GitLab insights—providing a solid foundation to refine your CI practices.

These books aren't just theory; they stem from authors with decades of experience at Google, Oracle, and AWS, who understand the intricacies of integrating automation, security, and collaboration into fast-paced development cycles. Their practical approaches have influenced countless teams navigating complex software landscapes.

While these expert-curated titles deliver proven strategies and deep knowledge, you might find value in tailoring these insights to your unique environment. Creating a personalized Continuous Integration book can help bridge the gap between broad principles and your specific tools, goals, and challenges, enhancing how you apply what you learn.

Best for proven continuous delivery practices
Jez Humble is a seasoned software engineer and author with a 20-year career spanning startups, government projects, and now Google, where he works as a site reliability engineer. His deep involvement in agile engineering and product management at UC Berkeley, combined with hands-on experience in DevOps, uniquely positions him to address the challenges of rapid software delivery. This book distills his expertise into actionable insights for teams aiming to accelerate their release cycles while maintaining high quality and stability.

Drawing from decades of hands-on experience in software engineering and product development, Jez Humble and David Farley present a rigorous approach to making software releases faster and more reliable. You’ll learn how to automate the entire delivery pipeline—from building and testing to deployment—and how to break down silos between development, testing, and operations teams. The book delves into practical strategies for managing infrastructure, configuration, and compliance, offering frameworks that scale to complex, distributed projects. Whether you’re focused on reducing downtime or accelerating feature rollout, this text offers clear guidance on implementing continuous delivery practices that align with real-world challenges.

Jolt Excellence Award Winner 2011
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Best for mastering GitLab CI/CD pipelines
Christopher Cowell brings a rare combination of hands-on industry roles and academic background to this work. As a former GitLab trainer and seasoned QA engineer for firms like Oracle and Puppet, he understands where software development often falls short—prioritizing speed over quality. His philosophy of "slow down, simplify, and get it right" permeates the book, making it a thoughtful guide to mastering GitLab's CI/CD pipelines for anyone serious about reliable DevOps automation.
2023·348 pages·Devops, Continuous Integration, GitLab, CI/CD, Pipeline Configuration

Christopher Cowell leverages his unique blend of academic rigor and extensive industry experience to challenge the rush toward rapid but sloppy software delivery. This book guides you through mastering GitLab CI/CD pipelines, detailing how to automate each step of your software lifecycle from code verification to deployment. You’ll explore configuring GitLab Runners, integrating Kubernetes, and optimizing pipeline performance with practical examples in chapters like "Enhancing Speed and Maintainability." Ideal for engineers and developers seeking to improve code quality while streamlining delivery, it demands some familiarity with DevOps concepts but rewards you with deeper understanding and hands-on skills.

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Best for personal CI mastery
This AI-created book on continuous integration automation is tailored to your background, skill level, and specific interests. You share what CI topics you want to focus on and your goals, and the book is created to match exactly what you need to master CI pipelines. Customizing the content this way makes complex CI concepts more accessible and relevant, saving you time by focusing on what matters most to your workflow and projects.
2025·50-300 pages·Continuous Integration, Pipeline Automation, Build Systems, Testing Automation, Deployment Techniques

This tailored book explores the landscape of continuous integration pipelines with a personalized lens, focusing on your unique background and goals. It examines the core principles of automation in software development, providing a detailed examination of CI practices that match your specific interests and skill level. By tailoring content to your needs, it reveals how to navigate complex CI tools and workflows, fostering deeper understanding and practical mastery. The book synthesizes broad expert knowledge, helping you build a seamless, automated pipeline that fits your development environment and ambitions.

Tailored Guide
Pipeline Optimization
3,000+ Books Created
Best for integrating security in CI/CD
Sai Sravan Cherukuri is a recognized expert in DevSecOps and software security, with extensive experience integrating security into software development processes. His deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines and passion for innovation drive this book, which offers practical insights and real-world examples to help you enhance your software delivery with integrated security practices.
2024·159 pages·Continuous Integration, CI/CD, Security, DevSecOps, Container Security

When Sai Sravan Cherukuri realized that speed in software delivery often compromised security, he set out to redefine how development and security teams collaborate. This book teaches you how to embed security deeply within CI/CD pipelines using concepts like Shift Left, Policy-as-Code, and Infrastructure-as-Code, illustrated through real-world case studies and practical tools. You’ll gain insights on securing containerized environments and leveraging Web3 technologies, making it ideal if you’re responsible for safeguarding modern DevOps workflows. If your goal is to harmonize rapid deployment with robust security, this book offers a focused roadmap without overcomplicating the essentials.

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Best for Docker and Jenkins users
Rafał Leszko is a software developer and tech leader with experience at Google, CERN, and Hazelcast. His deep involvement in coding and architecture across major tech organizations drives this book, which distills his expertise into practical guidance on using Docker and Jenkins together. Leszko’s workshops and talks at conferences like Devoxx underscore his commitment to advancing DevOps practices, making this book a valuable resource for those looking to master continuous delivery pipelines.

Rafal Leszko's extensive experience as a software developer and tech leader at organizations like Google and CERN informs this hands-on guide to integrating Docker and Jenkins for continuous delivery. You learn how to build secure, scalable applications by orchestrating Docker containers, automating pipelines with Jenkins, and managing infrastructure via Kubernetes, Ansible, and Terraform. Chapters cover practical setups like configuring Docker servers, scaling Jenkins with Kubernetes, and implementing automated acceptance tests with Cucumber, offering deep insight into modern CI/CD workflows. This book suits DevOps engineers and system administrators eager to streamline deployment processes using proven tools and methodologies.

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Best for pipeline design and development
Henry van Merode is a seasoned DevOps engineer and solution architect with extensive experience automating software supply chains and application lifecycle management. Specializing in CI/CD pipeline development, he has worked with platforms like Jenkins, CircleCI, and Azure DevOps. His deep expertise drives this book, which addresses common pipeline development challenges and offers structured guidance to improve and automate your software delivery process.
2023·436 pages·Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, CI/CD, Pipeline Development, Pipeline Testing

When Henry van Merode first realized how often pipeline development is treated as an afterthought, he set out to change that mindset. Drawing from his extensive background as a DevOps engineer and solution architect, this book walks you through the entire lifecycle of CI/CD pipelines, from requirements analysis to monitoring. You’ll learn nuanced strategies for branching, testing pipelines themselves, and identifying performance bottlenecks, supported by clear BPMN 2.0 examples and a full implementation case study. If you're involved in automating software delivery and want a structured, practical approach to pipeline design, this book offers detailed insights without unnecessary jargon.

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Best for rapid pipeline improvement
This AI-created book on continuous integration transformation is crafted based on your current expertise, interests, and goals. You tell us what parts of your CI pipeline you'd like to improve and your desired outcomes, and the book is created to focus exactly on what will help you accelerate pipeline effectiveness. Customizing the learning path for CI makes sense because every environment and team faces unique challenges — this book addresses yours directly to maximize progress within a 90-day period.
2025·50-300 pages·Continuous Integration, Pipeline Efficiency, Automation Techniques, Testing Practices, Deployment Workflow

This tailored book explores step-by-step plans to rapidly transform your Continuous Integration process within 90 days. It covers practical pathways to enhance your CI pipeline efficiency, focusing on your unique background and goals to deliver a tailored learning experience. The content examines core CI concepts, integrating automation, testing, and deployment practices that align with your specific technical environment and development workflows. By synthesizing expert knowledge into a custom roadmap, it reveals how to overcome common challenges and accelerate progress while maintaining code quality and reliability. This personalized guide focuses on your interests and addresses the exact obstacles you face in achieving continuous integration success.

Tailored Guide
Pipeline Acceleration
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for AWS DevSecOps practitioners
Nikit Swaraj is an experienced solution architect specializing in AWS with multiple certifications from AWS, Red Hat, CNCF, and HashiCorp. His deep expertise in designing enterprise-wide solutions and passion for sharing knowledge at AWS meetups underpin this book. It reflects his practical experience in melding development and operations to create efficient, secure CI/CD pipelines, making it a valuable resource for anyone working with AWS in DevSecOps.
2022·520 pages·Continuous Integration, CI/CD, DevSecOps, Cloud Architecture, Chaos Engineering

Drawing from his extensive experience as an AWS solution architect, Nikit Swaraj developed this book to address the complex challenges of building secure and resilient CI/CD pipelines. You’ll learn to master AWS developer tools like CodeStar, Proton, and CodeGuru, alongside advanced practices such as chaos engineering and AIOps to enhance pipeline performance and security. Chapters guide you through implementing policy-as-code, deploying at scale with AWS Proton, and using Security Hub for infrastructure automation, making it ideal for practitioners seeking hands-on skills. If you're working in cloud development or DevOps and want to deepen your expertise in building robust AWS CI/CD systems, this book lays out clear, practical guidance without unnecessary jargon.

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Conclusion

Together, these six books highlight three key themes: building robust, automated pipelines; embedding security seamlessly into CI/CD workflows; and leveraging powerful tools like Docker, Jenkins, GitLab, and AWS to scale delivery. If you're new to Continuous Integration, starting with Jez Humble's clear frameworks and Henry van Merode's pipeline design can ground your understanding.

For rapid implementation, combining practical guides like Leszko's Docker and Jenkins integration with Cherukuri's security focus helps harmonize speed and safety. Meanwhile, AWS practitioners will find Swaraj's advanced DevSecOps techniques crucial for cloud environments.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Continuous Integration book to tailor these proven methods to your exact needs and accelerate your learning journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with 'Continuous Delivery' by Jez Humble. Its foundational approach to automating build, test, and deployment processes lays a strong groundwork before diving into tool-specific guides.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Continuous Integration?

Not at all. While some books cover advanced topics, many provide clear explanations and practical examples suitable for beginners and those expanding their CI knowledge.

What's the best order to read these books?

Begin with general principles in 'Continuous Delivery,' then explore practical pipeline design with Henry van Merode's book. Follow with tool-focused titles like GitLab and Docker/Jenkins guides, and finally security with 'Securing the CI/CD Pipeline.'

Do these books assume I already have experience in Continuous Integration?

Most books offer entry points for newcomers but also delve into complexities that benefit readers with some CI exposure, making them valuable across experience levels.

Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?

Christopher Cowell's 'Automating DevOps with GitLab CI/CD Pipelines' is packed with real-life examples and step-by-step instructions for immediate application in GitLab environments.

Can personalized Continuous Integration books complement these expert titles?

Yes, personalized books build on expert insights by tailoring content to your skills, tools, and goals, making the knowledge more directly applicable. Learn more here.

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