8 Best-Selling CI/CD Books Millions Trust

Discover CI/CD books written by leading experts like Jez Humble and Brent Laster, featuring best-selling practices transforming software delivery.

Updated on July 1, 2025
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0 of 8 books have Audiobook versions

There's something special about books that both critics and crowds love—especially in the fast-evolving world of CI/CD. As organizations race to deliver software faster and more reliably, these books have become go-to resources, providing proven frameworks that countless developers and teams rely on.

Written by experienced practitioners and industry insiders, these titles dive deep into the nuts and bolts of continuous integration, delivery, and deployment. Authors like Jez Humble offer rich insights into automation, pipeline architecture, and collaboration strategies, making these works cornerstones for those serious about mastering CI/CD.

While these popular books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific CI/CD needs might consider creating a personalized CI/CD book that combines these validated approaches into a focused guide designed just for you.

Best for foundational CI/CD strategies
Audiobook version not available
Jez Humble, co-author of the award-winning "Continuous Delivery," brings extensive expertise in software engineering and DevOps practices to this influential book. His work focuses on bridging development and operations through automation and agile methodologies, aiming to simplify and speed up the software delivery process. This book stems from his deep experience and commitment to improving how organizations release software, providing you with a trusted guide to transform your delivery pipeline and collaboration efforts.
CONTINUOUS DELIVERY book cover

Jez & Farley Humble David·

What started as a response to the often slow and error-prone software release cycle, Jez Humble and David Farley's "Continuous Delivery" offers a detailed blueprint for transforming how teams ship software. You gain deep insights into automating the build, deployment, and testing process, along with fostering collaboration across development, testing, and operations. The book breaks down complex topics like deployment pipelines, infrastructure management, and risk mitigation with practical examples, such as managing zero-downtime releases and configuring automated acceptance testing. If you're part of a software delivery team aiming to accelerate releases without sacrificing quality, this book speaks directly to your challenges and opportunities.

Winner of the 2011 Jolt Excellence Award
Published by Addison-Wesley
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Best for software release automation
Audiobook version not available
Jez Humble brings over 20 years of hands-on software experience across continents and sectors, including work with the US Federal Government's 18F team and Google. Co-author of multiple award-winning books, he distills his expertise to guide you through transforming software delivery with automation and collaboration. His role as a site reliability engineer and educator at UC Berkeley ensures this book reflects real challenges and solutions in modern software development.

When Jez Humble noticed the persistent struggles teams faced with slow and error-prone software releases, he crafted this detailed guide to reshape how delivery works. You’ll explore how to automate builds, testing, and deployments to achieve rapid, reliable releases, with concrete frameworks like the deployment pipeline that streamline every change from code check-in to production. The book lays out collaboration strategies across development, testing, and operations, plus infrastructure management and compliance considerations, making it valuable for developers, testers, and managers aiming to accelerate delivery without sacrificing quality. If you want to understand the nuts and bolts behind continuous delivery and reduce friction in software release cycles, this book offers practical insights without fluff.

Jolt Excellence Award Winner
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Best for custom CI/CD automation
Audiobook version not available
This AI-created book on CI/CD automation is tailored to your background and goals, focusing on the automation strategies that suit your current knowledge and interests. Unlike generic texts, it zeroes in on the areas you want to master, whether that's pipeline design, deployment workflows, or integrating testing automation. By personalizing the content, the book helps you build relevant skills faster and with more clarity, making your learning experience both efficient and engaging.
2025·50-300 pages·CI/CD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, Pipeline Architecture, Automation Tools

This tailored CI/CD Mastery Blueprint explores detailed strategies for mastering continuous integration and continuous deployment with a focus on automation that aligns with your specific background and goals. It combines widely validated knowledge with personalized emphasis on the automation tools and pipeline designs that matter most to you. The book examines core CI/CD concepts such as pipeline architecture, testing automation, and deployment workflows, while tailoring the depth and topics to your experience level and interests. By concentrating on what directly supports your learning objectives, it reveals how to accelerate software delivery while maintaining quality and reliability through automation. This personalized approach helps you build expertise efficiently by focusing on the aspects of CI/CD that are most relevant to your projects and career.

Tailored Guide
Pipeline Automation
1,000+ Happy Readers
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Best for modern Jenkins pipeline users
Audiobook version not available
Brent Laster is a global trainer, author, and senior R&D manager with over 25 years in software development. His deep technical and leadership experience inspired him to write this guide on Jenkins 2, capturing the platform’s shift toward code-defined pipelines and next-generation automation. Brent’s passion for sharing knowledge shines through, making this an insightful resource for anyone aiming to evolve their CI/CD processes with Jenkins.

When Brent Laster discovered the limitations of traditional Jenkins setups, he set out to capture the evolution of continuous delivery pipelines in Jenkins 2. This book walks you through defining pipelines as code using Jenkins domain-specific language, migrating legacy jobs, and integrating tools like artifact management and containerization. You’ll gain hands-on insights into managing pipeline security, leveraging Blue Ocean’s graphical interface, and distinguishing between declarative and scripted syntax. It’s especially useful if you’re already familiar with Jenkins but want to modernize your pipelines and automate with greater flexibility and control.

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Best for Jenkins CI beginners
Audiobook version not available
John Ferguson Smart, director of Wakaleo Consulting, brings deep expertise in Java development and agile testing practices to this book. Known for his leadership in the Agile community and open source contributions, Smart wrote this guide to help teams harness Jenkins for reliable Continuous Integration and deployment. His background mentoring organizations and speaking internationally informs the clear, pragmatic advice throughout the book.
2011·401 pages·Continuous Integration, CI/CD, Jenkins, Build Automation, Test Automation

After years working closely with Java development teams, John Ferguson Smart developed this guide to demystify Jenkins and its role in Continuous Integration. You’ll learn how to install and configure Jenkins, automate builds, integrate tests, and deploy software smoothly, with practical examples such as setting up build pipelines and managing distributed builds. The book’s detailed chapters on securing Jenkins servers and organizing matrix builds make it ideal for developers and project managers looking to enhance their CI workflows. If you want hands-on knowledge that bridges theory with real-world Jenkins setups, this book fits perfectly.

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Best for Docker-based pipeline builders
Audiobook version not available
Brandon Atkinson is a software engineer with over 14 years of experience designing and implementing enterprise solutions using a wide range of technologies including Azure, AWS, .NET, and DevOps practices. His passion for building scalable teams and enterprise architecture shines through in this book, which aims to help you create reusable, platform-agnostic CI/CD pipelines. Drawing from his extensive background, Brandon offers practical guidance that can transform how your team approaches pipeline development and deployment.
2018·154 pages·CI/CD, Devops, Container Technology, Docker, Pipeline Automation

Brandon Atkinson brings over 14 years of software engineering expertise to this focused guide on creating reusable, platform-agnostic CI/CD pipelines using Docker and shell scripts. You’ll learn how to build modular pipelines that any DevOps team can adopt, regardless of technology stack or cloud environment, which is especially useful when managing microservices and agile workflows. The book details practical implementations for combining Docker with generic pipeline methodology, offering insight into both centralized and federated DevOps team approaches. If you aim to streamline deployments and reduce pipeline maintenance overhead, this book delivers a clear path without unnecessary complexity.

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Best for rapid pipeline setup
Audiobook version not available
This AI-created book on pipeline automation is crafted based on your current skills, background, and specific CI/CD goals. You share which pipeline aspects you want to focus on, and it delivers targeted guidance to help you build and improve your pipelines rapidly. Customizing content for your unique needs makes learning more efficient, avoiding one-size-fits-all advice that doesn't quite fit your scenario. This tailored approach helps you gain actionable knowledge exactly where you need it.
2025·50-300 pages·CI/CD, Continuous Integration, Deployment Automation, Pipeline Optimization, CI/CD Tools

This tailored book explores the step-by-step actions necessary for rapidly building and improving CI/CD pipelines, focusing on your individual background and goals. It examines key pipeline components such as integration, deployment automation, and optimization techniques that match your specific interests. By concentrating on practical implementation tailored to your skill level, it reveals how to accelerate pipeline development without sifting through broad materials. The book combines proven, widely validated concepts with a personalized lens, allowing you to grasp complex pipeline systems efficiently while addressing your unique challenges in continuous integration and delivery. This personalized guide ensures your learning journey aligns precisely with what you need to master fast pipeline deployment and enhancement.

Tailored Guide
Pipeline Acceleration
3,000+ Books Created
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Best for Azure DevOps practitioners
Audiobook version not available
Tarun Arora is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional recognized for his contributions to Visual Studio and DevOps communities, with extensive experience working on Fortune 500 projects in financial and energy sectors. His dedication to high-quality software delivery and Agile practices drives the insights in this book, which equips you to fully utilize Azure DevOps Server 2019. Arora’s background in designing cloud-scale architectures and his active role in open source and developer communities make this an authoritative guide for anyone serious about adopting DevOps with Microsoft tools.
Azure DevOps Server 2019 Cookbook book cover

Tarun Arora, Utkarsh Shigihalli·

Tarun Arora and Utkarsh Shigihalli leverage their deep expertise in DevOps and software development to guide you through practical techniques for mastering Azure DevOps Server 2019. The book breaks down complex workflows into actionable recipes, such as implementing branch policies, automating CI/CD pipelines, and securing deployments with Azure KeyVault. You’ll learn how to manage Agile projects, integrate testing frameworks, and create marketplace extensions, making it especially useful if you’re aiming to elevate your development team’s efficiency and collaboration. This book suits developers, testers, and release managers looking to adopt a mature DevOps culture with hands-on, scenario-based instruction.

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Best for JavaScript cloud deployments
Audiobook version not available
This book stands out by offering a focused approach on continuous delivery tailored specifically for JavaScript developers moving into DevOps. It breaks down the process of leveraging AWS cloud infrastructure to automate builds, testing, and deployment, making complex CI/CD workflows accessible. The step-by-step method addresses common challenges in cloud deployment and helps you streamline your development pipeline. If you're looking to improve your app delivery speed and quality by embracing proven cloud techniques, this guide provides a clear pathway to get your projects running smoothly on AWS.
2019·74 pages·Continuous Delivery, CI/CD, Cloud Infrastructure, AWS, JavaScript

During his work helping JavaScript developers transition into DevOps, Shane Preater developed a practical guide that breaks down the complexities of continuous delivery using AWS and JavaScript. You’ll learn hands-on skills like setting up a Jenkins CI/CD server on AWS, automating builds with automated testing, and integrating code analysis tools like SonarQube, all illustrated with clear, actionable steps. The book is ideal if you’re a JavaScript developer eager to adopt cloud infrastructure and improve your deployment pipelines without getting lost in abstract theory. Its step-by-step chapters make the concepts tangible, especially the process of automatically deploying successful builds to the cloud, which will boost your development workflow.

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Best for hands-on Azure pipeline setup
Audiobook version not available
Chaminda Chandrasekara is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for Visual Studio ALM and a Certified ScrumMaster® who works as a Senior Engineer - DevOps at Xameriners, Singapore. Recognized for his extensive contributions to Microsoft forums and open source projects, Chaminda leverages his deep expertise to guide you through Azure DevOps pipelines. His practical experience and community involvement inform this book, making it a valuable resource for developers seeking to master continuous integration and deployment on the Azure platform.

When Chaminda Chandrasekara first explored the challenges of software delivery automation, he saw a gap in practical guidance for integrating Azure DevOps pipelines across diverse platforms and languages. This book walks you through setting up Azure build and release pipelines, using tools like the Visual Editor, PowerShell scripts, and YAML configurations to streamline continuous integration and deployment. You’ll gain concrete skills such as managing artifact feeds, creating extensions, and applying deployment strategies tailored to Azure services. If you’re a software developer or test automation engineer involved in delivery workflows, this book offers clear, hands-on instruction, though it’s less suited if you’re seeking conceptual DevOps theory rather than practical pipeline implementation.

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Conclusion

These eight books collectively highlight the importance of automation, pipeline design, and collaboration in making CI/CD effective. Whether you prefer foundational strategies, hands-on pipeline construction, or platform-specific guidance, this collection covers the spectrum of proven approaches.

If you lean towards well-established practices, starting with Jez Humble's "Continuous Delivery" books will ground you in the core principles. For those focused on tooling, combining Jenkins guides with platform cookbooks like Azure DevOps Server 2019 Cookbook offers practical insights.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized CI/CD book to combine proven methods with your unique needs. These widely-adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed in optimizing their software delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Start with Jez Humble's "Continuous Delivery" for a solid foundation on CI/CD principles. It's detailed yet accessible and sets the stage for more specialized tools and practices.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to CI/CD?

Not at all. Books like "Jenkins" provide practical, beginner-friendly guidance. Many of these titles build from fundamentals to advanced topics, letting you grow at your own pace.

What's the best order to read these books?

Begin with foundational books like "Continuous Delivery," then explore tooling-specific titles such as "Jenkins 2" or "Azure DevOps Server 2019 Cookbook" to apply concepts in real environments.

Should I start with the newest book or a classic?

Classic books by Jez Humble remain relevant for core concepts. Newer titles like "Jenkins 2" address recent tooling advances. Combining both gives you a balanced perspective.

Do these books assume I already have experience in CI/CD?

Some experience helps, but many books like "Continuous delivery with AWS and JavaScript" offer step-by-step instructions suitable for those transitioning into CI/CD roles.

How can I tailor CI/CD learning to my specific needs?

These expert books provide proven methods, but personalizing your learning with a tailored CI/CD book lets you focus on your unique projects and goals. Learn more here.

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