# Deployment pipeline

A dependency-aware set of steps that builds, publishes, or deploys resources from the Aspire application model.

Also known as: application pipeline

Aspire's deployment pipeline organizes work into named steps with explicit dependencies. Resources and deployment integrations contribute steps, and independent steps can run concurrently.

Publishing, deploying, and running a selected step provide different entry points into that work. The pipeline uses the AppHost's application model rather than requiring a separate description of the resource topology.

An Aspire deployment pipeline is not the same as a CI/CD workflow. A workflow in GitHub Actions or Azure Pipelines can invoke Aspire's pipeline as part of a broader process that also runs tests, manages approvals, and supplies credentials.

## Practical example

Build a service's container image before pushing it to a registry, then deploy it to a compute environment as part of the same pipeline.

## Learn more

- [Understand Aspire deployment pipelines](https://aspire.dev/deployment/pipelines/)

- [Run Aspire from a CI/CD workflow](https://aspire.dev/deployment/ci-cd/)

## Related terms

- [Compute environment](https://aspire.dev/hub/glossary/compute-environment/)

- [DAG](https://aspire.dev/hub/glossary/dag/)

- [Publish mode](https://aspire.dev/hub/glossary/publish-mode/)

- [Publisher](https://aspire.dev/hub/glossary/publisher/)