Besides asserting the internal states or values in memory, we sometimes assert values impacted by external systems in a test. These can become a source of flakiness as external systems are inherently unpredictable. Examples of such assertions include:
A CI/CD pipeline is a sequence of automated steps that validate and deliver software throughout the software development lifecycle. Initially, I believed that as long as the pipeline remained operational and code passed all checks during each run, we were set. However, I’ve come to realize that a pipeline's stability and integrity rely on multiple factors, many of which extend beyond the control of individual contributors. Here are some key reasons why a pipeline might become flaky or fail.