CruiseControl

Why do we need it?

CruiseControl is used to automate the build process. CruiseControl monitors the CVS for any changes. When a source file is changed, CruiseControl will automatically rebuild the project and run tests. If the build or one of the tests fail, CruiseControl will notify the developer that made the changes since the last working build.

A fully automated and reproducible build, including testing, can be very beneficial to the development process. Especially if it is done several times a day. By continuously building and testing a project, problems will be known about earlier and can be fixed earlier.

CruiseControl uses a "Build Loop." The Build Loop is a daemon process which will periodically check your source control tool for changes to your codebase, build if necessary, and send out a notification regarding the status of the build.