Learn CIRCLECI-CONFIG with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 27, 2025
Architecture
CircleCI config -> VCS trigger -> Jobs -> Steps -> Executors -> Artifacts/Deployments
Workflows coordinate job execution order
Orbs provide modularity and reuse
Caching improves build performance
Artifacts store build outputs for later use
Rendering Model
Config.yml -> Jobs -> Steps -> Executors -> Workflow -> Artifacts/Deployments
Workflows define sequential or parallel job execution
Orbs extend functionality and enable reuse
Executors define the environment for each job
Artifacts store results for inspection and deployment
Architectural Patterns
Cloud-native and serverless pipeline execution
Job and step modularity
Reusable Orbs for standardization
Integration with VCS and cloud providers
Insights dashboard for monitoring
Real World Architectures
Microservices CI/CD pipelines
Multi-cloud deployment automation
Docker image builds and push pipelines
Testing and deployment for multiple branches
Enterprise pipeline orchestration with Orbs
Design Principles
YAML-based pipeline configuration
Reusable, modular jobs via Orbs
Cloud-native CI/CD platform
Parallelism and caching for performance
VCS-triggered automated workflows
Scalability Guide
Use workflows to parallelize jobs
Implement caching for faster builds
Split large pipelines into smaller jobs
Use Orbs for reusable tasks
Monitor performance with Insights dashboard
Migration Guide
Migrate CircleCI 1.0 pipelines to 2.0 config.yml
Replace deprecated syntax with workflows
Update Orbs to latest versions
Refactor sequential jobs to workflows
Audit environment variables and secrets