CI/CD PIPELINE SIMULATOR: A BROWSER-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR INTERACTIVE DEVLOPS EDUCATION AND DEPLOYMENT WORKFLOW VISUALIZATION

Abstract

The complexity of modern software delivery has proven that CI/CD pipelines are crucial elements of professional practices. Despite its wide application in the real world, practical tools to learn and explore the concept remain limited in educational context. This paper proposes a desktop-based CI/CD Pipeline Simulator built using Tkinter, to bridge theoretical concepts and practical execution. The simulation consists of the three main parts of the deployment pipeline, build, test and deployment. The integrated tool runs all three parts sequentially within a single executable. A user can input Python code, then the system can compile and scan code for possible errors, and simulates the deployment process. Real-time progress bars and a log to detail the step by step processing provide users instant feedback throughout the process. Upon successful deployment, it creates a dynamic simulated prototype of an application, allowing UI characteristics such as labels on buttons, colors of backgrounds, and interactive functions to be changed by only manipulating variables within the code. It encourages learners to experience pipeline steps without needing to configure servers, cloud accounts, or complex tooling. Experiments suggest the tool effectively demonstrates basic DevOps practices such as verification of build, conditional testing gate and environmental dependent deployment. The tool is portable across different platforms, and effective for undergraduate courses, independent study, and rapid prototyping. This project establishes a feasible educational tool for DevOps teaching, and laid groundwork for further developments such as container integration, trigger of branches and multi-environment staging