Which method takes continuous integration and continuous delivery a step further by automatically deploying code changes to production?

Continuous Deployment is the method that takes continuous integration and continuous delivery a step further by automatically deploying code changes directly to production. This practice allows for frequent and automatic release of updates, ensuring that new features, bug fixes, and changes are rolled out without requiring manual intervention.

In the context of software development, continuous integration focuses on the practice of merging all developers' working copies to a shared mainline multiple times a day, facilitating early detection of integration issues. Continuous delivery extends this process by ensuring that code is always in a deployable state, which means it can be released at any time. However, it still requires that an additional manual step to activate the deployment to production after code has been prepared.

Continuous deployment eliminates that final manual step. Once code passes through the automated testing pipeline in continuous integration and continuous delivery, it is automatically pushed to production, enabling teams to release updates to users quickly and efficiently. This helps organizations respond rapidly to user feedback and market changes, leading to an agile development environment.

Incremental development, while a valuable software development approach, focuses on building software in small, manageable chunks or increments, rather than the automatic deployment aspect relevant to the question.