A Block-Based Language for CI/CD Authoring

Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are essential for modern software delivery, yet configuring them remains a challenge due to the complexity of text-based formats like YAML. These configurations are error-prone and require substantial expertise, posing a barrier to novices. In this paper, we introduce PipeBlocks, a block-based CI/CD tool featuring a graphical interface for visually constructing pipelines through modular, drag-and-drop blocks. PipeBlocks seamlessly integrates with GitHub Actions, allowing users to design, validate, and execute pipelines entirely within the tool while maintaining full compatibility with existing YAML workflows. A key innovation is the ability to trigger and monitor pipeline runs directly in PipeBlocks, eliminating context-switching. We evaluated PipeBlocks through a controlled study with 10 participants configuring identical pipelines (build, test, deploy) using both PipeBlocks and YAML editing in GitHub Actions. Using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and NASA-TLX benchmarks, we found that PipeBlocks achieved a statistically significantly higher usability score and a lower cognitive load. The results suggest that block-based approaches can effectively lower CI/CD’s learning curve while maintaining functional completeness, making them particularly valuable for academic settings and early-career developers building CI/CD competencies.