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Quality gates serve as automated control points in the software pipeline, ensuring that every build meets predefined standards before it moves forward. Instead of relying solely on manual review, teams define measurable criteria that code must satisfy to pass to the next stage.

In real-world use, quality gates typically validate:

Minimum test coverage thresholds

Results of automated test suites

Static code analysis findings (bugs, vulnerabilities, code smells)

Performance or security compliance benchmarks

The real value of quality gates lies in enforcement. When integrated into CI/CD workflows, they can automatically fail a build that doesn’t meet standards, preventing unstable or low-quality code from progressing further. This reduces last-minute firefighting and increases confidence in releases.

By setting clear expectations early in the pipeline, quality gates transform quality assurance from a reactive activity into a proactive control mechanism - helping teams ship faster without compromising reliability.