In software development, a build refers to the process of converting the software source code into executable software artifacts.
In traditional software development before the advent of Cloud, the build process involved compiling, linking, and packaging source code files and resources into a binary executable file or installation package.
Today, in the context of web based applications deployed as SaaS, the build steps mainly involve dependency resolution, compilation/transpilation, packaging and deployment.
The term “Build” also refers to the final artifact of the build process, which is mostly in the form of a software package file tagged with release and version information.