Single development test environment

A method for forming a cloud appliance comprising:

• a continuous integration server obtaining source files and predefined artifacts for a build of the cloud appliance in accordance with information in a project script;
• the continuous integration server triggering the build by one or more build managers;
• the one or more build managers compiling obtained source files to form compiled artifacts;
• the one or more build managers instantiating a virtual machine from a virtual machine template specified in the project script;
• the one or more build managers customizing the instantiated virtual machine to form a customized virtual machine using the predefined artifacts and the compiled artifacts, a process for customizing the instantiated virtual machine for each predefined artifact and compiled artifact based on a file type of the artifact;
• the one or more build managers converting the customized virtual machine to an archive format;
• and
• the one or more build managers storing the archive format and associated meta-data files in a build repository.

A machine-readable tangible and non-transitory medium with information recorded thereon, wherein the information, when read by a machine, causes the machine to perform the following steps:

• obtain, by a continuous integration server, source files, meta-data files, and predefined artifacts for a build of the cloud appliance in accordance with a project script;
• trigger, by the continuous integration server, the build by one or more build managers;
• compile, by the one or more build managers, the obtained source files to form compiled artifacts;
• instantiate, by the one or more build managers, a virtual machine from a virtual machine template specified in the project script;
• customize, by the one or more build managers, the instantiated virtual machine using the predefined artifacts and the compiled artifacts, a process for customizing the instantiated virtual machine with each predefined artifact and compiled artifact based on a type of the artifact;
• convert, by the one or more build managers, the customizing the instantiated virtual machine to an archive format;
• and
• store, by the one or more build managers, the archive format and associated meta-data files in a build repository.