In simpler teams, CI/CD is kept in one pipeline because it’s easier to manage and faster to ship. But as systems grow, separating concerns helps: CI focuses on validation (tests, builds), while CD handles release control (approvals, environments, rollback strategy). That separation often makes ownership clearer and reduces “pipeline doing everything” complexity.
That said, there’s no one-size-fits-all—what matters most is keeping release decisions explicit and traceable, not buried in automation logic.