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AWS CodeDeploy

AWS CodeBuild is a fully managed build service that compiles source code, runs tests, and produces software packages that are ready for deployment. It eliminates the need for provisioning, managing, and scaling your own build servers. Here’s what you need to know about CodeBuild:

1. Fully Managed Build Environment​

  • No Build Server Management: CodeBuild automatically scales to meet your build volume, eliminating the need to set up and manage your own build servers.
  • Preconfigured Environments: CodeBuild provides several preconfigured environments (build images) for popular programming languages, including Java, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Docker, and .NET Core.
  • Custom Build Environments: If the preconfigured environments don’t meet your requirements, you can create custom build environments using Docker images, allowing you to install specific dependencies and configurations.

2. Build Specifications (buildspec.yml)​

  • Buildspec File: CodeBuild uses a buildspec.yml file to define the build process. This file specifies the build commands, environment variables, artifacts, and other settings needed to complete the build.
  • Phases: The buildspec.yml file supports multiple phases, including install, pre_build, build, and post_build, giving you control over different steps of the build process.
  • Environment Variables: You can define both static and dynamic environment variables in the buildspec.yml file or the CodeBuild project configuration to pass configurations into your build process.
  • Artifacts: Define how build artifacts (e.g., JAR files, Docker images, ZIP files) are packaged and where they are stored (e.g., in an S3 bucket or as Docker images in ECR).

3. Source Code Integration​

  • Source Providers: CodeBuild integrates with multiple source code repositories, including:
    • AWS CodeCommit
    • GitHub and GitHub Enterprise
    • Bitbucket
    • AWS S3 (for zipped code)
  • Multiple Sources: CodeBuild allows you to use multiple source inputs and combine them during the build process. This can be particularly useful in monorepo setups or when combining resources from different repositories.

4. Build Environment Configuration​

  • Compute Types: You can choose from different compute types (small, medium, large) depending on the resources your build requires. The size determines the amount of CPU and memory allocated to the build.
  • Environment Variables: Set environment variables in the CodeBuild project or within the buildspec.yml file. Variables can also be fetched from the AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store or AWS Secrets Manager for sensitive data (e.g., API keys, passwords).
  • Build Timeout: Set a build timeout (from 5 minutes to 8 hours) for each project to prevent builds from running indefinitely.

5. Security and Access Control​

  • IAM Roles: CodeBuild requires an IAM service role (known as a build project role) that grants the necessary permissions to access AWS resources like S3, CloudWatch, ECR, and others.
  • VPC Integration: You can configure CodeBuild to run inside a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), allowing it to securely access resources that are not publicly accessible, such as databases or internal APIs.
  • Artifact Encryption: CodeBuild supports encryption for build artifacts using customer-managed KMS keys, ensuring data is secure during and after the build process.

6. Logs and Monitoring​

  • CloudWatch Logs: CodeBuild streams build logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in real-time, allowing you to monitor the build process and troubleshoot issues.
  • S3 Logs: Alternatively, you can configure CodeBuild to output logs to an S3 bucket.
  • Build Status Notifications: You can configure Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to send notifications based on build events (e.g., build success, failure) or integrate with other services for more advanced monitoring.

7. Build Artifacts and Reports​

  • Artifacts: CodeBuild can package and upload build artifacts (e.g., binaries, container images) to destinations like Amazon S3 or Amazon ECR. You define these artifacts in the artifacts section of the buildspec.yml file.
  • Reports: CodeBuild supports test reports, allowing you to generate reports from test output files (e.g., JUnit, Cucumber). These reports are visible in the CodeBuild console and help provide insights into build quality.

8. Docker Support​

  • Docker Builds: CodeBuild supports building Docker images, pushing them to Amazon ECR or Docker Hub, and running Docker commands during the build process. This is useful for creating containerized applications.
  • Privileged Mode: When building Docker images, you need to enable privileged mode in the CodeBuild project settings, allowing the build environment to access Docker-related operations.

9. Caching​

  • Build Caching: CodeBuild supports local caching, which can be used to cache files locally on the build host (e.g., dependencies, Docker layers) to speed up subsequent builds.
  • S3 Caching: Cache dependencies or artifacts in an S3 bucket and retrieve them in future builds to reduce build times and improve efficiency.

10. Integration with Other AWS Services​

  • CodePipeline: CodeBuild integrates seamlessly with AWS CodePipeline to form an automated CI/CD pipeline. CodePipeline can trigger CodeBuild projects based on code changes, allowing for fully automated build and deployment processes.
  • CloudWatch Events: You can use Amazon EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events) to respond to build events, such as triggering Lambda functions for custom notifications or automation workflows.
  • AWS Secrets Manager: Fetch secrets and environment variables securely during the build process to avoid hardcoding sensitive information.

11. Build Phases and Commands​

  • Phases: CodeBuild executes commands in four phases: install, pre_build, build, and post_build. Each phase has its own set of commands that can be defined in the buildspec.yml file.
  • Command Execution: Commands are executed sequentially within each phase. You can also use scripts or reference external files in your repository to manage complex build steps.

12. Parameterized Builds​

  • Runtime Variables: CodeBuild allows you to specify runtime variables (e.g., environment variables, source versions) when starting a build. This enables flexible and dynamic build configurations without modifying the buildspec.yml file.

13. Parallel and Batch Builds​

  • Parallel Builds: CodeBuild can run multiple builds in parallel, improving throughput in CI/CD processes and speeding up the feedback loop for developers.
  • Batch Builds: Batch builds allow you to run multiple builds with different input sources or build configurations. This is helpful when you want to compile multiple versions of a software package concurrently.

14. Troubleshooting and Debugging​

  • Logs: Use CloudWatch Logs for detailed build logs. Logs provide information on each command's output, errors, and success/failure status, which is essential for troubleshooting build issues.
  • Local Builds: You can use the CodeBuild agent locally to replicate the build environment on your own system for debugging and testing purposes. This is particularly useful when trying to identify platform-specific issues.

15. Billing and Cost Management​

  • Pay-As-You-Go Pricing: CodeBuild pricing is based on the compute time used to run your builds. Costs vary based on the compute type (e.g., small, medium, large) and build duration.
  • Optimize Costs: To minimize costs, use caching, choose appropriate compute types, and keep build times as short as possible. Also, consider running builds in a batch to reduce the total number of build jobs.

16. Best Practices​

  • Use buildspec.yml for Build Configuration: Define build commands, environment variables, artifacts, and reports in the buildspec.yml file within the source code repository to maintain configuration with your codebase.
  • Secure Access to Secrets: Use AWS Secrets Manager or Systems Manager Parameter Store to handle sensitive information securely during the build process.
  • Optimize Build Time: Enable caching, use parallel builds, and select appropriate compute types to optimize build times and costs.
  • Automate Testing: Integrate unit tests, integration tests, and security scans into the build process to ensure software quality and compliance.

AWS CodeBuild is an integral part of the AWS CI/CD toolchain, providing a scalable and flexible build service to automate software compilation, testing, and packaging. By understanding its features and best practices, you can streamline your build process, enhance security, and optimize cost-effectiveness.

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what are the important things to know about CodeDeploy

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AWS CodeDeploy is a fully managed deployment service that automates software deployments to a variety of compute services, including Amazon EC2 instances, on-premises servers, Lambda functions, and Amazon ECS services. Here’s what you need to know about CodeDeploy:

1. Supported Deployment Platforms​

  • EC2/On-Premises: Deploy applications to Amazon EC2 instances, on-premises servers, or both. This platform is ideal for traditional server-based applications.
  • AWS Lambda: CodeDeploy can manage the deployment of updated code to your Lambda functions. It supports canary, linear, and all-at-once deployment strategies.
  • Amazon ECS: CodeDeploy integrates with Amazon ECS to update containerized applications, supporting blue/green deployments for minimal downtime.

2. Deployment Types​

  • In-Place Deployment (EC2/On-Premises): Updates the existing instances in your fleet. During this process, the application is stopped, the new version is installed, and then it is restarted. This method can cause some downtime.
  • Blue/Green Deployment (EC2/On-Premises, ECS, and Lambda): Deploys the new application version to a separate set of instances or containers (the "green" environment) while keeping the current version running (the "blue" environment). Once testing is complete, traffic is switched from the blue to the green environment, reducing downtime and risks.

3. AppSpec File (appspec.yml)​

  • The appspec.yml (or appspec.json for Lambda deployments) is a file that defines how CodeDeploy should deploy your application. It specifies:
    • Files: What files to copy and their destination paths.
    • Hooks: Lifecycle event hooks for running custom scripts during the deployment lifecycle (e.g., BeforeInstall, AfterInstall, ApplicationStart, ApplicationStop).
    • Permissions: Access controls for files copied to target instances or servers.
  • The appspec.yml file must be included in the root directory of your application source code for CodeDeploy to use.

4. Deployment Groups​

  • A Deployment Group is a set of instances (EC2 or on-premises servers) or resources (Lambda functions, ECS services) that represent the environment where your application is deployed.
  • Deployment groups are associated with an IAM role that grants CodeDeploy permissions to interact with your resources.
  • In EC2/On-Premises deployments, you can use Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling groups or tags to dynamically manage the instances in a deployment group.

5. Lifecycle Event Hooks​

  • CodeDeploy provides several lifecycle hooks (phases) where you can run custom scripts or commands during the deployment process. These hooks help automate tasks like stopping services, backing up files, and verifying deployments. Some common hooks include:
    • ApplicationStop: Stops the current application version.
    • BeforeInstall: Prepares the instance for the new deployment (e.g., install dependencies).
    • AfterInstall: Executes after the new version has been copied to the instance.
    • ApplicationStart: Starts the application.
    • ValidateService: Runs tests or validation checks to ensure the application is running correctly.
  • For each lifecycle event, you can specify scripts in the appspec.yml file, allowing flexibility to customize the deployment process.

6. Deployment Configurations​

  • Predefined Configurations: CodeDeploy provides several default deployment configurations for in-place deployments, such as:
    • CodeDeployDefault.AllAtOnce: Deploys to all instances in the deployment group simultaneously.
    • CodeDeployDefault.HalfAtATime: Deploys to half of the instances at a time.
    • CodeDeployDefault.OneAtATime: Deploys to one instance at a time.
  • Custom Configurations: You can create custom deployment configurations to control the minimum healthy hosts and deployment batch size, giving you granular control over how the deployment proceeds.

7. Rollbacks​

  • CodeDeploy supports automatic rollback to the previous application version if a deployment fails. You can configure rollback settings in the deployment group to specify when and how to trigger a rollback (e.g., if the deployment status changes to Failed or Stopped).
  • Manual Rollback: You can also manually trigger a rollback if you detect an issue after a deployment completes.

8. Monitoring and Notifications​

  • Deployment Status: CodeDeploy provides real-time status updates during deployments, including progress through lifecycle events and any errors encountered.
  • CloudWatch Alarms: Integrate with Amazon CloudWatch to monitor deployment health. You can create alarms to track metrics (e.g., instance health, application errors) and automatically trigger actions like rollback.
  • SNS Notifications: You can configure Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to send notifications for deployment events (e.g., deployment start, success, failure) to email addresses, chat apps, or other systems.

9. Integrations​

  • CodePipeline: CodeDeploy integrates seamlessly with AWS CodePipeline for a fully automated CI/CD process, allowing you to trigger deployments based on changes in your source code repository.
  • GitHub and Bitbucket: CodeDeploy can pull application revisions directly from GitHub or Bitbucket, streamlining the integration between your code repository and deployment process.
  • Third-Party Tools: You can use CodeDeploy with other CI/CD tools like Jenkins through the AWS CLI, SDKs, or REST APIs.

10. IAM Roles and Security​

  • Service Role: CodeDeploy requires an IAM service role to interact with your resources. This role should have permissions to access S3 buckets (for storing deployment packages), manage EC2 instances, and execute commands.
  • Instance Profile: For EC2/On-Premises deployments, each instance must have an IAM instance profile that allows it to download deployment artifacts and communicate with the CodeDeploy service.
  • Permissions: Use fine-grained IAM policies to control who can create, start, stop, and configure deployments in CodeDeploy.

11. Blue/Green Deployments (Zero Downtime)​

  • EC2/On-Premises: In a blue/green deployment, CodeDeploy provisions a new set of instances (green environment) with the new application version. It reroutes traffic from the old instances (blue environment) to the new ones once they are verified.
  • Lambda: CodeDeploy can perform blue/green deployments with Lambda functions using predefined or custom traffic shifting strategies (e.g., canary or linear). You can specify validation tests to run after the deployment before traffic is completely switched to the new function version.
  • Amazon ECS: For ECS deployments, CodeDeploy creates new task sets (green environment) in the same ECS service, rerouting traffic from the old task set (blue environment) to the new one once health checks pass.

12. Application Revisions​

  • Storing Revisions: CodeDeploy supports storing application revisions in Amazon S3, GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitHub Enterprise.
  • Version Control: You can version your deployment packages in S3, allowing you to easily roll back to a previous version if necessary.

13. CodeDeploy Agent​

  • The CodeDeploy agent must be installed and running on each EC2 instance or on-premises server you want to include in a deployment. This agent communicates with the CodeDeploy service to receive deployment instructions and execute lifecycle event scripts.
  • Agent Updates: Regularly update the CodeDeploy agent on instances to ensure compatibility with the latest features and fixes.

14. Testing and Validation​

  • Use the ValidateService lifecycle event hook to run tests (e.g., unit tests, integration tests) during deployments to ensure that the application is working correctly before completing the deployment.
  • Combine CloudWatch Alarms with CodeDeploy to automatically monitor application health and trigger rollback if metrics (e.g., CPU utilization, error rates) indicate issues during or after a deployment.

15. Cost Considerations​

  • Free Service: CodeDeploy itself does not incur additional costs; however, you may incur charges for the use of other AWS services involved in the deployment process (e.g., EC2, S3, CloudWatch).
  • Optimization: Efficient use of in-place or blue/green deployments can help minimize costs associated with new instance provisioning, storage of application revisions, and traffic management.

16. Best Practices​

  • Use Blue/Green Deployments: Whenever possible, use blue/green deployments to minimize downtime and mitigate risks associated with deploying new application versions.
  • Automate Rollbacks: Enable automatic rollback on deployment failures to quickly revert to the previous working version and minimize application downtime.
  • Validate Deployments: Implement lifecycle hooks (ValidateService) to test the application during deployments, ensuring each new version functions correctly before completion.
  • Secure Your Environments: Use IAM roles and policies to restrict access to CodeDeploy and related resources, and apply least privilege principles for all service roles and instance profiles.