AWS CodePipeline is a fully managed continuous delivery service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It helps you automate your software release processes, allowing you to deliver updates and new features more quickly and reliably. CodePipeline enables you to build, test, and deploy your applications with ease.
The following diagram illustrates AWS CodePipeline in the CI/CD.
Here’s an overview of how AWS CodePipeline works
Pipeline Definition: You define a pipeline using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or CloudFormation. A pipeline consists of a series of stages that represent the different phases of your software release process, such as source code retrieval, build, test, and deployment.
Source Stage: The first stage of the pipeline is typically the source stage, where CodePipeline retrieves your source code from a version control repository like AWS CodeCommit, GitHub, or Bitbucket. Whenever changes are detected in the source code repository, CodePipeline automatically triggers the pipeline.
Build Stage: In the build stage, you can use AWS CodeBuild or other build tools like Jenkins or Gradle to compile your code, run tests, and create deployable artifacts. CodePipeline integrates with various build providers to execute the build process.
Test Stage: The test stage allows you to run automated tests against your build artifacts. You can leverage AWS services like AWS CodeBuild, AWS Device Farm, or third-party testing tools for running unit tests, integration tests, or even perform comprehensive end-to-end testing.
Deployment Stage: Once the build and tests are successful, CodePipeline moves to the deployment stage. Here, you can deploy your application to different environments like development, staging or production. CodePipeline supports various deployment providers such as AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS CloudFormation, AWS CodeDeploy, or custom scripts.
Approval Stage: If required, you can add an approval stage in the pipeline. This allows manual review and approval before proceeding to the next stage. This is useful when you want to have human intervention to verify and authorize the release process.
Additional Stages: You can add more stages to the pipeline as needed, such as performance testing, security scanning, or even manual steps for specific processes.
Visualization and Monitoring: AWS CodePipeline provides a visual representation of your pipeline, allowing you to track the progress of your releases. You can view the pipeline status, history, and individual stage details. Additionally, you can integrate AWS CloudWatch to monitor the pipeline’s performance and set up alarms for any issues or failures.
Let’s create a sample AWS CodePipeline.
1. AWS Console – CodePipeline Home page. Click on “Create Pipeline”.
2. Enter the pipeline name and provide the service role name to create.
3. Advanced Settings: You can select the specific artifact location and encryption key.
4. Select the source provider. In our case, we use AWS CodeCommit to store the codes.
5. Here is the build stage. Either you can add “Jenkins” or use the AWS inhouse CodeBuild.
6. Once you build the code, you can deploy it on any of the following environment. It’s not mandatory to deploy as soon as build completes. You can have both build and deployment or either one action on the pipeline.
Conclusion:
AWS CodePipeline integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, enabling you to create end-to-end continuous delivery workflows. It simplifies the management of complex release processes, improves collaboration among development teams, and facilitates efficient software delivery with automation and monitoring capabilities.
Read More:
AWS for Beginners: AWS CodeCommit – How to configure Notifications? Part 51
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