Lecture Notes on AWS Developer Tools

Introduction to Open Source and AWS Specific Tools

• Open source tools are not specific to any platform.
• Examples of open source tools: Jenkins, GitLab, Bitbucket.
• Some projects donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).
• Focus on AWS-specific tools for achieving software release cycle goals.

AWS Developer Tools

• AWS provides a suite of developer tools for setting up software release cycles.
• Tools help manage the flow from development to deployment.

Key AWS Developer Tools

1. AWS CodeArtifact

   • Secure and scalable artifact management system.
   • Equivalent to Nexus.

2. AWS CodeBuild

   • Build tool similar to Maven.
   • Provides preconfigured build environments with necessary runtimes and packages.

3. AWS CodeDeploy

   • Automates deployment of applications to instances.
   • Equivalent to the "deploy to container" plugin in Jenkins.

4. AWS CodePipeline

   • Orchestration tool similar to Jenkins.
   • Models and automates the steps for software release.

Concepts in AWS CodeBuild

• Build Project: Contains source code, build commands, and build output settings.
• Build Environment: Prepackaged Docker images used for building projects.
• Build Spec: Specifies the commands and settings for building code.

Concepts in AWS CodeDeploy

• Application: Uniquely identifies the software application.
• Revision: Refers to software version.
• Deployment Configuration: Set of rules and conditions for deployment.
• Deployment Group: Set of EC2 instances targeted for application deployment.

CodePipeline Integration

• Integrates with various AWS services like CodeBuild and CodeDeploy.
• Allows for setting up stages and automating the CI/CD pipeline.
• Scalable and resilient due to being a managed service by AWS.

Practical Application

• Created an S3 bucket with a specific naming convention for artifact storage.
• Generated a GitHub token for authentication in CodePipeline.
• Used AWS Secrets Manager to store GitHub tokens securely.
• Deployed a CloudFormation stack to set up a pipeline, build environment, and deployment environment.
• Demonstrated a change in the code and observed automatic triggering of the CI/CD pipeline.

Additional Discussions

• Importance of understanding the interaction between DevOps and development teams.
• Managed tools reduce configuration overhead and improve scalability and resilience.

Notes

• Managed services offer better user experience and scalability.
• Each tool integrates well with third-party services, allowing flexibility.
• Emphasis on collaboration between development and DevOps teams for successful CI/CD implementation.