AWS CodePipeline Tutorial

If you are building software applications in the AWS cloud, you may need a tool to automate the deployment process from commit to production. AWS CodePipeline, a managed service, helps you to build, test, and deploy your code changes continuously. In this tutorial, we’ll cover the basic functionality of CodePipeline, and show you how to create a simple pipeline that deploys a sample application from Github to an EC2 instance.

Getting Started with CodePipeline

Before creating a pipeline, you should prepare your application source code, version control system, and deployment steps. CodePipeline works with multiple source code repositories including Github, AWS CodeCommit, and BitBucket. It also integrates with other AWS services such as CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and Lambda, as well as third-party tools such as Jenkins and Git.

To create a pipeline, follow these steps:

1. Open the AWS Management Console and search for “CodePipeline”. Click on the service icon.
2. Click on “Create pipeline” and provide a name and description for your pipeline.
3. Choose a source provider, and connect your account credentials to access your repositories.
4. Configure the build settings and link your pipeline to a build project. CodePipeline will automatically provide you with a service role to run the build process.
5. Add a deployment stage to specify the target deployment environment, such as EC2, ECS, or Lambda.
6. Review the pipeline configuration, and click “Create pipeline”.

Creating the EC2 Deployment Stage

Assuming you have an EC2 instance running, you can create an EC2 deployment stage by following these steps:

1. Click on “Add stage” in the pipeline view.
2. Provide a name and description for the stage.
3. Under “Actions”, click “Add action”.
4. Choose “Deploy provider” and select “AWS CodeDeploy”.
5. Choose the region where your EC2 instance is located, and specify the deployment group name that you want to deploy to.
6. Click “Create deployment group” to create a new group.
7. Configure the deployment settings, such as deployment type, rollback configuration, and load balancer configuration (if applicable).
8. Review the action settings and click “Done” to save the changes.

Testing the Pipeline

To test the pipeline, make a code change in your source repository, and commit the changes. CodePipeline will automatically pick up the changes, trigger the build process, and when that completes successfully, deploy the code to your target deployment environment.

After the pipeline completes, you can view the pipeline history, see the execution status, and troubleshoot any errors that arise during the process.

Conclusion

AWS CodePipeline is a powerful tool that enables you to create a continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline for your software applications. By automating the software delivery process, teams can focus on developing new features and improving product quality, while reducing the risk of human error during deployments.