Step by Step Guide for AWS CI CD Pipeline Creation

AWS offers many CI/CD developer tools to accelerate software development and deployment cycles. Helping the teams manage, automate, and streamline their workflows to stay ahead in the market. Also, the use of the AWS CI/CD pipeline assists the developers in the efficient integration of features and updates. Without worrying about the security of their solutions. So in this step-by-step guide learn how to set up the AWS CI CD pipeline. 

Furthermore, key AWS services like CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodePipeline, ECS Fargate, and ALB will be integrated to automate the process. Code changes can trigger builds, tests, and deployment to a test environment. Also, more steps can be added for further production and testing deployments.

Before, you know how to set up the CI CD pipeline in AWS. Let’s have a look at the introduction of the CI/CD pipeline in AWS.

What Is The CI/CD Pipeline in AWS?

The CI/CD pipeline in AWS consists of tools, and automation processes that enable the developers to deliver code changes more effectively. This setup mainly serves two functions:

• Automation of app development process, testing, and deployment.
• Ensuring seamless and consistent workflow.

The AWS CI/CD pipeline helps in automating the entire software development workflow from production to code changes. Some of the services provided by AWS to facilitate the developers are given below:

• CodeCommit: A secure version control service hosted by Amazon Web Services that you can use to store documents, source code, and binary files in the cloud.
• CodeBuild: AWS CodeBuild is a continuous integration service that runs tests, complies with source code, and generates software packages for deployment. 
• Code Deploy: This service facilitates the automation of software deployments anywhere. It is a fully managed deployment service.
• Code Pipeline: This service facilitates continuous delivery service that allows the users to model as well as automate the steps required for software release.

The AWS CI/CD pipeline helps the teams confidently update apps at a rapid pace as per modern software development standards.

Benefits Of AWS CI/CD Pipeline

AWS CI CD pipeline offers a collection of tools that make the processes seamless and flexible. 

 

• Swift Updates Delivery 
• Enhanced Code Quality
• Seamless Integration
• Improved Productivity

Optimization and streamlining of workflows in development as well as deployment processes are crucial for companies. Fortunately, the AWS CI CD pipeline is there to assist the developers from start to end. 

Now you are knowledgeable enough about how  CI/CD pipeline AWS can help you achieve maximum efficiency in this fast-paced environment. So, let us walk you through the whole implementation process in your workflows. 

Setup CI/CD Pipeline For Node Application On AWS

The deployment of the Node.js app to AWS can be a complex process. But as daunting as this task can be, by following the below steps you can set up the AWS CI/CD pipeline for Node Application. 

By following this tried and tested process you can take your delivery and deployment to the next level.  So, without further ado let’s see how to implement the AWS CI CD pipeline:

AWS Fargate Service

• Go to the Consol search for the ECS service, and click on it:

• Click on the Networking powered by AWS Fargate.

• Define task configurations to specify containers, resources, and networking.

• Push the application to the Fargate ECS.

• Configure the Fargate Service to automatically scale based on demand.

Application Load Balancer

• Create an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in the AWS Management Console.

• Configure the ALB to distribute incoming traffic across multiple instances of your application.

• Now create the service that defines the multiple copies of tasks that will be running:

Set up target groups and listeners to route traffic to the appropriate services. 

AWS CodeCommit

• Create a CodeCommit repository to store your source code securely.

• Clone the repository locally and push your code changes to the repository.

• Grant appropriate permissions to team members to access the repository.

{

  "Version": "2012-10-17",

  "Statement" : [

    {

      "Effect" : "Allow",

      "Action" : [

        "codecommit:BatchGetRepositories"

      ],

      "Resource" : [

        "arn:aws:codecommit:us-east-2:111111111111:MyDestinationRepo",

        "arn:aws:codecommit:us-east-2:111111111111:MyDemo*"

      ]

    }

  ]

}

AWS CodeBuild

• Configure a CodeBuild project to build your application.

• Specify the build environment, build commands, and artifacts to be generated.
• Define build specifications using buildspec.yaml file.

AWS CodePipeline

• Create a CodePipeline to orchestrate the entire CI/CD workflow.

• Set up the source stage to pull code from the CodeCommit repository.

• Add the build stage to trigger the CodeBuild project.

• Configure the deployment stage to deploy the application using the Fargate Service.

Example Node Application:

const http = require('http');

const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {

  res.statusCode = 200;

  const msg = 'Hello Node!\n'

  res.end(msg);

});

server.listen(port, () => {

  console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${port}/`);

});

How To Add Another Stage To CodePipeline? 

If you need to add another Stage to CodePipeline:

• Adding a stage to your CodePipeline is simple. Access CodePipeline from the AWS console and select your pipeline. Click "Edit" to modify it.
• Use the "+" icon to add a new stage. Specify the actions like builds, tests or deployments. Connect it to the relevant existing actions as the next process.
• Save and your CI/CD pipeline automatically expands with an extra integrated stage. Easily scale your automation by inserting customized stages wherever needed in the flow.

Adding a Third Stage using AWS CLI

Now you need to install AWS CLI on your system with AWS credentials.

After installation of AWS CLI, we need to run the commands given below:

aws codepipeline update-pipeline --pipeline-name MyPipeline --cli-input-json file://path/to/pipeline.json

Disabling and Enabling Transitions between Stages in CodePipeline

You can follow the points below to disable and enable transitions between stages in a Codepipeline. 

• Customize stage transitions in CodePipeline.
• Access the service from AWS Console. Select your pipeline then click "Edit".
• Locate the transition between stages you wish to control. Toggle its switch to disable/enable.
• Saving updates the transition flow - conditionally preventing or allowing stages based on prior results.
• Easily configure your CI/CD workflow for flexibility and control.

Final Take Away

Setting up an AWS CI/CD pipeline can be a complex task. However, once it's up and running with the help of the steps mentioned above. It can help the developers to achieve efficiency. 

Not to forget, the seamless and fault-proof workflow it provides, which works in the favour of all stakeholders. So if you want to set up an AWS CI CD pipeline, then just follow our guide to efficiently set up and customize end-to-end CI/CD processes on AWS. This will help you deploy features, updates, and improvements swiftly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the four phases/stages of the CI CD pipeline in AWS?

There are four stages of the AWS CI/CD pipeline: 

• Source- Fetching the source code.
• Build- Code compilation for the generation of the artifact.
• Test- Ensure code quality with the execution of automated tests.
• Deploy-App deployment for the targeted audience.

2. How to troubleshoot issues in the AWS CI CD pipeline?

You can detect and resolve issues in the AWS CI/CD pipeline by just looking after these aspects below:

• Analyze pipeline logs for error messages and details.
• Make sure to check permissions to ensure proper IAM roles & permissions.
• Inspect code changes for errors.
• Verify versions and dependencies.
• Test the code locally before pushing it to the pipeline.
• Review and confirm the correct configuration of the pipeline.
• Detects resource utilization during the pipeline execution.
• Always keep the AWS CLI and SDK up to date.
• For guidance consult the AWS documentation and community forums.

3. How to roll back changes in failure of deployment?

In case of deployment failure follow these steps to roll back changes:

• Detect the specific issues and if you are using version control (e.g., Git) in your app, revert to the previous latest version.
• Before proceeding with the rollback, make sure to have data backups and configurations.
• Revert the database to its previous state utilizing database versioning or backups (in case database changes were part of the deployment).
• Revert the code changes by deploying to the last known stable version.
• Prepare the rollback script before automating the process and quickly revert changes.
• Don’t forget to inform the stakeholders about the rollback.
• Conduct detailed testing to make sure the app is stable.
• Comprehend the root cause and implement the improvements to prevent future issues.