How do I run an AWS code?

Running your code on Amazon Web Services (AWS) often involves leveraging specialized services tailored for different types of workloads. For compiling source code, running tests, and producing deployable software packages, AWS CodeBuild is a robust, fully managed continuous integration service. It eliminates the need to provision, manage, and scale your own build servers.

How to Run Code with AWS CodeBuild?

To execute your code and build applications using AWS CodeBuild, you follow a structured process that involves preparing your code, defining the build steps, setting up storage, and configuring a build project.

Step-by-Step Guide to Running Code with AWS CodeBuild

The process of running your code through AWS CodeBuild can be broken down into these essential steps:

1. Prepare Your Source Code

First, you need to have your application's source code ready. This includes all the files necessary for your application to compile or run, such as:

• Application files: .java, .py, .js, etc.
• Configuration files: .properties, .json, .xml
• Dependencies: Any libraries or modules your code relies on.

2. Define Your Build Process with a Buildspec File

A crucial element for AWS CodeBuild is the buildspec.yml file. This is a YAML-formatted text file that contains the build commands and settings CodeBuild uses to run your code. It specifies:

• Phases: Commands to run during different stages of the build (e.g., install, pre_build, build, post_build).
• Artifacts: Which files or directories to package as output from the build.
• Environment variables: Any variables needed for the build.

Example buildspec.yml for a simple Node.js application:

version: 0.2
phases:
  install:
    commands:
      - echo Installing Node.js dependencies...
      - npm install
  build:
    commands:
      - echo Running tests...
      - npm test
      - echo Building application...
      - npm run build
artifacts:
  files:
    - '**/*' # Package all files in the output
  base-directory: 'dist' # Assuming build output is in a 'dist' folder

3. Set Up Your S3 Buckets

You will need at least two Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) buckets for a typical CodeBuild workflow:

Bucket Type	Purpose
Input Bucket	Stores your source code and the buildspec.yml file. CodeBuild pulls these from here.
Output Bucket	Stores the compiled artifacts (the output of your build) generated by CodeBuild.

4. Upload Your Files to S3

Once your source code and buildspec.yml are ready, upload them to your designated input S3 bucket. Ensure the buildspec.yml file is at the root of your source code archive (e.g., a .zip file) or repository.

5. Create Your CodeBuild Project

In the AWS Management Console, or using the AWS CLI/SDK, create a new CodeBuild project. During this setup, you will configure:

• Project Name: A unique identifier for your build project.
• Source: Specify your input S3 bucket where your source code resides.
• Environment: Choose the operating system, runtime, and compute type for your build environment (e.g., Ubuntu, Node.js, codebuild.build.small).
• Buildspec: You can use the default buildspec.yml at the root of your source or specify a different path.
• Artifacts: Point to your output S3 bucket where CodeBuild will save the generated build artifacts.
• Service Role: CodeBuild requires an IAM service role with permissions to access your S3 buckets, CloudWatch logs, and other necessary AWS services.

6. Initiate the Build

After configuring your CodeBuild project, you can start a build run. This can typically be done with a single click in the AWS Management Console or via a command-line interface (CLI) command:

aws codebuild start-build --project-name MyCodeBuildProject

CodeBuild will then pull your source code, execute the commands defined in your buildspec.yml, and save the output.

7. Monitor Summarized Build Information

As the build runs, you can monitor its progress in the CodeBuild console. It provides summarized information, including:

• Build Status: Whether the build is in progress, succeeded, or failed.
• Duration: How long the build has been running or took to complete.
• Phases: An overview of which build phases have completed.

8. Review Detailed Build Information

For in-depth analysis or troubleshooting, you can dive into the detailed build information. This includes:

• Build Logs: Comprehensive logs of all commands executed and their output, invaluable for debugging.
• Environment Details: Information about the build environment used.
• Phase Details: Specific timings and status for each phase of the build process.

Key Benefits of Using CodeBuild

• Fully Managed: No servers to set up or manage. AWS handles the infrastructure.
• Scalable: Automatically scales to meet peak build requests.
• Pay-as-you-go: You only pay for the compute time consumed by your builds.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services like CodePipeline, CodeCommit, S3, and CloudWatch.

By following these steps, you can effectively run and build your code on AWS using CodeBuild, streamlining your development and deployment workflows.