Launching a CodeDeploy on AWS

In this article, you can gain valuable insights and training on launching a CodeDeploy application using AWS DevOps Services. CodeDeploy is a powerful deployment service that automates application deployments to various computing services such as EC2 instances, Lambda functions, and on-premises servers. As the demand for rapid and reliable software delivery continues to grow, understanding CodeDeploy becomes essential for intermediate and professional developers alike.

Setting Up First CodeDeploy Application

To begin your journey with AWS CodeDeploy, the first step is to set up a new application. You need to have an AWS account and appropriate permissions to create and manage CodeDeploy applications.

• Access the CodeDeploy Console: Navigate to the AWS Management Console and select CodeDeploy from the services menu.
• Create a New Application: Click on Create application. You will be prompted to provide a name for your application. Choose a descriptive name that reflects the application you are deploying.
• Select Compute Platform: After naming your application, select the compute platform where your application will be deployed. You can choose from EC2/On-premises, AWS Lambda, or Amazon ECS. For this example, we will focus on EC2/On-premises.
• Create Application: Click Create application to finalize the setup. Your application is now created and ready for deployment configurations.

The next step involves configuring deployment groups, which will determine how and where your application will be deployed.

Configuring Deployment Groups in CodeDeploy

Deployment groups in CodeDeploy are a collection of individual instances that you want to deploy your application to. Configuring a deployment group is essential to ensure your application is deployed to the intended environments.

• Create Deployment Group: In the CodeDeploy console, navigate to your application and select Create deployment group.
• Name Your Deployment Group: Provide a name for your deployment group that reflects its purpose, such as "Production-Deployment".
• Select Service Role: You must assign a service role that grants CodeDeploy permissions to access your resources. If you haven’t created one, you can do so in the IAM console. The role should have policies like AWSCodeDeployRole.
• Set Deployment Type: Choose between In-place or Blue/Green deployment types. In-place deployments update the application on existing instances, while blue/green allows for a new version to be deployed alongside the old version.
• Specify EC2 Instances: Specify the instances that will be part of this deployment group by either using tags or an Auto Scaling group.
• Configure Load Balancer (Optional): If you are using Blue/Green deployments, configure a load balancer to manage traffic during the switch between versions.
• Create Deployment Group: Click Create deployment group to finalize your setup.

With your deployment group in place, you can now create and manage deployment configurations.

Creating and Managing Deployment Configurations

Deployment configurations define how CodeDeploy will deploy your application to instances. You can use built-in deployment configurations or create custom ones based on your requirements.

• Use Built-in Configurations: AWS provides several built-in configurations such as CodeDeployDefault.OneAtATime, CodeDeployDefault.AllAtOnce, and CodeDeployDefault.HalfAtATime. Each configuration has its deployment strategy, so choose one that aligns with your operational requirements.
• Create Custom Configuration: If the built-in options do not meet your needs, you can create a custom deployment configuration. To do this, go to the CodeDeploy console, select Deployment configurations, and then Create deployment configuration.
• Define Deployment Rules: Specify how many instances should be updated at a time, how to handle failures, and the minimum healthy instance percentage to maintain during the deployment.
• Manage Configurations: Monitor and manage your deployment configurations through the CodeDeploy console. You can modify existing configurations or delete those that are no longer necessary.

Understanding deployment configurations is crucial as they directly influence the success and reliability of your deployments.

Deploying Applications from S3 and GitHub

CodeDeploy supports deploying applications from different sources, including Amazon S3 and GitHub. This flexibility allows developers to choose the most convenient method for their workflows.

Deploying from Amazon S3

• Prepare Application Revision: Package your application code and associated files into a ZIP file. Ensure that it includes an appspec.yml file, which defines the deployment instructions.
• Upload to S3: Upload the ZIP file to an S3 bucket.
• Create Deployment: In the CodeDeploy console, select your application and click on Create deployment. Choose Amazon S3 as the revision type, and specify the S3 bucket and object key for your packaged application.
• Start Deployment: Click Create deployment to initiate the process.

Deploying from GitHub

• Link Your GitHub Account: In the CodeDeploy console, link your GitHub account to allow CodeDeploy to access your repositories.
• Select Repository and Branch: Choose the repository and branch that contains your application code.
• Create Deployment: Similar to the S3 deployment, you will click Create deployment, select GitHub as the source, and follow the prompts to initiate the deployment.

Deploying directly from S3 or GitHub simplifies the deployment process and enhances collaboration among team members.

Implementing Blue/Green Deployments with CodeDeploy

Blue/Green deployments are a powerful strategy to reduce downtime and minimize risks when deploying new versions of applications. With CodeDeploy, implementing this strategy is straightforward.

• Create Blue/Green Deployment Group: As mentioned earlier, when creating a deployment group, you can choose Blue/Green as the deployment type.
• Define New and Old Versions: Specify your current version (green) and the new version (blue) you want to deploy. CodeDeploy creates a new set of instances (the blue environment) that run the new version while the old version remains active.
• Traffic Shifting: CodeDeploy allows you to control how traffic is shifted from the old to the new version. You can choose to shift all traffic at once or gradually, monitoring the new version’s performance before fully switching.
• Rollback Mechanism: In case of issues, CodeDeploy offers an automatic rollback feature to revert to the previous version quickly. This ensures minimal disruption to your users.

Implementing Blue/Green deployments using CodeDeploy not only improves the deployment process but also enhances the overall user experience by ensuring high availability.

Summary

Launching a CodeDeploy application on AWS involves several steps, including setting up your first application, configuring deployment groups, and managing deployment configurations. By deploying applications from sources like S3 and GitHub, you can streamline your deployment process. Furthermore, leveraging Blue/Green deployment strategies allows for safer releases with minimal downtime. As organizations increasingly adopt DevOps practices, mastering AWS CodeDeploy will empower developers to deliver applications more efficiently and reliably. Understanding these concepts not only enhances technical skills but also prepares developers to meet the challenges of modern software deployment. For further details, you can refer to the official AWS CodeDeploy documentation.

Last Update: 19 Jan, 2025