CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) pipelines on AWS enable automated software delivery workflows that streamline the process of building, testing, and deploying applications. AWS provides several managed services to implement robust CI/CD pipelines.
**AWS CodePipeline** serves as t…CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) pipelines on AWS enable automated software delivery workflows that streamline the process of building, testing, and deploying applications. AWS provides several managed services to implement robust CI/CD pipelines.
**AWS CodePipeline** serves as the orchestration layer, coordinating the entire release process. It connects various stages including source, build, test, and deploy phases, triggering automated workflows when code changes are detected.
**AWS CodeCommit** provides a secure, scalable Git-based source control repository. Alternatively, pipelines can integrate with GitHub, Bitbucket, or Amazon S3 as source providers.
**AWS CodeBuild** handles the build and test phases, compiling source code, running unit tests, and producing deployment artifacts. It scales automatically and supports multiple programming languages and build environments through customizable buildspec files.
**AWS CodeDeploy** manages application deployments across various compute platforms including EC2 instances, Lambda functions, and ECS services. It supports deployment strategies like rolling updates, blue-green deployments, and canary releases to minimize downtime and risk.
For containerized workloads, **Amazon ECR** stores Docker images, while CodePipeline can orchestrate deployments to **Amazon EKS** or **Amazon ECS** clusters.
**Key architectural considerations include:**
1. **Multi-account strategies** - Separate development, staging, and production environments using AWS Organizations with cross-account deployment capabilities.
2. **Infrastructure as Code** - Integrate AWS CloudFormation or AWS CDK for provisioning infrastructure alongside application code.
3. **Security integration** - Implement automated security scanning, secrets management through AWS Secrets Manager, and IAM roles with least-privilege access.
4. **Monitoring and rollback** - Configure CloudWatch alarms and automatic rollback mechanisms based on deployment health metrics.
5. **Approval gates** - Add manual approval stages for production deployments to maintain governance controls.
These services combine to create scalable, secure, and fully automated deployment pipelines that accelerate software delivery while maintaining quality and compliance standards.
CI/CD Pipelines on AWS - Complete Guide for AWS Solutions Architect Professional
Why CI/CD Pipelines on AWS Are Important
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) pipelines are fundamental to modern software development practices. For the AWS Solutions Architect Professional exam, understanding CI/CD is critical because:
• They enable rapid, reliable software releases • They reduce human error through automation • They support DevOps practices and organizational agility • They are essential for designing scalable, maintainable architectures • Many exam scenarios involve modernization and deployment strategies
What is CI/CD on AWS?
Continuous Integration (CI) is the practice of automatically building and testing code changes frequently, typically multiple times per day. Developers merge their changes into a shared repository, triggering automated builds and tests.
Continuous Delivery (CD) extends CI by automatically preparing code changes for release to production. It ensures that code is always in a deployable state.
Continuous Deployment goes further by automatically deploying every change that passes all pipeline stages to production.
Key AWS Services for CI/CD
AWS CodeCommit - Managed source control service (Git-based repository) • Highly available and scalable • Integrates with IAM for access control • Supports encryption at rest and in transit
AWS CodeBuild - Fully managed build service • Compiles source code, runs tests, produces artifacts • Uses buildspec.yml for build instructions • Scales automatically and charges per-minute of build time • Supports custom build environments via Docker images
AWS CodeDeploy - Automated deployment service • Deploys to EC2, Lambda, ECS, and on-premises servers • Supports blue/green and rolling deployments • Uses appspec.yml for deployment instructions • Enables automatic rollback on failure
AWS CodePipeline - Orchestration service for CI/CD workflows • Connects source, build, test, and deploy stages • Integrates with third-party tools (Jenkins, GitHub, Bitbucket) • Supports parallel and sequential actions • Event-driven execution via CloudWatch Events
AWS CodeArtifact - Managed artifact repository • Stores software packages (npm, Maven, PyPI, NuGet) • Integrates with public repositories • Provides fine-grained access control
How CI/CD Pipelines Work on AWS
Step 1: Source Stage • Code is committed to CodeCommit, GitHub, S3, or Bitbucket • Change detection triggers the pipeline • Source artifacts are passed to the next stage
Step 2: Build Stage • CodeBuild compiles code and runs unit tests • Build artifacts are created and stored in S3 • Build logs are sent to CloudWatch
Step 3: Test Stage (Optional) • Integration tests, security scans, or quality gates • Can use CodeBuild or third-party testing tools • Manual approval actions can be added
Step 4: Deploy Stage • CodeDeploy deploys to target environments • Supports multiple deployment strategies • Can deploy to staging first, then production
Deployment Strategies
In-Place Deployment • Updates existing instances one at a time • Lower cost but causes brief downtime • Suitable for dev/test environments
Blue/Green Deployment • Creates new environment alongside existing one • Traffic shifts to new environment after validation • Enables instant rollback • Higher cost due to running two environments
Canary Deployment • Deploys to a small percentage of instances first • Gradually increases traffic to new version • Reduces risk of widespread issues
Rolling Deployment • Updates instances in batches • Maintains availability during deployment • Configurable batch size and health checks
Integration with Other AWS Services
• Amazon ECR - Store and retrieve Docker images for container deployments • Amazon ECS/EKS - Deploy containerized applications • AWS Lambda - Deploy serverless functions with versioning and aliases • AWS CloudFormation - Infrastructure as Code deployments within pipelines • AWS SAM - Serverless application deployments • AWS Elastic Beanstalk - Simplified application deployments • Amazon S3 - Static website deployments
Security Best Practices
• Use IAM roles with least privilege for pipeline components • Encrypt artifacts in S3 using KMS • Store secrets in AWS Secrets Manager or Systems Manager Parameter Store • Enable VPC endpoints for private connectivity • Implement approval gates for production deployments • Use CodePipeline resource-based policies for cross-account access
Cross-Account and Cross-Region Deployments
• Use cross-account IAM roles for deployment permissions • Share KMS keys across accounts for artifact encryption • Replicate artifacts to target regions using S3 replication • Configure CodePipeline to deploy to multiple accounts and regions
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on CI/CD Pipelines on AWS
1. Understand Service Boundaries • CodeCommit = Source control • CodeBuild = Build and test • CodeDeploy = Deployment execution • CodePipeline = Orchestration • Know which service handles which responsibility
2. Deployment Strategy Selection • Blue/green when zero-downtime and instant rollback are required • Canary when gradual rollout and risk mitigation are priorities • Rolling when cost optimization matters and brief impact is acceptable • In-place for non-production environments
3. Watch for Integration Patterns • Questions about container deployments typically involve ECR and ECS/EKS • Serverless deployments involve Lambda, SAM, or CloudFormation • Infrastructure changes involve CloudFormation or CDK
4. Cross-Account Scenarios • Look for keywords like multi-account, centralized pipeline, or shared services • Answer typically involves cross-account IAM roles and KMS key sharing • S3 bucket policies must allow cross-account access for artifacts
5. Security Requirements • Secrets should be stored in Secrets Manager or Parameter Store, not in code • Encryption requirements point to KMS integration • Private network requirements suggest VPC endpoints
6. Automation and Event-Driven Triggers • CloudWatch Events or EventBridge trigger pipelines on schedule or events • CodeCommit triggers can start pipelines on specific branch changes • Lambda can be used for custom pipeline actions
7. Common Exam Scenarios • Migrating from Jenkins to AWS-native CI/CD • Implementing approval workflows for production • Setting up multi-region deployments for disaster recovery • Deploying infrastructure and application code together • Implementing security scanning in the pipeline
9. Troubleshooting Indicators • Build failures typically relate to CodeBuild configuration or permissions • Deployment failures often involve health check settings or IAM roles • Pipeline failures may indicate missing permissions or artifact issues
10. Cost Optimization • CodeBuild charges per build minute - optimize build times • Use spot instances in CodeBuild for non-critical builds • Consider pipeline execution frequency when designing solutions