Application development has certainly received a boost through Amazon’s Web Services. Whether developers have to tackle issues with scalability or an online system has to be kept available 24/7, businesses are finding it easy to rely on AWS platforms. However, application development is not the only area to focus on.
Deployment is equally important where there is a need of development tools that can work with both application as well as system level deployments while also maintaining the consistency of the ecosystem. Similarly, in enterprise environments where there are multiple tools, platforms, and OS, the right deployment tool can assist in quick and breezy integration, while the wrong one may halt the project and waste considerable time of the businesses.
Luckily, AWS comes with a handful of deployment tools that provide extremely fast deployment with minimum margin for errors or failures. In this article, we are going to have a look at the best tools from them.
AWS Code Deploy
Are you struggling to find a deployment tool for your application powered by Amazon EC2? Perhaps you require a tool for deployment with AWS Lambda? Well, luckily, with AWS CodeDeploy, automation of applications is managed easily. AWS CodeDeploy is service through which an application can be deployed automatically while working with the instances of Amazon EC2, serverless architectural development with Lambda, and instances that are on-premises.
CodeDeploy comes with support for two kinds of deployment. First, we have the “in-place” deployment. In in-place deployment, the most up to-date revision of the application is installed after which the fresh application version will be started and go through the validation. Load balancers can be used for each instance in order to deregister them while deployment is in process. After the deployment is finished, they can be restored. However, you should note that in-place deployment can be only used while working with on-premises or Amazon EC2 instances.
Second, we have our hands on the “blue/green” deployment. The working of this deployment relies on the type of the computer platform that you are currently working with. If you are working with Lambda, then the Lambda function that has been updated most recently receives traffic. Lambda functions can be coded and configured accordingly for running tests for validation and management of the shifting of the traffic.
AWS CodeCommit
If you are attempting to find a version control service for the storage and administration of your assets like source codes, binary files, .apk files, and other application/system resources, then do have a look at the AWS Code Commit.
CodeCommit is a source control service through which confidential or private repositories of Git can be hosted. Due to the tool’s security as well as its ability to work with applications that have to be scaled on a large scale, it exists as a valuable addition to the toolbox of developers for AWS environments. There are number of advantages for using CodeCommit:
- Due to its availability, the service removes any need for software/hardware. Thus, IT architects and developers do not have to engage in the troubleshooting and installation of hardware/software.
- The security is provided through the use of cryptographic algorithms where encryption is applied on the repositories.
- Unlike other tools, CodeCommit does not come with a limit for the size of a repository. Hence, no matter what size your repository is, you do not need to deal with the headache of their limits and freely create repositories. Similarly, there is no limitation or restriction for the type of files that can be stored on CodeCommit.
- Those who are familiar with Git are particularly expected to find the tool easy as it comes for support of Git commands while it also contains its own commands for its command-line interface.
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
If you want an infrastructure-independent deployment tool, then perhaps you can check the AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Beanstalk provides support for fast management and deployment of applications that are running in your cloud. At the same time, it also handles the infrastructure that serves as the backbone of your cloud applications.
Beanstalk is useful for decreasing complexity from software architecture management as well as maintaining a certain degree of control. This means an application can be simply uploaded to the tool and it can work on the intricacies behind the provisioning of capacity, checking the health of the application, etc.
Additionally, all the popular programming languages are supported by Beanstalk including Java, .NET ecosystem, Python, server-side JavaScript (Node.js) with their ecosystem and frameworks’ configurations.
AWS CodeStar
If you are looking for a deployment service that is based on cloud, then probably AWS CodeStar can be the best solution for your needs. Whether you are working to create or supervise development for your application, CodeStar can be a worthy addition to your toolbox because of its rapid development and building. Other AWS services can be integrated easily through CodeStar. CodeStar can assist you to:
- Save time. It takes a few minutes for the building of new projects with the help of templates that are suitable for web services, web apps, etc. Likewise, configurations for the resources of the application are also handled by CodeStar.
- Divide responsibilities between team members. A primary console is provided by CodeStar. By using the console, the team members of an application can be assigned with access for specific resources and tools for their work.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to the release of these tools, deployment has been a breeze. If you are considering selecting either of these tools, then you will have to examine your requirements. For example, if you want a private version control service, the AWS CodeCommit is the perfect solution. In case you are working with Lambda or EC2, AWS CodeDeploy can solve your needs through automation while the infrastructure-independent AWS Elastic Beanstalk can provide convenience for your cloud applications. To bolster team management for deployment, AWS CodeStar can be a good option where its speedy deployment can be crucial for your needs.