A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up a Complete CI/CD Pipeline on AWS

Darshana Mahesh

2 min read

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Nov 15, 2024

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Deploying an application on AWS can seem very complected , but with a properly configured CI/CD pipeline, the process becomes seamless and efficient. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how I deployed an Angular or any application using AWS and set up a CI/CD pipeline, breaking it down into simple steps that anyone can follow.

What to Set Up Before Configuring the Pipeline

Before jumping into the pipeline configuration, you need to prepare a few AWS resources:

1. Amazon ECR (Elastic Container Registry):
   A secure place to store your Docker images.
2. Cluster (ECS or EKS):
   For hosting your application, create an ECS (Elastic Container Service) or EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) cluster. I was going with ECS in my case.
3. Task Definition:
   Specifies how your application runs, including container images, ports, and resource limits.
4. Service:
   Ensures your application runs continuously, even if a container stops working.
5. CodeBuild Project:
   Automates the build process using the instructions you define.

Once you have these set up, you’re ready to configure the CI/CD pipeline.

The Three Stages of a CI/CD Pipeline

AWS pipelines typically include three main stages: Source, Build, and Deploy. Here’s what happens in each in summary:

1. Source Stage

This stage fetches your application’s code from a source repository like GitHub or Bitbucket.

2. Build Stage

The build stage is where the magic happens:

• AWS CodeBuild pulls the latest version of your code and builds the application.
• The build process follows a buildspec.yml file, which contains the commands and environment variables necessary for your application.
• For an Angular application, for instance, this might include commands like npm install to install dependencies and ng build to compile the project.

3. Deployment Stage

In this stage, the application is deployed to your ECS or EKS cluster.

• To make the application more accessible and scalable, you can configure load balancers to distribute traffic and auto-scaling groups to adjust the number of running containers based on traffic demands.

Why Use a CI/CD Pipeline on AWS?

• Automation: Automates repetitive steps, reducing manual effort and potential errors.
• Speed: Quickly delivers updates to production.
• Scalability: Handles traffic fluctuations using load balancers and auto-scaling groups.
• Reliability: Ensures consistent builds and deployments every time.

Wrapping Up

Deploying an application on AWS might seem complex, but breaking it down into manageable steps makes it approachable for anyone. By using a CI/CD pipeline, you can automate deployments and focus on developing your application rather than managing infrastructure.

This guide provided an overview of the key steps involved in deploying an Angular application with AWS. Now it’s your turn to start building your pipeline and see the difference it makes!

Feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions in the comments below. Let’s grow together!