DevOps on AWS – Release and Deploy
According to ‘spacelift,’ when asked to name the biggest technical skills gap in their teams, 37% of IT leaders said DevOps and DevSecOps. Similarly, a survey in 2022 revealed that 64% of AWS users reported enhanced app deployment frequency after adopting AWS DevOps tools.
These data signify how AWS DevOps is essential for modern organizations to release and deploy their applications. Therefore, today, we will discuss DevOps on AWS, citing tools and services for release and deployment purposes in this blog post.
AWS (Amazon Web Service) offers robust DevOps tools and services to implement advanced DevOps practices in your organization. The following AWS DevOps tools are used in the market. Let’s learn about them.
1. AWS Elastic Beanstalk
2. AWS CodeDeploy
3. AWS CodePipeline
What Is AWS Elastic Beanstalk?
AWS Elastic Beanstalk is an app management solution that can manage all infrastructure and platform tasks on your behalf. It’s an easy-to-use service for deploying and scaling web application services developed using diverse programming technologies. For instance, PHP, Java, .NET, .NET Core, Python, Node.js, Ruby, Go, or Docker on Apache, Nginx, Passenger, and IIS server technologies.
Why Is AWS Elastic Beanstalk Useful in Release and Deploy?
-> AWS Elastic Beanstalk lets AWS developers deploy, manage, and scale applications with faster speed. It reduces the operational load of infrastructure management. It also reduces the management complexities of web applications. So, organizations prefer it as a good choice for those new to AWS. It helps businesses to deploy a web application as quickly as possible.
-> AWS developers should upload source code to AWS Elastic Beanstalk, which will provision and operate all essential infrastructure, such as servers, databases, networks, load balances, and auto-scaling groups. It caters to a new environment that runs a new version of the application without affecting the existing one.
-> The tool or service meets the criteria for all standards, including ISO, PCI, SOC 1-2-3, and compliance, along with criteria for HIPAA eligibility. Thus, it is safe and secure.
What Is AWS CodeDeploy?
It’s a managed deployment service that automates processes to Amazon EC2 instances, on-premise instances, serverless Lambda functions, or Amazon ECS services.
Why Is AWS CodeDeploy Useful in Release and Deploy?
-> It makes it easier for AWS developers to release new features quickly. It updates AWS Lambda function versions. It avoids downtime during the app deployment process. It manages the intricacies of updating the applications without messing up risks associated with error-prone manual deployment. It automatically or manually rolls back or stops the deployment process if errors occur. It is platform-agnostic and works with any application.
What Is AWS CodePipeline?
It’s a continuous delivery (CD) service to model, visualize, and automate steps needed to release software applications.
Why Is AWS CodePipeline Useful in Release and Deploy?
-> AWS CodePipeline automates the application release process from the source repository through build, test, and deploy (end-to-end). It lets you prevent changes from moving through a pipeline by including a manual approval action at any stage except a Source stage. Thus, you can release applications when you want, in the way you want, on the system of your choice, across one instance or multiple instances.
-> It lets you define a consistent set of steps for every code change. You can automate the release process, allowing developers to test and release code incrementally and speed up the release process.
-> It lets you review the real-time status of your pipelines. You can view details about the execution of a pipeline, such as start and end time, run duration, and execution IDs.
What Is Blue Green Deployment?
It’s an application release model. It gradually transfers user traffic of a web application or microservice from a previous version to a nearly identical (duplicate) new version (release) – both of which are running in the production environment.
The old version of the environment is called the blue environment, and the new version is the green environment. Hence, collectively, it is referred to as blue-green deployment. It happens in the live (production) environment with zero downtime.
What Are the Advantages of the Blue Green Deployment Strategy?
The ultimate benefits of adopting a blue-green deployment strategy are:
1. No downtime: So, no loss of traffic or revenue.
2. Easy rollback: If it’s an issue in the green environment, you can come back to the blue environment safely.
3. Minimal risk: Both are separate environments that minimize risks associated with changes
4. Scalability: You can quickly scale up or down a green environment to meet your new needs
5. Enhanced reliability: You can test the green environment before full deployment.
6. Controlled environment: You can test new releases in a live-like environment without affecting UX.
7. Smooth updates: It facilitates seamless updates and continuous delivery.
8. Limited exposure: Any problem during shifting only affects a limited user group.
9. Rapid revision: You can rapidly roll back new changes if any issue occurs before a wide user exposure.
In Sum: Build A Comprehensive Release and Deployment Strategy for AWS Platform
When we put it all together, we can build a comprehensive release and deployment strategy for the AWS platform. We can combine and use the services and techniques discussed in the post.
What Should Be an Ideal Release and Deployment Process for a Talented AWS DevOps Team?
Let me place an example of an ideal process for AWS DevOps to release and deploy an application.
Step-1:
AWS developers will push code changes to source control repositories, such as AWS CodeCommit or GitHub.
Step-2:
AWS CodePipeline detects those changes and triggers the pipeline.
Step-3:
The pipeline runs automated build and test processes.
Step-4:
When the test passes, AWS CodeDeploy starts preparing a new version for deployment.
Step-5:
AWS CodeDeploy creates a new ‘Green’ environment using AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
Step-6:
The new version is deployed to a green environment, and testing begins.
Step-7:
After verification, the traffic gradually shifts from a blue to a green environment. Developers can use S3 or Application Load Balancer.
Step-8:
If any error or problem arises, the service automatically reverts to the old Blue environment as a precautionary step.
Step-9:
The old Blue environment is terminated once successful deployment takes place.
Step-10:
Alternatively, the old version is recycled for the next release if needed.
Who Will Help You?
Of course, to implement the latest AWS tools, services, and strategies, you need a competent team of AWS developers. You can rely on iCommuneTech to get desired results at cost-competitive rates. Let’s have a phone call to explore new opportunities.