Introduction

AWS CodeBuild is a fully managed continuous integration service that enables you to build and test your code using a variety of languages and runtimes, such as Java, Python, Node.js, Ruby, and Docker. With CodeBuild, you can automate your software release process, improve code quality, and increase developer productivity. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of building and testing your code using AWS CodeBuild.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, you will need the following:

• An AWS account
• A code repository in either GitHub, Bitbucket, or AWS CodeCommit
• A build specification file

Step 1: Create a CodeBuild project

To create a CodeBuild project, go to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the CodeBuild service. Click on the “Create build project” button.

Next, enter a name for your project and select the source provider where your code repository is located.

After selecting a source provider, you will be prompted to authenticate with that provider. For example, if you selected GitHub as your source provider, you will be prompted to provide your GitHub credentials. Once this is done, select the repository and branch to build.

Step 2: Configure build settings

After you have selected your source provider and repository, configure your build settings.

In the “Environment” section, select the operating system, runtime, and compute type for your build environment. You can also specify a custom image if you need to use a specific operating system or runtime that is not available in the default CodeBuild environment.

Next, specify the build commands and artifacts output settings in the “Buildspec” section. The buildspec is a YAML file that contains the commands to be run during the build process. You can use the buildspec to specify any number of build phases and commands. Here is an example buildspec that builds a Node.js application:

version: 0.2

phases:
  pre_build:
    commands:
      - npm install
  build:
    commands:
      - npm run build
artifacts:
  files:
    - app/**/*

In this example, we have specified two build phases: pre_build and build. The pre_build phase installs the dependencies required to build the application, while the build phase compiles the application and creates the artifacts that will be used in the deployment process. The artifacts section specifies the files that should be included in the build artifacts.

Step 3: Build the project

Once you have configured your build project, you can run a build by clicking on the “Start build” button.

During the build process, CodeBuild will execute the commands specified in the buildspec file, install the dependencies, compile the code, and create the build artifacts. You can view the build logs in real-time from the CodeBuild console.

Step 4: Configure a CodePipeline to automate your build process

While CodeBuild can automate your build process, you can also automate your entire software release process using AWS CodePipeline. CodePipeline is a continuous delivery service that lets you build, test, and deploy your code changes automatically.

To create a CodePipeline, navigate to the AWS Management Console, click on the CodePipeline service, and click on the “Create pipeline” button.

Next, configure your pipeline by selecting a source provider, a build provider, and a deployment provider.

Here, we have specified GitHub as our source provider, AWS CodeBuild as our build provider, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk as our deployment provider. Once you have configured your pipeline, click on the “Create pipeline” button.

Step 5: Test the project

Testing your code is an important part of any software release process. With AWS CodeBuild, you can automate your testing process using a variety of testing frameworks and tools.

To add testing to your CodeBuild project, modify your buildspec file to include the test phase. Here is an example buildspec that includes a test phase that runs a set of Python unit tests:

version: 0.2

phases:
  pre_build:
    commands:
       - pip install -r requirements.txt
  build:
    commands:
       - python setup.py install
  test:
    commands:
      - python -m unittest discover
artifacts:
  files:
    - dist/**/*

In this example, we have added a test phase that runs a set of Python unit tests. The unit tests are run using the unittest module in Python. If any of the tests fail, the build will fail and no artifacts will be created.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to build and test your code using AWS CodeBuild. CodeBuild is a powerful tool that lets you automate your software release process, increase code quality, and improve developer productivity. By following the steps in this tutorial, you can get started with building and testing your code on AWS CodeBuild today.