AWS CodeArtifact is a solution for managing software packages. Artifacts are a collection of files that define an application’s architecture, design, and functionality. It also includes dependencies, library resources, and packages that are required during the software-creating phase of an application. CodeArtifact functions similarly for storing the packages and tools as are necessary for application development.
- Introduction
- How do artifacts work
- Types of code artifacts
- Feature of code artifact
- What is an Artefact Repository?
- Types of artifact repository
- Artifacts management tools
- Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
CodeArtifact is a software packaging management solution for storing and distributing software packages and libraries for usage in development and applications. It may also serve as a mirror for major software package repositories like npm, pip, and maven. It is a completely managed software artifact repository service that enables organizations of any size to safely store, publish, as well as share software development packages. It removes the requirement for you to set up, maintain, and expand the infrastructure required for artifact management, allowing you to simply focus on software development.
How does AWS Codeartifact work?
CodeArtifact saves software packages in repositories. A repository can include packages of any supported kind. Every CodeArtifact repository belongs to a single CodeArtifact domain. We recommend that you utilize one production domain with multiple repositories for your organization. For instance, you may utilize each repository for a distinct development team. Packages in your repository may then be found and shared throughout your development teams of people.
Packages in one repository can be made available to another repository in a similar domain. Configure one of the repositories to be upstream of the other one. The package manager may then be used to publish packages to the repository. You can additionally import open-source packages into a repository by connecting it to a public repository via npmjs, NuGet Gallery, Maven Central, or PyPI.
Types of AWS CodeArtifacts
Artifacts can have a wide range of components. Let’s divide them into groups for a simpler understanding.
1. Deployment Artefacts are frequently distributed executables for public consumption. This covers releases such as deb, rpm, exes, tar.gz (single binaries), MSI, image, and others. GitHub Releases has recently been an increasingly common repository for such an artifact.
2. Library artifacts and deployment artifacts are quite similar. Destinations for library artifacts involve maven, npm, pip, and nuget. The goal of a library artifact differs from that of a deployment artifact in that a library’s purpose is for use in other development efforts.
3. Bundle Artifact is a collection of several artifacts that form an individual deployment or demand. The destination of a bundled artifact is often not a repository or artifact, but rather a drop region like a cloud server or a virtual machine. However, the final outcome is the same: a collection of binaries and configurations is packaged for later deployment or consumption.
4. Pipeline Artefact is a temporary file, bundle, or other build result that only exists on your pipeline. These are often used to bridge the gap between a CI and a CD inside the same pipeline and can be found in nearly every DevOps platform as an approach to improve pipeline code flow.
Here are a few instances of pipeline artifacts:
• Azure DevOps Pipeline Artifacts
• Github Workflow Artifacts
• TektonCD Pipeline Task Input/Output Artifacts
Feature of AWS Codeartifact
• Accessibility and tenacity: AWS CodeArtifact enables several Availability Zones and stores artifact data as well as metadata on Amazon S3 and Amazon DynamoDB. Your encrypted data is redundantly stored across numerous facilities and different devices within each site, ensuring accessibility and resilience.
• A completely controlled service: CodeArtifact enables you to focus on providing service to your customers rather than establishing and maintaining the development environment. It is an extremely reliable solution that can be scaled to suit the requirements of any software development team.
• Accessibility within a VPC: By enabling AWS CodeArtifact to use AWS PrivateLink endpoints, you may improve the level of safety of your repositories. This enables systems in your VPC to connect to packages stored in CodeArtifact without transferring data across the public internet.
• Publish and Spread packages: To publish packages produced within your organization, you can use your current package managers such as npm, pip, Maven, and NuGet. Instead of building their own, development teams might save time by fetching packages published to and stored in a single organizational repository.
• Administration Control and Monitoring: AWS CodeArtifact works with IAM to handle software package access control. We may also use AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt our packages.
What exactly is an Artifact Repository?
• It is a repository where we store various packages and libraries that are beneficial in software development.
• Different software package management systems are supported by an Artefact repository.
• It assists experts in making authorized software available for usage.
• It makes it easier for developers to identify and utilize authorized packages. They may also easily publish and distribute the created packages.
Types of repositories
1. Remote: A repository that is accessible via a specified URL. Because this is mostly maintained by an outside entity, the addition of newer artifacts is quite limited. This is a suitable solution for shared resources used by multiple projects and teams.
2. Local: A repository that is kept in a local data center that is managed by the company. This is an excellent choice for private projects and sensitive material that you do not want to share with others.
3. Virtual: A repository that is a form of repository that combines the benefits of both local and remote repositories. It has a single URL that allows users to view both local and remote artifact files. This type of repository is useful for interacting with both local and remote repositories simultaneously.
Artifact Management Tools
When developing software, you’ll need a place to save all of the numerous amounts of data and resources involved in the process. This is where artifact management software can come in handy. These tools are quite similar to big libraries, allowing developers to manage, organize, and publish their software artifacts all in one place.
Here are six essential features worth searching for in an artifact management tool:
Retention: this allows you to establish criteria for storing crucial artifacts while automatically eliminating unnecessary ones.
Versioning support: precisely record metadata such as when the artifact was built, what its version number is, and more.
User Permissions: Access to certain artifacts and identity access control can be regulated using user permissions. This is essential since you do not want anyone to have access to sensitive information.
License Filtering: License filtering is required to restrict artifacts and confirm that only allowed artifacts can be deployed due to licensing and legal issues with third-party artifacts.
High Availability: To maintain both reliability and efficiency in artifact management, a duplicate set of repository administrators is required. In the event of a server failure, a backup server can take over to make sure that artifacts are still accessible.
Promotion: Promoting artifacts through various channels is beneficial for communicating them to various users, testing environments, and production environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a CodeArtifact package on AWS?
A package is a bundle of software and data required to resolve dependencies and launch a program. In CodeArtifact, a package consists of a package name, an optional namespace such as @types in @types/node, a set of package versions, and package-level data such as npm tags.
Does AWS CodeArtifact support Docker?
This global solution supports all major package formats (including Docker, which eliminates the need for a separate Docker Registry).
What is the cost of CodeArtifact?
CodeArtifact has no up-front charges or commitments. We only have to pay for the stored software packages, the number of queries made, and the data transferred out of an AWS Region. CodeArtifact provides a monthly free-of-charge storage and request tier.
Can I combine AWS CodeArtifact and AWS CodePipeline?
Yes. You can use Amazon EventBridge to trigger a CodePipeline build whenever a package in the CodeArtifact repository changes, such as when a new version of the package is published.
Can I combine AWS CodeArtifact and AWS CodeBuild?
Yes. In your CodeBuild project setup, you can define which CodeArtifact repositories to utilize for consuming and publishing packages. Client tools for all package types supported by CodeArtifact are included in the CodeBuild images. CodeBuild instructs the build tool or package manager to utilize the provided repository and to obtain a CodeArtifact auth token at the start of the build by utilizing the build's IAM role.
Is CodeArtifact able to encrypt my packages?
Yes. CodeArtifact encrypts all packages in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256 symmetric key encryption. CodeArtifact supports both customer-managed AWS Key Management Service (KMS) CMKs and AWS-managed CMKs.
Conclusion
• Artifacts are key components of software development in DevOps.
• Artifacts can take many different forms, including deployment, library, bundle, and pipeline.
• The artifact process entails creating, storing, and delivering artifacts to aid in software development.
• Artefact management technologies that allow versioning, retention, user permissions, promotion, license filtering, and high availability are necessary for effective artifact management.
Related/References
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02
- Overview of Amazon Web Services & Concept
- AWS Management Console Walkthrough
- AWS CodeArtifact
- Azure DevOps Vs AWS DevOps – Difference & Pricing Overview
- Case Study: How To Deploy Web App From S3 Bucket To EC2 Instance on AWS Using CodePipeline
- AWS OpsWorks Overview, Features & Benefits
- How to become a certified AWS DevOps Engineer?
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