AWS CodePipeline

CodePipeline is AWS’s managed workflow service for continuous integration and continuous delivery. It does not build software itself or run your application; instead, it coordinates a sequence of stages such as source retrieval, build, test, approval, and deployment. That orchestration is valuable because modern delivery rarely happens in one tool.

AWS provides several services that often sit around a pipeline. CodeCommit can host source code, though many teams integrate GitHub instead. CodeBuild runs builds and tests in managed build containers. CodeDeploy handles deployments to EC2, on-prem servers, and some compute platforms. CodePipeline connects those steps and tracks which revision moved through each stage.

A typical pipeline starts when code changes in a repository. CodePipeline pulls the revision, triggers CodeBuild to run the buildspec steps, stores artifacts, optionally waits for a manual approval, then invokes a deployment action such as CodeDeploy, ECS, CloudFormation, or a Lambda-based custom step. Because the whole sequence is defined declaratively, release flow becomes repeatable and visible.

For DevOps teams, the biggest advantage is consistency. The same pipeline runs for every commit, reducing drift between developers or environments. You can also layer security scans, test suites, and approval gates into the same workflow. The downside is that managed pipelines still need thoughtful artifact handling, IAM permissions, and environment-specific deployment logic.

Continue with AWS CodeBuild to understand the build stage in more detail.

aws codepipeline list-pipelines
aws codepipeline get-pipeline-state --name my-application-pipeline
aws codebuild list-projects

Operational note

CI/CD reliability depends on more than the happy path build. Review artifact retention, rollback behavior, cross-account permissions, and the security of secrets used during builds and deployments. A pipeline is production infrastructure, so it should be monitored, versioned, and tested with the same care as the applications it releases. Shared standards like this make future environments easier to launch, review, and support.