Day 49 of 100 Days : Exploring AWS CodeCommit

Welcome to Day 49 of my 100-day DevOps journey! Today, we’re diving into AWS CodeCommit, a fully-managed source control service hosted by AWS. It’s an important tool to manage your code repositories securely and efficiently within the AWS ecosystem.

In this post, we’ll go through how to set up and use AWS CodeCommit, its advantages and disadvantages, and how it compares to other version control platforms like GitHub and GitLab.

What is AWS CodeCommit?

AWS CodeCommit is a source control service hosted by Amazon Web Services. It's designed to store and manage your code in private Git repositories. Think of it as a platform similar to GitHub or GitLab but is specifically managed by AWS, making it ideal for teams working within the AWS ecosystem.

Key Features of AWS CodeCommit:

Private Repositories: AWS CodeCommit provides secure, private repositories for your projects.
Scalability: It automatically scales to handle growing codebases.
Integrated with AWS: Easily integrates with other AWS services like AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy, and AWS Lambda.

Setting Up Your AWS CodeCommit Repository

The first step is to create a repository in AWS CodeCommit. This is quite similar to setting up a repository on GitHub or GitLab but hosted by AWS.

Steps to Create a Repository:

Log in to your AWS Management Console.
Navigate to AWS CodeCommit and create a new repository.
Give your repository a unique name and configure any additional settings you may need.

Once your repository is created, you can access it via the AWS console and start managing your code.

Cloning and Uploading Files to AWS CodeCommit

AWS CodeCommit allows you to manage your repositories through the web interface, and you can upload files directly through the UI. However, the UI allows you to upload only one file at a time. If you want to handle multiple files or perform advanced Git operations, you’ll need to use Git commands.

Steps to Upload Files Using the UI:

Open your repository in the AWS CodeCommit console.
Navigate to the "Add file" option, and select "Upload file".
Choose the file you want to upload from your local machine and click "Commit changes" to save it to the repository.

This method is convenient for adding a few files quickly but is limited when working with larger projects.

Steps to Clone Your Repository:

Open your terminal and run the following command to clone your repository:

 git clone https://git-codecommit.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/v1/repos/YourRepositoryName

Navigate to your local directory where the repository was cloned.

Once cloned, you can add, commit, and push changes as you normally would with Git.

Setting Up IAM User for AWS CodeCommit

To securely manage your repositories in AWS CodeCommit, it’s recommended to create an IAM user with specific permissions.

Steps to Set Up IAM User:

In the AWS console, go to IAM and create a new user.
Attach the CodeCommit Power User policy to grant the necessary permissions.
Configure access keys or SSH keys for secure authentication when interacting with your repository.

This ensures that you don’t use your root account for accessing repositories, which is crucial for security.

Using Git in the Terminal

After cloning the repository, you can manage your code with Git commands in your terminal. Here's how you can commit and push your changes:

Example Git Workflow:

Add your files:
```
 git add .
```
Commit your changes:
```
 git commit -m "Initial commit"
```
Push to AWS CodeCommit:
```
 git push origin master
```

Disadvantages of AWS CodeCommit

While AWS CodeCommit is a powerful tool for managing code in AWS, it does have some limitations when compared to platforms like GitHub or GitLab:

Limited Collaboration Features: CodeCommit lacks many advanced collaboration features like issues, pull requests, and integration with third-party tools.
Fewer Integrations: Unlike GitHub or GitLab, CodeCommit doesn't offer integrations like GitHub Copilot or support for services such as Visual Studio Code.
Less Popularity: Many organizations prefer GitHub or GitLab due to their extensive ecosystem and ease of use.

Despite these limitations, AWS CodeCommit is still a solid choice for teams heavily invested in the AWS ecosystem.

Conclusion

AWS CodeCommit is a reliable version control system that integrates well with AWS services. It’s perfect for teams looking for a secure and scalable solution within the AWS environment. However, for more extensive collaboration or integrations, other platforms like GitHub or GitLab may be more suitable.I hope you found this guide useful! If you have any questions or need further clarification on AWS CodeCommit or Git commands, feel free to reach out. That's it for Day 49! Stay tuned for more insights on DevOps in the next post. Until then, happy coding!