Concepts
AWS CloudFormation is an infrastructure as code service that allows you to model, provision, and manage AWS and third-party resources by treating infrastructure as code. CloudFormation templates, written in JSON or YAML format, define the AWS resources and their dependencies so you can launch and configure them together as a stack.
Example:
A simple CloudFormation template to create an S3 bucket would look like the following in YAML:
Resources:
MyS3Bucket:
Type: ‘AWS::S3::Bucket’
Properties:
BucketName: my-bucket-name
AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK)
The AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) is a software development framework for defining cloud infrastructure in code and provisioning it through AWS CloudFormation. The CDK uses familiar programming languages such as TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#.
Example:
Below is a simple AWS CDK example that creates the same S3 bucket as the above CloudFormation template but in TypeScript:
import * as cdk from ‘@aws-cdk/core’;
import * as s3 from ‘@aws-cdk/aws-s3’;
class MyStack extends cdk.Stack {
constructor(scope: cdk.Construct, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
super(scope, id, props);
new s3.Bucket(this, ‘MyS3Bucket’, {
bucketName: ‘my-bucket-name’
});
}
}
AWS Serverless Application Model (AWS SAM)
AWS SAM is an open-source framework for building serverless applications. It extends AWS CloudFormation and provides a simplified syntax for defining API Gateway APIs, AWS Lambda functions, and Amazon DynamoDB tables.
Example:
A sample AWS SAM template snippet defining a Lambda function:
Resources:
MyLambdaFunction:
Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
Properties:
Handler: index.handler
Runtime: nodejs14.x
CodeUri: s3://my-bucket/my-function.zip
AWS CodeArtifact
AWS CodeArtifact is a managed artifact repository service that makes it easy for organizations to store, publish, and share software packages used in their software development process. CodeArtifact can be integrated with popular build tools and package managers like Maven, Gradle, npm, yarn, twine, etc.
Example:
Integrating CodeArtifact with Maven could involve adding repository information to your pom.xml:
<distributionManagement>
<repository>
<id>aws-codeartifact</id>
<url>https://my-domain-123456789012.d.codeartifact.region.amazonaws.com/maven/my-repo/</url>
</repository>
</distributionManagement>
AWS Copilot
AWS Copilot is a command line interface (CLI) that enables customers to quickly launch and manage containerized applications on AWS. It offers guided experiences to set up load-balanced web services, scheduled jobs, and more.
Example:
To deploy a service with AWS Copilot, you would run:
copilot svc init
copilot svc deploy
Amplify
AWS Amplify is a set of tools and services that can be used to build secure, scalable mobile and web applications. It offers capabilities such as authentication, API (GraphQL and REST), storage, and hosting.
Example:
A command to deploy a web application with AWS Amplify:
amplify publish
AWS Lambda
AWS Lambda lets you run code without managing servers and scales automatically. Lambda functions are triggered by specific AWS services or by direct invocation.
Example:
A snippet of an AWS Lambda function handler in Node.js:
exports.handler = async (event) => {
// Your code here
return ‘Hello from Lambda’;
};
Knowing how and when to use these tools will be pivotal for those aiming to pass the AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam. Familiarity with the basic concepts, configuration files, and deployment commands offers a strong foundation for practical application deployment scenarios on AWS.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: AWS CloudFormation allows you to use JSON or YAML to model and provision AWS resources in an automated and secure manner.
- (A) True
- (B) False
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS CloudFormation does allow you to model and provision your AWS infrastructure using a text file in either JSON or YAML format.
Which AWS service helps you to define, test, and deploy serverless applications?
- (A) AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- (B) AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model)
- (C) AWS OpsWorks
- (D) AWS Config
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS SAM is specifically designed for building serverless applications and includes a framework for building serverless applications with AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, and other AWS services.
The AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) allows you to define cloud infrastructure using what type of code?
- (A) YAML
- (B) JSON
- (C) Familiar programming languages
- (D) Domain-specific language
Answer: C
Explanation: The AWS CDK allows developers to define cloud infrastructure in code using familiar programming languages such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, or C#.
What does AWS CodeArtifact provide?
- (A) A feature to deploy Docker containers using CI/CD pipelines
- (B) A secure, scalable, and managed artifact repository service
- (C) A serverless development and deployment framework
- (D) Tools for managing infrastructure as code
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS CodeArtifact is a fully managed artifact repository service that makes it easy for organizations to store, publish, and share software packages used in their software development process.
True or False: AWS Amplify is a service that only deploys static web applications.
- (A) True
- (B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS Amplify supports not only the deployment of static web applications but also provides a platform to build, deploy, and host mobile and web applications with a backend.
What is the purpose of the AWS Copilot CLI?
- (A) To automate the deployment of Amazon EC2 instances
- (B) To provide a simple interface for launching and managing containerized applications on AWS Fargate
- (C) To help in deploying AWS Lambda functions
- (D) To manage AWS CloudFormation stacks
Answer: B
Explanation: The AWS Copilot CLI is a tool that simplifies building, releasing, and operating production-ready containerized applications on AWS Fargate.
Which AWS service enables you to run code without provisioning or managing servers, billing the execution time in milliseconds?
- (A) AWS Lambda
- (B) Amazon EC2
- (C) AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- (D) Amazon Lightsail
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service that enables you to run code without provisioning or managing servers and only charges for the compute time consumed.
Can AWS Amplify be integrated with AWS CodeCommit to set up a CI/CD pipeline for your web application?
- (A) Yes
- (B) No
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS Amplify can be integrated with AWS CodeCommit to offer a Git-based workflow for building, deploying, and hosting applications with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).
True or False: AWS SAM templates are an extension of AWS CloudFormation templates and include additional resources specific to serverless applications.
- (A) True
- (B) False
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS SAM templates extend AWS CloudFormation to provide additional resources and properties specifically designed for serverless applications.
Which component of AWS Elastic Beanstalk automatically handles the details of capacity provisioning, load balancing, auto-scaling, and application health monitoring?
- (A) AWS CloudFormation
- (B) Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
- (C) AWS Environment tier
- (D) AWS Management Console
Answer: C
Explanation: AWS Elastic Beanstalk’s Environment tier is responsible for managing the underlying resources such as instances, databases, and load balancers, including capacity provisioning, load balancing, auto-scaling, and health monitoring.
True or False: AWS Copilot does not support the deployment of applications that utilize both Amazon ECS and AWS Fargate.
- (A) True
- (B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS Copilot is specifically designed to work with both Amazon ECS and AWS Fargate, simplifying the process of deploying containerized applications using these services.
When should you use AWS CDK instead of AWS CloudFormation?
- (A) When you want to define your infrastructure in a high-level, object-oriented abstraction
- (B) When you prefer writing infrastructure as YAML/JSON templates
- (C) When you do not have any programming experience
- (D) When you want to manually manage your infrastructure without any automation
Answer: A
Explanation: The main advantage of AWS CDK is that it allows developers to define their cloud resources using a programming language, providing high-level constructs and reducing the complexity compared to writing raw CloudFormation templates in JSON or YAML.
Great post on the various AWS services used for application deployment!
Can someone explain how AWS CDK simplifies the deployment process compared to CloudFormation?
Thanks for this insightful article!
How does AWS SAM streamline the creation of serverless applications?
Appreciate the detailed comparison between AWS tools!
I’ve been using AWS CodeArtifact for dependency management. What are the pros and cons?
Excellent overview, very helpful for preparing for the AWS Certified Developer exam.
AWS Copilot looks promising for ECS applications. Any real-life use cases?