7 lesser-known AWS services that make software delivery easy

Amazon Web Services has been providing on-demand cloud computing for years. It is the most-used cloud services platform in the market today. In 2017, AWS brought forth more than 90 unique services for storage, computing, analytics, networking, application services, database, management, deployment, developer tools, and more. The number of services offered by Amazon Web Services continues to rise each day, and while many AWS services out there are simply spectacular, some are not known to all. This article gives you a brief summary on the lesser-known AWS services that are easy to use and deliver high-end results.

CodePipeline

CodePipeline is a service that offers continuous integration as well as delivery for you to efficiently model, picture, and take forward the important steps to release your software. This service helps you build, test, and deploy your important applications in the cloud, automatically and without any hassles. From designing different stages of your current software release to advancing brand-new features, catching bugs, and stipulating the steps needed for proper deployment, AWS CodePipeline gives you the ability to do it the way you want to. Needless to say, this service works in a certain rhythm and a continuous cycle. AWS CodePipeline merges with a number of other AWS services and uses the Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) to access the source code, while it uses AWS CodeDeploy to deploy the code. DevOps tools can also be integrated with AWS CodePipeline. When it comes down to price, AWS CodePipeline charges you only for what you use and nothing more.

CodeCommit

With AWS CodeCommit, you can conveniently host secure and highly scalable private Git repositories through a fully managed source control service. CodeCommit removes the constant need for you to operate your source control system or even worry about scaling its infrastructure. Be it source code or binaries, AWS CodeCommit stores all of it securely and seamlessly with your current Git tools. With a redundant and durable architecture, AWS CodeCommit is designed to take care of your repositories and keep them available and accessible whenever you need them. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about size limits anymore as AWS CodeCommit lets you save any type of file, libraries, application assets, and code with zero repository size limits. Increase the speed and frequency of your current development cycle through AWS CodeCommit as it allows you to transfer derivative changes instead of the entire application. AWS CodeCommit offers a modern-day source control service that is easy to use and truly delightful.

AWS Services

CodeStar

When you are creating, managing, and working on different software deployment projects, AWS CodeStar is your code to success. This cloud-based service lets you develop, build, and efficiently deploy applications on AWS without any hassles. Your entire continuous delivery toolchain can be stepped up in a matter of minutes, giving you the ability to start releasing your code faster and in a more effective manner. This service makes things easy for you and your team by letting you create a secure working environment and allowing you to conveniently manage and add viewers, contributors, and owners to your projects.

With a project management dashboard powered by JIRA Software integration, each AWS CodeStar project supports issue-tracking capabilities that can be handled right after detection. Multiple activities that include build results, code commits and status of code change, deployments, and a lot more can be monitored from a single web page. AWS CodeStar comes with multiple project templates that you can use in the development of multiple applications like web applications and services, websites, and Alexa skills. The templates include multiple code for starting off with different programming languages. If at you’re wondering, the supported languages include PHP, C#, JavaScript, Java, Python, and Ruby.

CodeDeploy

AWS CodeDeploy is a continuous delivery service that helps you deploy application content that runs on a particular on-premises server and is stored in buckets or repositories. When using this service, you do not need to make different changes to the current code. Instead, you can just continue from where you left off. AWS CodeDeploy helps you deploy various types of application content that include packages, configuration files, scripts, web and configuration files, codes, multimedia files, and so much more. This AWS service works with a number of systems for configuration management, constant integrity and delivery, source control, and continuous deployment. Now you can efficiently release a number of new features in the shortest amount of time, escape any pause in application deployment, and also handle the density involved in updating applications through AWS CodeDeploy. You can practically eliminate the need for manual operations, easily computerize software deployment, and accelerate how fast your code is released through this outstanding deployment service.

CloudTrail

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If you are looking out for a log-monitoring service for API calls, AWS CloudTrail is the way to go. This application program interface monitoring service by AWS logs any kind of activity made by AWS accounts at the API level and does not affect your application performance in any way. When an activity is made by an AWS account through the AWS Management Console, command line tools, and standard development kits, AWS CloudTrail logs management events (creating/modifying resources) and data events (S3 requests/Lambda function). This service helps in risk auditing, compliance, governance, and operational auditing within AWS. It helps you bring forth the accounts that made an API call to an AWS service, IP address from where the calls were made, and the call-time as well. Any kind of alternative can be identified and the responsible account can be efficiently tracked down through AWS CloudTrail. This service also automatically responds to any changes made. It brings deep visibility and more control over AWS resources.

CloudFormation

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CloudFormation handles the creation of infrastructure that an application runs on. With a few simple steps, you can design and provision all the important resources necessary for your applications over multiple regions and accounts in the most secure way possible. Faster troubleshooting and configuration compliance is something you can definitely expect as this service helps you normalize several infrastructure components used throughout your business. With the integration of Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS), AWS CloudFormation sends you notifications from time to time. This allows other programs to be alerted on the multiple events within CloudFormation and accordingly respond or participate in the configuration process of stacks. AWS CloudFormation also allows you to computerize service provisioning steps in a way that is rather fast and simple.

Amazon Simple Workflow Service

Amazon Simple Workflow Service, or Amazon SWF, is an application service that makes it easier to deploy distributed applications through its programming model and infrastructure. As this service coordinates various tasks across the application, it also takes care of managing dependencies, scheduling activities and concurrency in accordance with the application’s logical flow as a whole. Amazon Simple Workflow Service provides you with all the control you need over executing various tasks and also coordinating them with zero worries about the root complexities that includes progress tracking and state maintenance. Amazon SWF makes things simple and hassle-free as it takes care of workflow solutions and process automation software through the cloud workflow web service. Because of this, the need to handle the infrastructure plumbing of process automation is eliminated and you can give complete focus to the functionality of the application. This service by AWS has a lot to offer and is packed with fabulous features that you would definitely want to try out.

Now you know about these AWS services

These lesser-known AWS services offer all the support you need for hassle-free software delivery in the shortest amount of time possible. Although these AWS services aren’t very well known, they offer unique features and performance that make AWS the most powerful cloud computing platform available today.

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