AWS News Blog: Accelerate CI/CD pipelines with the new AWS CodeBuild Docker Server capability

Source URL: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/accelerate-ci-cd-pipelines-with-the-new-aws-codebuild-docker-server-capability/
Source: AWS News Blog
Title: Accelerate CI/CD pipelines with the new AWS CodeBuild Docker Server capability

Feedly Summary: AWS CodeBuild now offers Docker Server capability, enabling a dedicated and persistent Docker server within projects that dramatically reduces build times by maintaining a centralized cache, as demonstrated by a 98% reduction in build time from 24 minutes to just 16 seconds.

AI Summary and Description: Yes

**Summary:** The introduction of AWS CodeBuild’s Docker Server capability significantly enhances the efficiency of Docker image builds within the CI/CD process. By centralizing image building on a persistent Docker server, developers can achieve up to a 98% reduction in build times, streamlining operations and improving overall project efficiency.

**Detailed Description:**

The text discusses a recent feature launched within AWS CodeBuild, a fully managed continuous integration service. The main focus is on the **Docker Server capability**, which allows users to provision a dedicated Docker server that persists data across builds. This advancement addresses common challenges in building Docker images by providing faster build times and centralized caching for Docker layers.

Key points include:

– **Performance Improvement:** Users reported a dramatic reduction in build times, with one case demonstrating a drop from 24 minutes and 54 seconds to just 16 seconds.
– **Centralized Image Building:** The Docker Server capability centralizes Docker image builds to a remote host. This contrasts with the traditional method where builds are local and may require redundant downloads and compilations.
– **Persistent Caching:** The server maintains a cache of Docker layers, allowing subsequent builds to utilize previously cached layers, further enhancing efficiency, especially for complex images.
– **Multi-Concurrent Building:** The server can handle multiple concurrent Docker builds, ensuring that teams working with numerous applications can benefit from rapid build times without sacrificing performance.
– **Comprehensive Build Environment:** The provided Dockerfile demonstrates the setup for a complex Ubuntu image suited for CI/CD pipelines with multiple dependencies and tools, maximizing the advantages of the Docker Server.
– **User Enablement:** Users can easily enable this capability through the AWS CodeBuild console, selecting configurations tailored to their project’s needs.
– **Broader Availability:** The feature supports both x86 and ARM architectures and is accessible in all AWS regions where CodeBuild is offered.

This enhancement is highly relevant for DevSecOps and MLOps professionals looking to optimize their software build processes, improve deployment timelines, and maintain high productivity in their CI/CD workflows. AWS CodeBuild’s Docker Server feature directly impacts infrastructure security and performance, making it a significant development in cloud computing security.