AWS CodeBuild is a managed continuous integration service that runs build scripts to compile, test, and package code. It removes the need to provision and manage build servers, scaling build capacity automatically. Projects can use preconfigured environments for Java, Python, Node.js, Ruby, Go, Android, .NET Core for Linux, and Docker, or bring their own Docker-based environment. A YAML build specification sets commands for each phase and other build settings. Builds can begin from CodeCommit, GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, Bitbucket, Amazon S3, or CodePipeline. Artifacts can be stored in S3 or uploaded to a repository by a build command. CodeBuild works with Jenkins and CodePipeline, integrates with IAM access controls, and encrypts artifacts with AWS KMS keys. It displays build timing, status, and commit ID, streams metrics and logs to CloudWatch, and can send SNS notifications about project events. A free plan is listed with monthly allowances for selected EC2 and Lambda compute types. Paid usage depends on compute resources and build duration; data transfer and services such as CloudWatch Logs, S3, KMS, and CodePipeline may add charges.
Who it is for
It suits teams automating build, test, and packaging steps in CI/CD pipelines, including those using Jenkins or source hosted on GitHub. It also fits teams wanting managed build capacity rather than build-server management.
What is good
- Automatically scales capacity for builds
- Supports multiple preconfigured build environments
- Builds can start from several source services
- Streams metrics and logs to CloudWatch
What to know first
- Data transfer and other AWS services may add charges
- Reserved EC2 instances have a 60-minute minimum charge
- Build durations are rounded by compute type
Verdict
CodeBuild provides managed build execution with a range of environments, source integrations, and monitoring. Review compute-duration billing and possible additional service charges alongside the free monthly allowances.
AWS CodeBuild plans and pricing
All plansCompared on continuous integration software
- Free plan
- No
