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Build preview environments for Amazon ECS applications with AWS Copilot

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This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to build preview environments for Amazon ECS applications using AWS Copilot and GitLab. It discusses the advantages of having dedicated preview environments for testing code changes before merging them into the main codebase, and how AWS Copilot can help automate this process.

Specifically, the article covers:

  • Prerequisites: Git, GitLab, GitLab Runner, AWS CLI, Docker, AWS Copilot CLI, and an AWS account
  • Walkthrough steps:
    1. Creating a GitLab repository
    2. Building and pushing a CI image to the GitLab Registry
    3. Bootstrapping AWS Copilot App and Dev environments using scripts
    4. Setting up GitLab Pipeline environment variables
    5. Pushing code to the GitLab repository to trigger preview environment creation
    6. Creating merge requests and cleaning up preview environments
  • Conclusion: Adopting this architecture improves development workflow, mitigates risks, and enhances software quality and reliability.
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