Understanding DevOps Pipeline

In this lesson, we break down a feature-branch DevOps pipeline built with Jenkins, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and serverless targets. You’ll see each stage—continuous integration (CI), continuous deployment (CD), continuous delivery, and post-build—and learn how they connect.

DevOps Pipeline at a Glance

1. Continuous Integration (CI)

When Jenkins detects a push to a feature branch, it executes the following pipeline. Any failure halts progress early, ensuring only high-quality code advances.

1.1 Install Dependencies

Install Node.js project packages:

npm install

1.2 Dependency Vulnerability Checks

Scan for known vulnerabilities:

npm audit
dependency-check .

1.3 Unit Tests & Coverage

Run unit tests and generate coverage reports:

npm test
npm run coverage

1.4 Static Code Analysis

Analyze code quality with SonarCloud and enforce a quality gate.

1.5 Containerization

Package the application into a Docker image:

docker build -t myapp:${BUILD_NUMBER} .

1.6 Image Vulnerability Scan

Use Snyk to scan the container:

snyk container test myapp:${BUILD_NUMBER}

1.7 Push to Container Registry

On success, push the image to your registry (e.g., Docker Hub or AWS ECR):

docker push myregistry/myapp:${BUILD_NUMBER}

2. Continuous Deployment (CD)

Once the image is available in the registry, deploy and test on AWS EC2.

1. Deploy the Docker container on an EC2 instance:

   ssh ec2-user@ec2-instance \
     "docker pull myregistry/myapp:${BUILD_NUMBER} && \
      docker run -d -p 80:3000 myregistry/myapp:${BUILD_NUMBER}"
   

2. Execute integration tests to validate endpoints.

3. Create a pull request (PR) from your feature branch to main—this triggers the continuous delivery pipeline.

3. Continuous Delivery

A GitOps-driven rollout ensures your changes propagate safely to production-like environments.

1. Update Kubernetes manifests with the new image tag.
2. Let Argo CD sync the cluster automatically.
3. Run Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) using OWASP ZAP.
4. Peer review and merge the PR.
5. A manual approval step in Jenkins authorizes the final deployment.

6. Deploy updated Lambda functions:

aws lambda update-function-code \
  --function-name my-function \
  --zip-file fileb://function.zip

aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name my-function \
  --environment Variables="{KEY=value}"

7. Verify the Lambda endpoints:

aws lambda invoke --function-name my-function out.json

4. Post-Build

After deployments complete, gather and publish artifacts:

1. Archive test results, coverage, and vulnerability reports in Jenkins.

2. Upload to Amazon S3 for audit and compliance:

   aws s3 cp reports/ s3://my-bucket/reports/ --recursive
   

3. Notify your team via Slack webhook.

This pipeline showcases Jenkins’ flexibility across EC2, Kubernetes, and Lambda environments, integrating security, testing, and delivery best practices from code commit to production.

Links and References

• Jenkins Documentation
• Docker Official
• AWS CLI Reference
• OWASP Dependency-Check
• SonarCloud
• Snyk
• Argo CD
• OWASP ZAP