In the realm of software development, managing software artifact repositories and their corresponding package managers is critical. Utilizing a package manager to download and reference pre-built software libraries at the moment they are needed streamlines the development and build processes. Developers currently have access to a variety of package repositories such as Maven Central, npm public registry, and PyPi (Python Package Index), among others. However, navigating multiple artifact repositories can pose challenges for organizations aiming to maintain strict control over the versions and access of software dependencies. It’s essential to manage changes to dependencies effectively to prevent unnoticed vulnerabilities from infiltrating applications. A centralized repository simplifies access control and version management, assuring teams that any package updates have been sanctioned by their IT leadership. While larger enterprises might opt for traditional artifact repository solutions, these can introduce complexities related to installation, configuration, and scaling, not to mention the cost and maintenance burden for smaller organizations.
Now available, AWS CodeArtifact is a fully managed artifact repository service designed to securely store and share software packages throughout the development, build, and deployment phases. Currently, CodeArtifact is compatible with popular build tools and package managers, including Maven and Gradle (for Java), npm and yarn (for JavaScript), and pip and twine (for Python), with more integrations anticipated. As new packages are added or published to repositories, CodeArtifact automatically scales, requiring no infrastructure setup or ongoing maintenance from the user. Furthermore, CodeArtifact functions as a polyglot repository, capable of accommodating multiple package types. For instance, a single CodeArtifact repository can house packages from Maven, npm, and Python repositories simultaneously.
CodeArtifact repositories are organized within a domain. It is advisable to establish a single domain for your organization and then create multiple repositories within it. You might opt for different repositories tailored to specific teams. The process of publishing packages to your repositories or ingesting them from external sources is straightforward, utilizing the package manager tools that your developers are already familiar with. Now, let’s explore how to get started with CodeArtifact.
Getting Started with CodeArtifact
To begin, I need to create a domain for my organization, which will aggregate my repositories. Domains are crucial for the actual storage of packages and metadata, even though I access them through repositories. This design ensures that each package asset, like a specific npm package, is stored only once per domain regardless of how many repositories it appears in. From the CodeArtifact console, I can either select Domains from the navigation menu or create a domain while setting up my first repository by clicking Create repository.
I start by naming my repository and providing an optional description. I can also connect my repository to several upstream repositories. If package requests are made for items not present in my repository, CodeArtifact will fetch these packages from the upstream repositories, caching them in my CodeArtifact repository. For this demonstration, I’ll pull packages from the npm public registry and PyPi. CodeArtifact will refer to these connections as npm-store and pypi-store.
After that, I select or create a domain by choosing the account that will own it and assigning a name. CodeArtifact encrypts all assets and metadata in a domain with a single AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) key. I can either use a key generated by the service or opt for my own.
Next, I review my settings to confirm the package flow from my selected upstream repositories and then click Create repository. This action will create the domain, my repository, and two additional repositories for the upstreams.
Once this straightforward setup is complete, my domain and its initial repository, configured to pull from npm and PyPi, are ready to store software artifact packages. I can also add more repositories as needed. The following step involves configuring the package managers for my upstream repositories.
Configuring Package Managers
Instructions for configuring various package managers are available in the documentation, but the console conveniently provides guidance when I select my repository. I’ll start with npm and view the connection instructions by selecting my npm-pypi-example-repository.
In the dialog that appears, I choose the package manager I wish to configure and receive the relevant instructions. I can either manage the process entirely through the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) or use a CLI command to obtain the token and then execute npm commands to attach the token to the repository reference.
Regardless of the package manager or the instructions followed, the commands simply attach an authorization token, valid for 12 hours, to the package manager configuration for the repository. To avoid forgetting to refresh the token, I’ve added the necessary command to my startup profile, ensuring my token refreshes automatically each day.
Following the same guidance, I configure pip using the AWS CLI:
C:> aws codeartifact login --tool pip --repository npm-pypi-example-repository --domain my-example-domain --domain-owner ACCOUNT_IDThis logs me into CodeArtifact for PyPi successfully. Now, I’m ready to utilize the single repository for dependencies in my Node.js and Python applications. Any dependency not already in the repository will be sourced from the designated upstream repositories and added to my CodeArtifact repository.
To wrap up, I execute a simple npm install command to test the setup, specifically to install the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK):
npm install -g aws-cdkUpon selecting the repository in the CodeArtifact console, I verify that the packages for AWS CDK and its dependencies have been fetched from the upstream npm public registry and added to my repository.
As previously mentioned, CodeArtifact repositories are polyglot and can accommodate various package types. Let’s now add a Python package, specifically Pillow, a well-known image manipulation library.
For more insights on this topic, be sure to check out this blog post and delve into the authority on this subject. Also, for a comprehensive understanding of the interview process at Amazon, refer to this excellent resource.
Location: Amazon IXD – VGT2, 6401 E Howdy Wells Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89115.
Leave a Reply