CodePipeline stages, actions, and artifacts

Exam alignment: DOP-C02 Domain 1 task statements for pipelines, testing, artifacts, or deployment.

Learning objective

Model an ordered release with parallel work and correctly connected artifacts.

Difficulty / Schwierigkeitsgrad	Intermediate
Study time / Lernzeit	120 minutes
Prerequisites / Voraussetzungen	Previous lessons in this volume

Professional scenario

A team needs source, build, parallel tests, staging, approval, and production.

Core concepts

• Stages organize logical phases; actions perform work.
• Actions with the same run order can run in parallel.
• Artifacts transfer files; variables transfer small metadata.
• Execution mode affects overlapping pipeline executions.

Architecture flow

1. Identify the release input and immutable identity.
2. Select the managed AWS control plane and least-privilege role.
3. Execute build, test, artifact, or deployment work.
4. Collect service events, logs, reports, and runtime metrics.
5. Stop, retry, or roll back according to explicit rules.

Decision matrix

Requirement	Preferred choice	Reason
Independent tests	Same run order	Parallel execution
Files between actions	Artifacts	Native transfer
Frequent commits	Appropriate execution mode	Avoid stale deployment

Failure modes and troubleshooting

• Artifact name does not match producer output.
• Pipeline role lacks S3 or KMS permission.
• Parallel actions modify shared state.

Security and operations

• Use short-lived service roles and least privilege.
• Encrypt artifacts and protect logs from secret exposure.
• Record changes and approvals for audit.

Hands-on lab

Goal / Ziel: Create a four-stage pipeline with parallel tests.

Tasks

1. Create the smallest safe test architecture.
2. Implement or simulate the main workflow.
3. Introduce one controlled failure.
4. Diagnose it from service evidence.
5. Document cleanup and one improvement.

Validation

• The workflow uses an immutable version.
• A required failure blocks promotion.
• The diagnosis identifies the first failed transition.

Cost control / Kostenkontrolle: Keep resources short lived; read cleanup before starting.

Cleanup

1. Delete pipeline/build/deployment resources.
2. Delete temporary artifacts, images, logs, and roles.

Exam traps

• Using variables for application packages.
• Assuming all actions in a stage are sequential.

Key takeaways

• Stages organize logical phases; actions perform work.
• Execution mode affects overlapping pipeline executions.
• Decisions must be justified by requirements and failure behavior.

Review questions

1. What is the immutable release identity?
2. Which evidence proves failure or success?
3. What is the safest recovery action?

Answers

1. A version, digest, or uniquely versioned artifact.
2. Service events, logs, reports, health checks, and runtime metrics.
3. Restore the known-good version using the configured rollback path.