Day 141: Fetching Code from Bitbucket & Building with AWS CodeBuild

Today, I expanded my AWS CI/CD skills by integrating Bitbucket with AWS CodeBuild.
After setting up CodeBuild yesterday, I wanted to connect it to a real-world source — Bitbucket — and automate the build process from code commit to build artifact creation.

---

🧠 What I Learned

🔹 Why Use Bitbucket with CodeBuild?

Bitbucket is a popular Git repository service by Atlassian.
Connecting it to AWS CodeBuild allows:

• Seamless continuous integration (CI) from Bitbucket pushes.

• Automated builds on every commit.

• Centralized code and build management in AWS.

This integration is ideal for DevOps pipelines that rely on Bitbucket as the main version control system.

---

⚙️ Step-by-Step Setup

1️⃣ Connect Bitbucket to AWS CodeBuild

In the AWS Console → CodeBuild → Create Build Project:

• Source Provider: Select Bitbucket.

• Click Connect to Bitbucket — AWS will prompt for authorization.

• Allow access to your repositories.

Once authorized, AWS will display your Bitbucket repositories.

---

2️⃣ Choose Repository and Branch

Select:

• Repository: The project you want to build (e.g., my-webapp).

• Branch: Usually main or master.

You can also configure webhooks, so a new build triggers automatically whenever code is pushed to Bitbucket.

---

3️⃣ Define the Build Environment

• Environment image: aws/codebuild/standard:7.0 (latest)

• Runtime: Choose the language your project uses (Node.js, Python, Java, etc.)

• Buildspec file: Set the location (e.g., buildspec.yml in your repo root)

Example buildspec.yml:

version: 0.2

phases:
  install:
    commands:
      - echo "Installing dependencies..."
      - npm install
  build:
    commands:
      - echo "Building project from Bitbucket source..."
      - npm run build
artifacts:
  files:
    - '**/*'
  base-directory: dist

This file defines how CodeBuild compiles and packages your Bitbucket code.

---

4️⃣ Add IAM Permissions

Ensure your CodeBuild service role has the following permissions:

• codebuild:*

• s3:*

• logs:*

• bitbucket:* (via AWS connection)

This ensures CodeBuild can access Bitbucket, store logs, and upload build artifacts.

---

5️⃣ Test the Integration

Push a new commit to Bitbucket → Webhook triggers → CodeBuild starts automatically.
You can monitor build logs in CloudWatch or directly inside AWS CodeBuild.

If successful, your build artifacts (for example, a .zip or compiled files) will appear in your S3 bucket or output directory.

---

🧩 Common Issues

• ❗ Authentication errors: Ensure Bitbucket OAuth connection is valid.

• ❗ Missing buildspec file: Double-check file path and YAML syntax.

• ❗ Permission denied: Update IAM roles and repository permissions.

---

✅ Benefits

• Direct Bitbucket → CodeBuild integration

• Fully managed build environment

• Supports parallel builds

• Integrated logging and artifact management

---

🔍 Takeaway

“CodeBuild with Bitbucket automates the bridge between code commits and build artifacts — enabling fast, reliable, and hands-free CI.”

This integration mirrors real-world DevOps pipelines — code pushes automatically trigger builds and prepare applications for deployment.