13 Must-Have AWS Developer Tools To Redefine Your Cloud Game

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Table of Contents

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, where innovation is essential and efficiency is the key, AWS offers a suite of developer tools to empower businesses and developers to build, deploy, and manage scalable and resilient applications. Whether you are focused on application development, infrastructure management, or DevOps practices, AWS offers tools and services to support you on this digital journey. So, let’s quickly review these AWS developer tools, showcasing how they simplify your work and speed up new ideas.

13 Best AWS Developer Tools

Developer tools in AWS provide a wide array of optimization capabilities and streamline the process of working on cloud-based projects. Following is an expert-curated AWS developer tools list designed to enhance your cloud-based development projects substantially:

1. Amazon Corretto

Amazon Corretto is a no-charge, adaptable, and ready-for-production version of the Open Java Development Kit (Open JDK). Not only does this comprehensive package come at no financial cost, but it also offers extensive compatibility across multiple platforms, which makes it a go-to choice for various environments. Corretto’s commitment to long-term support ensures continuous performance enhancements and security measures. What sets Amazon Corretto apart is its endorsement by Amazon itself for its internal operations, running thousands of production services within the company. Also, its certification with Java SE adds another layer of reliability and assurance, making it one of the ecosystem’s most popular AWS Development tools.

Features of Amazon Corretto

• Provides multiplatform support.
• Supports the GraalVM compiler, enhancing performance.
• Offers native image support for quicker application startup.
• Docker image availability for easy containerized deployments.
• Ensures long-lasting support while enhancing performance and addressing security issues.
• Supports popular operating systems, including Amazon Linux2, Windows, and macOS.
• Certified for compatibility with Java SE standard.

2. AWS X-Ray

Among the top AWS developer tools, AWS X-Ray stands out as a powerful tool that helps developers analyze and debug distributed applications, whether they are in production or the development phase. X-Ray offers a comprehensive insight into the path of requests within your application. This tool is valuable for applications structured around a microservices architecture. It shows you a map encompassing all the components involved, where you can analyze complex microservices applications and simple three-tier ones.

Features of AWS X-Ray

• Deep insights into application and service performance metrics like response times, latency, and resource usage.
• Quickly identifies performance problems and errors with end-to-end tracing, enhancing system reliability and user experience.
• Simply integrates with AWS services like EC2, ECS, Lambda, and Elastic Beanstalk.
• Offers a comprehensive perspective of the requested journey within your application, enabling thorough analysis.
• Visualizes component interactions, ideal for complex microservices.
• Compatible with both development and production apps of various types.
• Traces requests seamlessly across AWS services, offering end-to-end visibility.
• Easy access to the tool through various options, including AWS Management Console, CLI, and API.
• Tailor analysis for optimization and troubleshooting applications effectively.

3. AWS Cloud9

Searched for a single tool that can seamlessly handle all aspects of coding, including project creation, testing, debugging, and collaborative work directly through your browser? In that case, AWS Cloud9 is the ideal solution for you. As a browser-based integrated development environment (IDE) hosted in the cloud, it empowers you to seamlessly write, execute, and troubleshoot your code, placing all essential tools at your fingertips. It comes with a code editor, debugger, and terminal and supports all the popular programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, and PHP. You can say goodbye to all the complex local configurations, working from anywhere with internet access, making it a widely favored AWS developer tool.

Features of AWS Cloud9

• Cloud-based IDE eliminates the need for local installations.
• Use integrated tools for writing, debugging, and command-line operations within the IDE.
• Cover 40+ programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, C++, and more.
• Debugs PHP, Python, JS/Node.js, and C/C++ apps with breakpoints and variable inspection.
• Runs on managed EC2 instances or any Linux server with SSH(Secure Shell) connectivity.
• You can set up CI/CD pipelines using AWS CodeStar integration.
• The terminal provides complete sudo privileges and a pre-authorized AWS CLI for executing commands.
• Customize UI appearance with color schemes and stylesheet editing.
• Provides the option to use VIM, Emacs, and Sublime key bindings or define your custom key bindings, allowing you to use familiar commands and shortcuts.
• Easily edit images directly in the browser with a built-in image editor.
• Simplifies serverless app creation with prepackage tools and SAM support.
• Enables real-time collaboration, allowing pair programming and live tracking of inputs.

4. AWS CodeCommit

AWS Code Commit is an essential component of the AWS developer tools suite. It offers a comprehensive and fully managed source control service designed to streamline the management of private Git repositories for businesses. Additionally, it simplifies securely hosting and expanding repositories, eliminating the challenges of setting up and managing the infrastructure needed for source control. Thus, when you use AWS CodeCommit and other AWS development tools, you have a strong set of resources to make your software development projects easier and better.

Features of AWS CodeCommit

• Enable code commits, branching, merging, and pull requests for team collaboration.
• Secures data transfer and repositories at rest with AWS Key Management Service.
• Completely manages source control, eliminating the need for a source control system setup and maintenance.
• Manages data access with AWS Identity and Access Management monitored by AWS CloudTrail and CloudWatch.
• Stores repositories redundantly in Amazon S3 and DynamoDB for data reliability.
• Offers event alerts via Amazon SNS, triggers actions and invokes Lambda functions in response to repository events.
• Focuses on secure hosting of private Git repositories for code privacy.
• Integrates easily with Git tools and workflows for developer familiarity.
• Supports collaboration via branch management, pull requests, and code reviews.
• Begins with 1,000 repositories, extendable to 25,000, supporting various file versions.
• Integrates with other AWS services for streamlined DevOps workflows and cloud-native app integration.

5. AWS CodeDeploy

AWS CodeDeploy, classified as one of the AWS deployment tools, is designed to automate code deployments to various instances, including EC2 instances and on-premise servers. Also, it streamlines the process of releasing new features and minimizes downtime when the application deploys while simplifying the complexities of updating applications. Its focused approach to deployment management sets it apart from other developer tools, making it an effective solution for code deployment automation.

Features of CodeDeploy

• Automates deploying applications to various services, including EC2, Fargate, Lambda, and on-premise instances.
• Guarantees uniform deployments across multiple instances by eliminating the need for manual intervention.
• Minimizes downtown during application updates.
• Scales deployments quickly, from single instances to thousands, adapting to your infrastructure needs.
• Deploys to various targets, including EC2 instances and on-premise servers, offering deployment flexibility.
• Provides a unified interface for managing deployments via AWS Console, CLI SDKs, and APIs.
• Easily integrates with popular DevOps tools and practices, streamlining the deployment pipeline.
• Allows easy rollback to the previous version, ensuring stability and resilience.
• Offers alerts and monitors deployment events through Amazon SNS integration.

6. AWS CodePipeline

AWS CodePipeline serves as a fully managed continuous delivery solution that streamlines and automates the steps in releasing and updating applications and infrastructure. It orchestrates the build, testing, and deployment phase of your release process in response to any code changes, adhering to the release model you establish. This empowers you to swiftly and consistently deliver new features and enhancements. It also offers the flexibility to connect with external services like GitHub seamlessly and allows for the incorporation of custom plugins. Moreover, it operates a pay-as-you-go model without the burden of upfront fees or long-term commitments. This aligns perfectly with the cost-effective and adaptable nature of AWS developer tools.

Features of AWS CodePipline

• Automates build, test, and deploy phases for consistent updates with code changes.
• Defines and automates your release process workflow using pipelines, stages, and actions.
• Seamlessly integrates with services like GitHub and supports custom plugins for adaptability.
• Triggers custom functions at any stage using AWS Lambda for flexibility and automation.
• Extends functionality by integrating custom systems or using Jenkins plugins.
• Manages user access and control through AWS IAM, including IAM users, roles, and SAML-integrated directories.
• Offers Amazon SNS notifications for pipeline events, including status and resource links.
• Define pipeline structure through declarative JSON documents for easy updates and new pipeline creation.
• Uses pre-built plugins for popular developer tools for easy integration.
• Operates on a pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for the resources and services you use.

7. AWS CodeBuild

AWS CodeBuild is a service that helps you turn your written code into working software. It compiles the code, tests it, and packages it for deployment. The best thing is that you don’t need to be concerned about configuring or overseeing your servers for this. CodeBuild can handle multiple tasks simultaneously, so you won’t have to wait in line for your work to finish. You can start using it easily with pre-made setups or create your custom build environments using the tools you prefer.

Features of AWS CodeBuild

• Offers ready-to-use environments equipped with essential tools.
• Creates your build environments by packaging tools into Docker images.
• Defines specific build commands and actions using a YAML-based specification.
• Well-suited for enhancing the efficiency of tasks related to continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) procedures.
• Builds artifacts encrypted and access-controlled using AWS Key Management Service (KMS).
• Tracks build details, such as start time, end time, status, and commit ID, via AWS CodeBuild and Amazon CloudWatch.
• Supports concurrent builds, preventing build delays and queues.
• Offers prepackaged environments for quick setup.
• Allows customizations with your preferred tools and configurations.
• Versatile support for various programming languages and frameworks.
• Uses pay-as-you-go pricing without upfront costs.

8. AWS CloudShell

AWS CloudShell, an integral part of the AWS developer tools ecosystem, offers a secure and convenient browser-based shell for efficient AWS resource management, equipped with pre-installed tools, pre-authenticated access, and support for AWS CLI and SDKs, all at no additional costs.

Feature of AWS CloudShell

• Access AWS CloudShell directly from your browser at no extra cost.
• Access and manage AWS commands and scripts directly from your web browser.
• Pre-authenticate your console credentials, eliminating the need for additional logins.
• Pre-installed development tools, reducing the need for local installations and configurations.
• Run scripts with the AWS Service APIs using AWS Software Development Kit (SDKs) for various programming languages.
• Offers 1GB of persistent storage for your scripts and configuration files.

9. AWS Application Composer

AWS Application Composer is a visual AWS developement tool designed to streamline the creation and configuration of serverless applications using various AWS services. Users can intuitively drag and drop serverless resources by leveraging a browser-based canvas to construct their application architecture. This platform facilitates rapid connection between resources, simplifying the building of complex serverless applications. Notably, AWS Application Composer can group resources into larger architectural components, enhancing the ease of editing and configuration. It also provides the functionality to generate deployment-ready configuration files, including default settings tailored to the specific services utilized within the application architecture.

Feature of AWS Application Composer

• Offers a drag-and-drop interface to design your application architecture easily using over 1,000 AWS resources.
• Automatically generate CloudFormation and Serverless Application Model (SAM) templates based on your design.
• Keep visual diagrams and IaC artifacts in real-time sync.
• Offers visual IaC authoring in Visual Studio Code.
• AI-powered code suggestions for CloudFormation templates.

10. AWS CodeArtifact

AWS CodeArtifact is a comprehensive artifact repository service designed to simplify the storage, publication, and distribution of software packages within organizations of any scale. As part of the AWS Developer Tools suite, it streamlines the storage, publication, and distribution of packages, ensuring smooth collaboration and accessibility for developers at every stage of the development process.

Feature of AWS CodeArtifact

• Access software packages from npm Registry, Maven Central, PyPI, and NuGet.org.
• Use npm, pip, yarn, twine, Maven, NuGet, and SwiftPM to share packages within your organization.
• Streamline package approval and monitor usage with AWS CloudTrail.
• Operate across multiple Availability Zones, storing data in Amazon S3 and DynamoDB.
• Requires no manual configuration or maintenance; scales automatically.
• Integrate with IAM, AWS CloudTrail, and KMS for security.
• Secure access within your VPC using AWS PrivateLink.

11. Amazon CodeCatalyst

Amazon CodeCatalyst is a comprehensive service tailored to software development teams embracing continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) methodologies within their development workflows. Entirely operated by AWS, CodeCatalyst consolidates essential tools, enabling seamless planning, collaborative coding, and efficient application building, testing, and deployment. Additionally, it offers integration capabilities with AWS resources, allowing AWS accounts to connect with CodeCatalyst spaces. By unifying all stages and facets of the application lifecycle within a single platform, CodeCatalyst empowers teams to deliver software rapidly and confidently.

Feature of AWS CodeCatylst

• CodeCatalyst consolidates all CI/CD tools.
• AWS handles all management tasks.
• Plan, code, build, test, and deploy in one place.
• Manage the entire application lifecycle effortlessly.
• Streamline quick, confident software delivery processes.

12. Amazon CodeStar

AWS CodeStar facilitates rapid development, building, and deployment of applications on AWS. It offers a unified interface for managing all software development tasks conveniently. With CodeStar, you can establish your continuous delivery pipeline swiftly, enabling quicker code releases. It ensures secure collaboration among team members by simplifying access management and allowing easy addition of owners, contributors, and viewers to projects.

Feature of AWS CodeStar

• Project Templates for quick application development.
• Team Access Management for secure access control.
• Secure storage on AWS CodeCommit or GitHub.
• Fully managed build service with AWS CodeBuild for compiling and packaging.
• Pre-configured pipeline with AWS CodePipeline.
• Automated Deployments with AWS CodeDeploy and CloudFormation.
• IDE Integrations with development support in AWS Cloud9 and other IDEs.
• Central Project Dashboard with unified tracking and management of development activities.

13. AWS Fault Injection Service

AWS Fault Injection Service stands out as one of the top offerings in the AWS Developer Tools suite. It is a managed service designed to conduct fault injection experiments on AWS, facilitating the enhancement of application performance, observability, and resilience. It supports chaos engineering practices by simulating disruptive events, such as sudden increases in CPU or memory consumption, in testing or production environments. The service simplifies the setup and execution of controlled fault injection experiments across various AWS services, offering pre-built templates for generating disruptions. This service is an integral part of AWS development tools, enabling developers to identify and address potential issues in their applications proactively.

Feature of AWS Fault Injection Service

• Pre-defined scenarios to simulate real-world events.
• Fine-grained controls for targeting environments.
• Integrated with AWS IAM for security.
• Accessible via console, CLI, and APIs.

With all these powerful AWS developer tools at your disposal, you can streamline your development workflow, expedite application releases, and build, test, and deploy confidently, all while enjoying the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of these tools with a strong emphasis on AWS Cost Optimization.

Conclusion