Developers face a lot of challenges while developing and deploying code-based applications. As they spend more time on maintaining infrastructure, their productivity eventually decreases. Using AWS App Runner, they can quickly deploy containerized web applications and APIs at scale, without prior knowledge of containers or infrastructure, or know-how to provision and configure AWS resources. Enterprises simply need to provide an application or docker image and App Runner does the rest of the things such as scaling your container and load-balancing traffic with end-to-end encryption.
What is AWS App Runner?
AWS App Runner is an AWS fully managed service that provides a fast, simple, and cost-effective way to deploy from source code or a container image directly to a scalable and secure web application in the AWS Cloud. App Runner builds and deploys the web application automatically, scales to meet your traffic needs, and makes it easy for your services to communicate with other AWS services and applications.
For whom it is designed?
App Runner can be used by a developer to simplify the process of deploying a new version of a code or image repository. For DevOps teams, App Runner enables automatic deployments whenever a new container image version is pushed to the image repository.
What are the benefits of using App Runner?
Ease of Use
It helps build and run secure web applications in just a few clicks without you having any prior knowledge about containers or infrastructure
Scales with Traffic
Automatically scales up/down in response to the traffic, eliminating cold starts and ensuring consistently low latency
Time Saving
As AWS completely manages the resources and infrastructure components of App Runner, you can save more time to focus on your application
Ensures Compliance
With App Runner support for Amazon VPC, you can privately connect resources in your VPC to App Runner, thereby eliminating exposure of traffic to the internet
Pay Per Second
Pay only for the time it takes to build and deploy, and that time can be set according to your company’s budget constraints
What’s under the hood of AWS App Runner?
App Runner is a conglomeration of a wide range of AWS services:
1. Automatic Deployments
Automatically builds and deploys your application when you connect App Runner to your source code or container image
2. Load Balancing
Balances the load to provide high levels of reliability and availability for your applications
3. Auto Scaling
Scales the number of containers up or down to meet your application needs
4. Logs and Metrics
Allows you to easily monitor and optimize your containerized applications by providing detailed build, deployment, and runtime logs
5. Certificate Manager
With a fully managed TLS that doesn’t need any setup, App Runner automatically renews the certificates before they expire
6. Cost Management
Get benefited from the feature of easily pausing and resuming your App Runner applications using the console, CLI, or API. You’re billed only when the service is running
7. Access to Amazon VPC
Communication between App Runner and AWS services running on Amazon VPC enables you to easily add support for your applications on App Runner and ensure that network access is contained within your VPC
How to get started with AWS App Runner?
Step 1: AWS Account Log in
Sign up and log in to your AWS account. Follow the console or AWS Copilot guide for step-by-step instructions.
Step 2: Add your source code
Connect the source code or docker image you want to deploy with App Runner
Step 3: Configure settings
Configure settings for your container’s CPU and memory, and select deployments, auto-scaling, and health check options.
Step 4: Review and Deploy
Verify all your settings, followed by creating and deploying your service
Step 5: Receive a secure URL
Once deployed, you will receive a secure link from AWS App Runner. By clicking on the link, you can see your deployed application.
A simple way to run your applications in the cloud
App Runner has a strong architecture as it is built on top of other effective AWS services. It focuses on developer productivity and is a great way to get started without much knowledge about containers and infrastructures. App Runner also provides a simple way to get applications running in the cloud without having to think about more complex matters such as VPCs, Security Groups, or Subnets. Deploying an application on App Runner is straightforward and you can run any application as long as you have a working Dockerfile to build images.
