Introduction
As DevOps becomes increasingly popular, many development teams rely on Continuous Integration (CI) tools to streamline their processes. GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild are two of the most widely used CI tools in this space.
While both allow for automatic code builds, tests, and deployments, there are some key differences to consider when choosing which tool to implement. In this blog post, we will provide an unbiased comparison of GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild, including their features, pricing, and performance metrics.
Feature Comparison
GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild have comparable features, including:
- Integration with other tools, such as GitHub and Bitbucket
- Automated code building, testing, and deployment
- Scalability
- Support for multiple languages
However, there are some differences to note:
GitLab CI
- Built-in container registry
- Pipeline visualization and debugging
- Manual job approval
AWS CodeBuild
- Integration with AWS services
- Flexible environment configuration options
- Ability to build Windows-based applications
Pricing Comparison
Both GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild offer free and paid plans with varying features.
GitLab CI
- Free plan: allows for unlimited users and unlimited repositories. Limited build time of 2000 minutes per month
- Paid plans: start at $19 per user per month and offer advanced features such as container scanning and custom metrics.
AWS CodeBuild
- Free plan: offers 100 build minutes per month. Each additional minute is charged at $0.005
- Paid plans: start at $10 per month for 120 minutes and scale up depending on usage.
Performance Comparison
The performance of GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild can be difficult to compare as it largely depends on the size and complexity of the application being built. It's also worth noting that AWS CodeBuild integrates well with other AWS services, which can provide a performance boost for users of the AWS ecosystem.
However, based on our internal testing, we found that GitLab CI generally had faster build times compared to AWS CodeBuild for smaller applications. For larger and more complex applications, AWS CodeBuild tended to perform better.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both GitLab CI and AWS CodeBuild are feature-rich CI tools that can help development teams streamline their processes. The tool you choose will largely depend on your specific needs, budget, and existing technology stack.
To summarize our comparison, we've created a handy chart below:
| Feature | GitLab CI | AWS CodeBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in container registry | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Integration with AWS services | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Pipeline visualization and debugging | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Flexible environment configuration options | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Manual job approval | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Windows-based application support | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Free plan | 2000 build minutes / month | 100 build minutes / month |
| Paid plans starting at | $19 per user per month | $10 per month |
We hope this blog post has been informative and helpful in your quest for the perfect CI tool. As always, we recommend doing your own research and testing before making a decision.