AWS CodeBuild vs Visual Studio Team Services: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will outline the key differences between AWS CodeBuild and Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS).

1. Pricing Model: AWS CodeBuild provides a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where you are only billed for the time it takes to execute your builds and for the storage of build artifacts. On the other hand, VSTS offers a subscription-based pricing model where you pay a fixed monthly fee based on the number of users and features you require.

2. Integration with Cloud Services: AWS CodeBuild seamlessly integrates with other AWS services, such as Amazon S3 for storing build artifacts and AWS CodePipeline for continuous integration and delivery. VSTS, on the other hand, integrates well with Microsoft Azure services and also offers integrations with third-party services through extensions.

3. Build Environment: AWS CodeBuild allows you to use your own build environment by providing a Docker image with your desired operating system and build tools. VSTS provides hosted build agents that come pre-configured with a wide range of build tools and operating systems, saving you time and effort in setting up and managing your build environment.

4. Scalability: AWS CodeBuild supports scalable builds by automatically provisioning and managing additional build capacity based on the demand. This ensures that your builds can handle any workload, no matter the size. VSTS also provides scalability options, but they depend on the number of licenses and user capacity you have purchased.

5. Customization: AWS CodeBuild offers the flexibility to customize your build processes using buildspec files, which are written in YAML. This allows you to define the build steps, environment variables, and other configuration options in a highly customizable manner. VSTS offers customization through build pipelines, where you can define build steps using a graphical interface or by writing your own custom scripts.

6. Security and Compliance: AWS CodeBuild provides robust security and compliance features, such as encryption at rest and in transit, fine-grained IAM roles and policies, and integration with AWS Key Management Service (KMS) for managing encryption keys. VSTS also offers similar security features with customizable access control, but it may not provide the same level of compliance certifications as AWS.

In summary, AWS CodeBuild and VSTS differ in their pricing models, integration options, build environment flexibility, scalability, customization capabilities, and security and compliance features.