Welcome to the AWS CodeStar sample web application

This sample code helps get you started with a simple Node.js web application deployed by AWS CodeDeploy and AWS CloudFormation to an Amazon EC2 instance.

What's Here

This sample includes:

README.md - this file
app.js - this file contains the code for your application
appspec.yml - this file is used by AWS CodeDeploy when deploying the web application to EC2
package.json - this file contains various metadata relevant to your Node.js application such as dependencies
public/ - this directory contains static web assets used by your application
scripts/ - this directory contains scripts used by AWS CodeDeploy when installing and deploying your application on the Amazon EC2 instance
tests/ - this directory contains unit tests for your application
template.yml - this file contains the description of AWS resources used by AWS CloudFormation to deploy your infrastructure
template-configuration.json - this file contains the project ARN with placeholders used for tagging resources with the project ID

Getting Started

These directions assume you want to develop on your local computer, and not from the Amazon EC2 instance itself. If you're on the Amazon EC2 instance, the virtual environment is already set up for you, and you can start working on the code.

To work on the sample code, you'll need to clone your project's repository to your local computer. If you haven't, do that first. You can find instructions in the AWS CodeStar user guide at https://docs.aws.amazon.com/codestar/latest/userguide/getting-started.html#clone-repo.

Install Node.js on your computer. For details on available installers visit https://nodejs.org/en/download/.
Install NPM dependencies:
```
 $ npm install
```
Start the development server:
```
 $ npm start
```
Open http://127.0.0.1:3000/ in a web browser to view your application.

What Do I Do Next?

Once you have a virtual environment running, you can start making changes to the sample Node.js web application. We suggest making a small change to /public/index.html first, so you can see how changes pushed to your project's repository are automatically picked up by your project pipeline and deployed to the Amazon EC2 instance. (You can watch the progress on your project dashboard.) Once you've seen how that works, start developing your own code, and have fun!

To run your tests locally, go to the root directory of the sample code and run the npm test command, which AWS CodeBuild also runs through your buildspec.yml file.

To test your new code during the release process, modify the existing tests or add tests to the tests directory. AWS CodeBuild will run the tests during the build stage of your project pipeline. You can find the test results in the AWS CodeBuild console.

Learn more about AWS CodeBuild and how it builds and tests your application here: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/codebuild/latest/userguide/concepts.html

Learn more about AWS CodeStar by reading the user guide. Ask questions or make suggestions on our forum.

User Guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/codestar/latest/userguide/welcome.html

Forum: https://forums.aws.amazon.com/forum.jspa?forumID=248

How Do I Add Template Resources to My Project?

To add AWS resources to your project, you'll need to edit the template.yml file in your project's repository. You may also need to modify permissions for your project's worker roles. After you push the template change, AWS CodeStar and AWS CloudFormation provision the resources for you.

See the AWS CodeStar user guide for instructions to modify your template: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/codestar/latest/userguide/how-to-change-project.html#customize-project-template

What Should I Do Before Running My Project in Production?

AWS recommends you review the security best practices recommended by the framework author of your selected sample application before running it in production. You should also regularly review and apply any available patches or associated security advisories for dependencies used within your application.