aws-ecr-assets: skip docker build with parameter

[cjoecker]

Describe the feature

I want to be able to skip the docker build with a parameter. Something like this:

import { DockerImageAsset } from "aws-cdk-lib/aws-ecr-assets";

...

new DockerImageAsset(scope, "AppDockerImage", {
    directory: path.join(__dirname, "../"),
    skipBuild: process.env.SKIP_BUILD,
  });

Use Case

Sometimes I just changed something in the infrastructure and want to test the changes without needing to rebuild the docker image since it may take very long. For that, I would like to have a flag in the pipeline that sets an environment variable. That variable can be used to skip the docker build.

Proposed Solution

See feature description

Acknowledgements

• I may be able to implement this feature request
• This feature might incur a breaking change

CDK version used

2.79.1

Environment details (OS name and version, etc.)

macOS

[peterwoodworth]

Sounds reasonable that there should be a way to skip this, I don't think there currently is. Thanks for the request!

[joshuabellewDandG]

const myImage = new DockerImageAsset(scope, "AppDockerImage", {
    directory: path.join(__dirname, "../"),
    skipBuild: process.env.SKIP_BUILD,
  });

const taskDefinition = new ecs.FargateTaskDefinition(this, `${fullServiceName}-container`, {});

taskDefinition.addContainer(`${fullServiceName}-container`, {
    containerName: `${fullServiceName}-container`,
    image: ecs.ContainerImage.fromEcrRepository(ecrRepo, myImage.imageTag),
  });

Yep, I could also do with this feature, but with the above code how would you handle referencing the myImage properties in cdk if the docker image build has been skipped?

I guess this would be a breaking change for anyone that references the properties from the returning object.

[cjoecker]

@joshuabellewDandG My idea is to skip the build but the "old" image will still exist. That means that you can still reference it if you built it before.

For me, this is not a breaking change. Breaking change for me means, that your current logic may stop working with the new changes. Since this will be a new flag and you will not use it before it exists, your current reason won't stop working.