How to deploy docker container image updates from AWS ECR to ECS?

Question

I'm new to both Amazon's ECS and docker, and I don't know how to deploy new images.

I currently create a new image in ECR with

NAME_TAG=my-image-name:my-tag-v1
ECR=my-acct-number.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

docker build -t $NAME_TAG .
docker tag -f $NAME_TAG $ECR/$NAME_TAG
$(aws ecr get-login --region us-east-1) #log in
docker push $ECR/$NAME_TAG

At this point I don't know how to deploy the new container from ECR to my cluster.

I created the cluster, task and service using a Cloud Formation template, but updating the TaskDefinition image to $ECR/$NAME_TAG and running a stack update eventually times out and fails with a “service did not stabilize” error.

If I push to my-image-name:latest , my cluster instances do pull down the new image, but they don't run it, and in any case I want to avoid using the mysterious latest tag.

How am I supposed to deploy new images to ECS?

Answer 1

You should be able to deploy your image using a new task definition every time you deploy. The task definition lets you set the image version using the attribute "image"

"image":"my-acct-number.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/my-image-name:my-tag-v1"

In case you want to use only one task definition, you will have to build you image and tag it with whatever is defined in the the definition.