Why AWS CodeBuild Can Replace Self-Hosted GitHub Actions Runners

Building CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions is usually pretty smooth. But the moment you decide to manage your own runners? That is where the headache starts.

Recently i was trying to deploy a self-hosted runner on ECS Fargate and honestly... it was a pain. I ran into so many issues with Docker-in-Docker (DinD) and realized i was just burning money on idle resources.

So i switched to AWS CodeBuild. Here is why.

The Problem with Fargate Runners

I thought putting runners on Fargate would be "serverless" and easy. I was wrong.

1. The Docker-in-Docker Nightmare
Most of my workflows need to build Docker images. But Fargate doesn't support DinD natively. You have to use messy workarounds to get it running and it adds so much complexity to something that should be simple.

2. Paying for Air
A self-hosted runner consumes resources even when it's doing absolutely nothing. You are paying for CPU and RAM just to wait for a job. For a small team or a side project that creates a bill you don't need.

Why CodeBuild is Better

I decided to try running my GitHub Actions workflows directly through AWS CodeBuild as a Proof of Concept.

It just worked. Seamlessly.

The Wins:

• Native GitHub Support: CodeBuild can run your GH pipeline jobs directly. You don't need complex connectors.
• Pay-Per-Use: This is the biggest one. No idle costs. You only pay when a build is actually running.
• Private Access: Since it's in your AWS account it easily connects to your VPCs and private subnets without extra hassle.
• Scalability: You can run multiple builds in parallel and never worry about queueing or adding more runner instances.

How It Works

The setup was surprisingly simple

1. Create a CodeBuild project
2. Connect your GitHub repo (OIDC or Access Token)
3. Point your workflow to the CodeBuild project

That’s it.

I deployed my apps directly from there and it skipped all the drama i had with ECS.

Conclusion

Self-hosted runners give you control but they also bring operational overhead that most of us just don't have time for.

If you are already on AWS and struggling with DinD on Fargate or just tired of managing runner fleets... check out CodeBuild. It’s cleaner, cheaper and it just gets out of your way so you can ship code.