Day 7 - AWS Project Used In Production

This project shows how to we can create a VPC that can be used for servers in production environment.

To improve resiliency we have deployed the servers in different AZ , by using a Auto scaling group and an Application Load Balancer. For more security , we have to deploy the servers in Private Subnets . The servers receive requests through the load balancer. The servers can connect to the internet by using NAT gateway. To improve resiliency , we deploy the NAT gateway in both Availability Zones

Setup 1 - Creating a VPC

1. Sign in to AWS Console:

   Go to the AWS Console and sign in using your credentials.

2. Navigate to VPC Dashboard:

   Once logged in, navigate to the Amazon VPC dashboard. You can find it under Services > VPC in the AWS Management Console.

3. Create VPC:

   In the VPC dashboard, click on Create VPC to start the creation process.

4. Configure VPC Settings:

   • VPC Name: Enter prod-project-vpcas the name for your VPC.

   • IPv4 CIDR Block: Specify the IP address range in CIDR notation (e.g., 10.0.0.0/16). This defines the range of private IP addresses that can be assigned to instances launched in your VPC.

   • IPv6 CIDR Block: Optionally, you can specify an IPv6 CIDR block if needed.

5. Create VPC:

   • Review the configuration settings to ensure they are correct.

   • Click Create VPC to create your VPC named prod-project-vpc.

6. Verify Creation:

   AWS will now create your VPC. Once completed, you will see your VPC listed in the VPC dashboard under Your VPCs with the name prod-project-vpc.

   

   

Step 2 - Create Auto Scaling Groups

1. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard:

   Once logged in, navigate to the Amazon EC2 dashboard. You can find it under Services > EC2 in the AWS Management Console.

2. Create a Launch Template (or Configuration):

   • Launch Templates provide a configuration template for the instances launched by the Auto Scaling group. If you haven't created a launch template yet, follow these steps:

     • In the EC2 dashboard, under Auto Scaling in the left menu, click on Launch Templates.

     • Click on Create launch template.

     • Configure your launch template settings, including instance type, AMI, security groups, key pair, user data (optional scripts for instance configuration), and any other configuration specific to your application requirements.

     • After configuring, click on Create launch template.

   • Alternatively, you can use Launch Configurations instead of Launch Templates:

     • In the EC2 dashboard, under Auto Scaling in the left menu, click on Launch Configurations.

     • Click on Create launch configuration.

     • Configure your launch configuration settings similar to launch templates, providing instance details and configurations.

     • After configuring, click on Create launch configuration.

3. Create an Auto Scaling Group:

   After creating a launch template or configuration, you can proceed to create the Auto Scaling Group:

   • In the EC2 dashboard, under Auto Scaling in the left menu, click on Auto Scaling Groups.

   • Click on Create Auto Scaling group.

4. Configure Auto Scaling Group Settings:

   • Choose launch template or configuration:

     • Select the launch template or configuration you created in step 2.

     • Click Next.

5. Configure Auto Scaling group details

   • Group name: Enter prod-project as the name for your Auto Scaling group.

   • Group size: Specify the initial number of instances (Desired : 2 , Minimum :1, and Maximum : 4 instances) for your Auto Scaling group.

   • Network: Choose the VPC and subnets where your instances will be launched. (Note : The VPC must be the Same which we have created in the very Beginning)

   • Click Next.

6. Configure scaling policies (optional):

   • Define scaling policies to automatically adjust the number of instances based on metrics like CPU utilization, network traffic, etc.

   • Configure scaling policies for both scaling out (adding instances) and scaling in (removing instances).

   • Click Next.

7. Add notifications (optional):

   • Configure notifications (using Amazon SNS) for Auto Scaling events.

   • Click Next.

8. Review and Create:

   • Review all the settings you have configured for your Auto Scaling group.

   • Click Create Auto Scaling group.

9. Verify Auto Scaling Group Creation:

   • AWS will create your Auto Scaling group named prod-project with the specified configurations.

   • Once created, you can view and manage your Auto Scaling group from the Auto Scaling Groups section in the EC2 dashboard.

Step 3 - Create Bastion Host

Visit my previous blog on more Info on Bastion host and how to Create it.

Note : In Network Settings select Auto-assign public IP as Enable , we will be needing the Public IP

Step 4 : Creating a Load Balancer

1. Create Load Balancer:

   • In the EC2 dashboard, under Load Balancing, click on Load Balancers in the left sidebar.

   • Click on Create Load Balancer.

2. Choose Application Load Balancer:

   • Select Application Load Balancer as the type of load balancer you want to create.

   • Click on Create to proceed.

3. Configure Load Balancer:

   Step 1: Define Load Balancer

   • Name: Enter a name for your ALB (prod-project).

   • Scheme: The ALB should internet-facing (accessible from the internet).

   • IP Address Type: Choose IPv4 .

Step 2: Assign Security Settings

Security Groups: Select an existing security group. This controls the traffic allowed to reach your ALB.

Step 3: VPC

In VPC select the existing VPC and inside mapping select only the Public Subnets.

Step 4 : Configure Routing

Listeners: Define the protocol and port on which the ALB listens for incoming traffic (Custom TCP port 8000, SSH on port 22).

• Availability Zones: Select the VPC and Availability Zones where your ALB will distribute traffic.

• Target Group: Create a new target group or select an existing one. The target group determines how the ALB routes traffic to registered targets (e.g., EC2 instances).

  

• Connect to the Bastion Host using the Command

    ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ec2-user@public-ip-address
  

• Now you will be connected to the Bastion Server , Now we will be accessing our Scaled Instances from Bastion server , So we need the Pem file on the Bastion server, for that we will be using the SCP command

    scp [file_name]  remoteuser@remotehost:/remote/directory
  

  After coping the PEM file on Bastion host try logging in on the Scaled server , put the private IP of the instance to be used.

Create an index.html on server that was just recently logged onto. I have a sample html instead

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Interactive Page</title>
<style>
    body {
        font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
        text-align: center;
        background-color: #f0f0f0; /* Light grey background */
    }
    #content {
        margin-top: 50px;
    }
    button {
        padding: 10px 20px;
        font-size: 16px;
        cursor: pointer;
        background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green */
        color: white;
        border: none;
        border-radius: 4px;
        font-weight: bold;
    }
    button:hover {
                 background-color: #45a049; /* Darker green on hover */
    }
</style>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="content">
        <h2>Click the button to change the text!</h2>
        <p id="text">Original text</p>
        <button id="changeButton">Click me</button>
    </div>

    <script>
        // JavaScript to change text on button click
        document.getElementById('changeButton').addEventListener('click', function() {
            var textElement = document.getElementById('text');
            textElement.textContent = 'New text!';
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Now we have to run Python HTTP server on port 8000 using Python 3

python3 -m http.server 8000

Now go to load balancers and click on the DNS name

You will have your PAGE ready.