Introduction
Amazon EC2 or Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud can give you secure, reliable, high-performance, and cost-effective computing infrastructure to meet demanding business needs.
Automation in EC2 streamlines the setup and management of Amazon EC2 instances without manual intervention. It involves using scripts or templates for tasks like configuration, launching, and scaling, saving time and reducing errors
✨Launch template in AWS EC2?
A launch template in AWS EC2 is a configuration template used for launching instances.
Launch templates serve as blueprints for creating instances in AWS EC2.
It contains essential information such as the chosen Amazon Machine Image (AMI), instance type, network settings, and storage configurations.
By using launch templates, users can avoid repetitive manual input of these parameters, making instance creation more efficient.
This simplification ensures consistent configurations and saves time in the instance creation process.
They are a valuable tool for DevOps and cloud operations teams looking to streamline the process of launching and managing instances.
A launch template can be thought of as a configuration file that contains the settings and parameters needed to launch an Amazon EC2 instance
The configuration needed in a launch template typically includes the following:
Amazon Machine Image (AMI): This is the base image used to create the instance. It contains the necessary information to start the instance.
Instance Type: It defines the hardware of the instance, including the CPU, memory, and storage.
Network Settings: This includes the VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) and subnet where the instance will be launched.
Security Groups: These control inbound and outbound traffic to the instance.
Storage Configuration: This includes the root volume and any additional volumes attached to the instance.
User Data or Launch Scripts: Optional scripts or instructions that are executed when the instance starts.
Instance Tags: These are metadata that can be assigned to the instance for organizational purposes.
By configuring these parameters in a launch template, you can consistently launch instances with the desired settings. This helps streamline the process and maintain uniformity across instances.
✨Instance Types
Amazon EC2 offers a diverse range of instance types tailored for various purposes. These instances come with varying configurations of CPU, memory, storage, and network capabilities, providing the flexibility to select the ideal resource blend for your applications. Additionally, each instance type offers multiple sizes, allowing you to fine-tune your resources to align with the specific demands of your workloads.
For more detailed information, you can read further from the official Amazon EC2 documentation.
What is AMI?
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a pre-configured virtual machine image that contains the necessary information to launch an instance in Amazon EC2. It serves as a template, including an operating system, applications, libraries, and settings. When launching an instance, you select an AMI, and it forms the basis for that instance. AMIs allow for easy replication and scaling of instances with consistent configurations.
✨Task:)
Create a launch template with Amazon Linux 2 AMI and t2.micro instance type with Jenkins and Docker setup
Steps:
Creating a launch template with Amazon Linux 2 AMI and t2.micro instance type, along with Jenkins and Docker setup, involves the following steps:
Log in to AWS Console:
- Go to the AWS Management Console and sign in to your AWS account.
Navigate to EC2 Dashboard:
From the AWS Management Console, search and click on "EC2" to open the EC2 dashboard.
Create a Launch Template:
In the EC2 dashboard, click on "Launch Templates" in the left-hand menu.
Click on the "Create launch template" button.
Provide Template Details:
Give your template a name and description (e.g., "Jenkins-Docker-Template").
For the Amazon Machine Image (AMI), select "Amazon Linux 2 AMI."
Choose Instance Type:
Select "t2.micro" as the instance type.
Security Group and Key Pair:
Configure security groups and key pairs as per your requirements.
Add User Data Script:
In the advanced details> User data section, insert a shell script to install Jenkins and Docker.
#! /bin/bash sudo yum update –y sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/jenkins.repo \ https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.repo sudo rpm --import https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.io.key sudo yum update -y sudo amazon-linux-extras install java-openjdk11 -y sudo yum install jenkins -y sudo systemctl enable jenkins sudo systemctl start jenkins sudo systemctl status jenkins sudo yum update sudo yum search docker sudo yum info docker sudo yum install docker sudo systemctl start docker sudo systemctl enable docker
Save and Create Launch Template:
Click on "Create launch template" to save the template.
Launch Instances:
- Now, you can use this template to launch instances with Jenkins and Docker pre-installed.
Create 3 Instances using the Launch Template
steps:
Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard:
- From the AWS Management Console, search and click on "EC2" to open the EC2 dashboard.
Create Instances from Launch Template:
In the EC2 dashboard, click on "Launch Templates" in the left-hand menu.
Select the launch template you created earlier (e.g., "Jenkins-Docker-Template") and click on the
actions > launch instance from template
Configure Instance Details:
In the "Configure instance details" section, you'll find a field labeled "Number of instances." This is where you can specify how many instances you want to launch.
Complete the Instance Launch:
- Finally, click on the "Launch instances" button.
Return to the EC2 Dashboard and click on Instances.
You should see your newly created 3 instances are running.
Create an auto-scaling group
Steps:
Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard:
- From the AWS Management Console, search and click on "EC2" to open the EC2 dashboard.
Create an Auto Scaling Group:
In the left-hand menu, click on "Auto Scaling Groups" under the "Auto Scaling" section.
Click "Create Auto Scaling Group":
On the Auto Scaling Groups page, click the "Create Auto Scaling Group" button.
Select Launch Template or Configuration:
Choose a launch template or configuration that you want to use for your instances
Configure Auto Scaling Group Details:
Fill in the necessary details, including the name of the Auto Scaling group, network settings, subnets, and desired capacity.
Configure Scaling Policies:
- Define the conditions under which the group should scale up or down. You can set policies based on metrics like CPU utilization, network traffic, etc.
Configure Load Balancing (Optional):
Choose a load balancing option based on your application's requirements. For example, you can select "Application Load Balancer" to evenly distribute traffic across instances.
When to choose which load balancer CHECK HERE
I use an application load balancer here
Then click next.
Configure Group Size and Scaling Policies:
Determine the desired capacity for your Auto Scaling group, specifying the minimum and maximum number of instances.
Create scaling policies to define the conditions for scaling in or out based on performance metrics or custom alarms. This ensures your group can adapt to changing workloads effectively.
Configure Notifications (Optional):
- You can set up notifications to be alerted about Auto Scaling activities.
Add Tags (Optional):
- Add any relevant tags to your instances for better organization.
Review and Create:
Review all your configurations, and if everything looks correct, click on the "Create Auto Scaling group" button.
Monitor the Auto Scaling Group:
Once created, your Auto Scaling group will automatically manage the desired number of instances based on the defined policies.
Conclusion
In this blog, we explored the power of automation in Amazon EC2, streamlining the setup and management of instances. Launch templates and configurations serve as blueprints, simplifying instance creation. Additionally, we delved into Auto Scaling Groups, a pivotal tool for dynamic resource management.
Thank you for diving into this blog with me! I trust you found the information both helpful and enlightening. To stay updated on the latest in DevOps 🚀, make sure to follow me. Remember, staying informed means staying ahead in the dynamic world of DevOps!
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