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AWS OpsWorks

AWS OpsWorks is a configuration management service that provides managed instances of Chef and Puppet. It helps you automate server configuration, deployment, and management across Amazon EC2 instances or on-premises servers.

This guide provides an overview of AWS OpsWorks, including how to set it up using the AWS Console (UI) and how to interact with it programmatically using the AWS CLI and SDKs.

Key Concepts

  • Stacks: A container for resources such as EC2 instances, layers, and applications.
  • Layers: Define how resources are set up and managed (e.g., load balancer layer, database layer, application server layer).
  • Instances: EC2 instances managed by OpsWorks, associated with specific layers.
  • Apps: Applications deployed on layers (e.g., web applications).
  • Chef/Puppet Integration: Enables automation of configuration management tasks.

Using AWS Console (UI)

Create an OpsWorks Stack

  1. Open the AWS Management Console.
  2. Navigate to OpsWorks.
  3. Click Add Stack.
  4. Choose Chef or Puppet as your configuration management engine.
  5. Provide:
    • Stack name
    • Region
    • Default operating system (e.g., Amazon Linux, Ubuntu)
    • Default SSH key pair
  6. Create the stack.

Add a Layer

  1. Within the stack, click Add a layer.
  2. Choose a layer type (e.g., Node.js App Server, PHP App Server, MySQL).
  3. Configure instance type, auto-healing, load balancer, etc.
  4. Save the layer.

Add an Instance

  1. Go to the Instances tab in your stack.
  2. Click Add an instance.
  3. Associate the instance with a layer.
  4. Choose instance size, availability zone, and settings.
  5. Start the instance.

Deploy an Application

  1. In your stack, go to the Apps tab.
  2. Click Add an app.
  3. Provide:
    • App name
    • Repository type (Git, S3, HTTP archive)
    • Repository URL
  4. Deploy the app to a layer.

3. Developer (SDK/CLI) Usage

Create a Stack (AWS CLI)

aws opsworks create-stack       --name "MyStack"       --region us-east-1       --service-role-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/aws-opsworks-service-role       --default-instance-profile-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:instance-profile/aws-opsworks-ec2-role       --default-os "Amazon Linux 2"       --default-root-device-type ebs

Add a Layer

aws opsworks create-layer       --stack-id <stack-id>       --type custom       --name "AppLayer"       --shortname "app-layer"

Register an Instance

aws opsworks register-instance       --stack-id <stack-id>       --hostname MyInstance       --public-ip 203.0.113.25

Deploy an App

aws opsworks create-app       --stack-id <stack-id>       --name "MyWebApp"       --type other       --app-source "Type=git,Url=https://github.com/example/myapp.git"

Best Practices

  • Use Service Roles: Ensure OpsWorks has the correct IAM service role and EC2 instance profile.
  • Layer Separation: Organize applications, databases, and load balancers into separate layers for flexibility.
  • Monitoring: Enable CloudWatch metrics and OpsWorks built-in monitoring.
  • Automation: Use Chef/Puppet recipes for automatic configuration and updates.
  • Security: Control SSH access with IAM users and keys.

Common Use Cases

  • Web Application Deployment
    • Deploy multi-tier web applications using layers for app servers, databases, and load balancers.
  • Configuration Management
    • Automate setup of servers using Chef or Puppet recipes.
  • Hybrid Environments
    • Manage both on-premises and AWS infrastructure from a single service.
  • CI/CD Integration
    • Deploy code automatically from repositories like GitHub or AWS CodeCommit.

Summary

AWS OpsWorks simplifies infrastructure management using Chef and Puppet. Developers can use:

  • AWS Console (UI) for visual management of stacks, layers, and apps.
  • AWS CLI & SDKs for automation and integration into CI/CD pipelines.

OpsWorks is ideal for teams looking for configuration automation, consistent deployments, and hybrid infrastructure management across AWS and on-premises environments.