Overview

In this project, you will deploy a production-grade microservices web application on AWS. This project is designed to simulate real-world, production-level deployments and will challenge you to use advanced cloud and DevOps tools. You will work with Terraform, Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes, and GitHub Actions to create a robust, scalable, and secure deployment environment.

Objectives

By completing this project, you will:

• Provision Advanced Cloud Infrastructure: Use Terraform to create a highly available AWS environment with EC2 instances, load balancers, VPC, and auto-scaling groups.
• Configure and Secure Servers: Use Ansible to install and configure Docker, Kubernetes (or set up an EKS cluster), and security tools on your EC2 instances.
• Build and Deploy Microservices: Create a CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions to build Docker images, push them to AWS ECR, and deploy microservices to your Kubernetes cluster.
• Manage Network Traffic: Set up an Ingress Controller (using Nginx or AWS ALB) to route external traffic to your services.
• Monitor and Log: Integrate AWS CloudWatch for detailed logging, monitoring, and alerting.
• Implement Security Best Practices: Develop IAM policies with least privilege and secure communication practices for all resources.

What You Will Learn

This project will introduce you to key production-grade concepts and tools:

• Terraform: Automate infrastructure provisioning with code, managing advanced AWS resources like VPCs, EC2, ELB, and auto-scaling groups.
• Ansible: Automate server configuration and ensure consistency across multiple servers.
• Docker: Containerize your microservices for portability and reliability.
• Kubernetes: Orchestrate containers for high availability, scaling, and efficient management.
• GitHub Actions: Automate the CI/CD pipeline for continuous integration and deployment.

AWS Services

• EC2: Scalable virtual servers.
• ECR: Secure Docker image storage.
• CloudWatch: Monitoring, logging, and alerting.
• IAM: Securely manage access to AWS resources.
• Ingress Controllers: Manage external traffic to your services.

Project Architecture

Your project will deploy a microservices web application with the following components:

Microservices Application

A set of interconnected services (e.g., front-end, back-end, authentication, and database services) containerized with Docker.

Infrastructure

• EC2 Instances & Auto Scaling: Provide the compute resources in a highly available configuration.
• VPC: Secure, isolated network for your resources.
• Load Balancer: Distributes incoming traffic to multiple EC2 instances.
• Kubernetes Cluster: Orchestrates container deployment, scaling, and management.
• ECR: Stores your Docker images.
• Ingress Controller: Routes external traffic to the appropriate microservice.
• CloudWatch: Monitors system and application performance.
• IAM: Enforces security and access control.

Steps Involved

You will work on the following high-level tasks:

1. Provision Advanced Infrastructure with Terraform: Create a VPC, EC2 instances, auto-scaling groups, load balancers, and necessary networking components.

2. Configure Servers with Ansible:

   • Automate the installation of Docker and set up a Kubernetes cluster (or configure AWS EKS).
   • Apply security configurations and install monitoring agents.

3. Set Up a CI/CD Pipeline with GitHub Actions:

   • Automate building Docker images for each microservice.
   • Push images to AWS ECR.
   • Deploy updates to the Kubernetes cluster via automated scripts.

4. Deploy Microservices on Kubernetes:

   • Use Kubernetes manifests (or Helm charts) to deploy and manage microservices.
   • Configure service ports and health checks.

5. Configure Ingress for Traffic Management:

   • Set up an Ingress Controller (Nginx or AWS ALB) to manage external requests.
   • Ensure proper routing to microservices.

6. Implement Monitoring and Logging with CloudWatch:

   • Configure CloudWatch to collect logs and metrics from EC2 instances and the Kubernetes cluster.
   • Set up alerts for key performance indicators.

7. Develop IAM Templates for Security: Create secure IAM policies ensuring least privilege for EC2, Kubernetes, and Lambda functions if used for automation.

Expected Outcomes

After completing this project, you will be able to:

• Design and Deploy Advanced AWS Infrastructure: Use code to manage a scalable and secure production environment.
• Automate Server Configuration and Container Orchestration: Gain hands-on experience with Ansible and Kubernetes.
• Implement Continuous Integration/Deployment: Develop and manage a full CI/CD pipeline.
• Ensure High Availability and Security: Build a resilient, secure application that can handle production loads.
• Monitor and Troubleshoot in Real-Time: Use CloudWatch to maintain operational excellence.

Real-World Benefits

This project simulates a full production deployment scenario:

• Scalability: Learn to build systems that automatically scale with demand.
• Reliability: Deploy services that remain available even under heavy load.
• Security: Understand how to secure production environments using IAM and best practices.
• Operational Efficiency: Automate deployment processes to reduce errors and improve response times.
• Career Advancement: Gain advanced skills that are highly valued in the tech industry.

Additional Resources

• AWS Documentation: Detailed guides on EC2, ECR, CloudWatch, and IAM.
• Terraform Documentation: Terraform Docs
• Ansible Documentation: Ansible Docs
• Docker Documentation: Docker Docs
• Kubernetes Documentation: Kubernetes Docs
• GitHub Actions Documentation: GitHub Actions Docs

Conclusion

This project offers a challenging and comprehensive introduction to production-grade cloud deployments. You will be learning AWS infrastructure, container orchestration, automated deployments, and monitoring. You will gain skills essential for building and maintaining real-world applications. This experience is designed to prepare you for high-level roles in cloud engineering and DevOps, providing a solid foundation for your future career.