DEV Community: Ajao Adedamola

Beginner's Guide: Connecting to Your EC2 Instance Using AWS Systems Manager (SSM)

Ajao Adedamola — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:17:11 +0000

Welcome to another beginner-friendly guide on connecting to your EC2 instance using AWS Systems Manager (SSM). So say hello to hassle-free, secure connections with just a few simple steps!

Step 1: Create an IAM Role:

Search and navigate to the IAM (Identity and Access Management) dashboard in the AWS Management Console.

Select "Role" on the left hand side of your screen and click "Create role"

Create a new IAM role with the necessary permissions for EC2 following the screenshots below.

In the searchbox displayed on the next page, search for "managedinstance", select the result displayed and click next.

Name your IAM role accordingly. I named mine "EC2-SSM-MANAGED-INSTANCE-CORE", leave everything else as is and scroll down to click create role.

Step 2: Launch EC2 Instance:

Search for "EC2" in the search bar and click "instances".

Select "Launch instance" and follow the screenshots below.

Make sure to still select an existing keypair or create a new one because it's still needed.

You can also notice that in the screenshot above I am unticking the "Allow SSH traffic from" box.

Click on "Advanced details" tab and select the IAM role you created earlier in the "IAM instance profile" section below, click create instance and wait for your instance to launch.

Step 3: Connect to your EC2 Instance via SSM:

Once your instance in done creating, select it and click connect above.

Make sure to select "Session Manager" as the connection mode and click connect below.

After that, a terminal should pop up in a new tab on your browser which eliminates the need of having to ssh directly to your linux box and reduces security risks.

Please remember to delete the EC2 instance after use so as to not incure cost on your AWS account. Do not worry about the IAM ROLE created as this is free and can be used repeatedly

Access EC2 Instances Deployed in Private Subnets Leveraging Bastion Hosts. A Step-by-Step Guide.

Ajao Adedamola — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:04:52 +0000

NOTE THAT IN THIS SCENARIO, I AM ASSUMING YOU ALREADY HAVE AN INSTANCE DEPLOYED IN THE PRIVATE SUBNET THAT YOU NEED TO ACCESS.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO THE KEY PAIR OF YOUR PRIVATE RESOURCE.

To connect to an EC2 instance in a private subnet on AWS using a bastion host, kindly follow these steps:

Step 1: Launch Bastion Host

Launch an EC2 instance in a public subnet. This instance will act as the bastion host. Ensure that it has a public IP address and is accessible from the internet.

As you can see below I have both of my instances launched in the same vpc, different availability zones and just one instance with a publicly accessible IP address.

Step 2: Configure Security Groups

Copy the private IP of the bastion host and private resource instance to your notepad or any text editor and name accordingly.

Configure the security group of the private resource instance to allow SSH (port 22) access from your instance in the public subnet for restricted purposes by editing the inbound rules.

Click Save rules to save changes.

Step 3: Editing your pem key

Locate the pem key of your private instance and click on open with notepad, vscode or any editor of your choice.

Below is an image of what the pem key should look like once open, That's half of mine to prevent security issues

Step 4: Connect to the Bastion Host

Use AWS SSM to connect to the bastion host.

You should see a new tab pop up and a terminal opened up for you on the AWS console.

Step 5: Saving your pem key to your Bastion host instance

Run the following commands as follows:

1. sudo su (gives super user priviledges)

2. cd /home (locates and opens the home directory)

3. cd ec2-user (locates and opens the ec2-user directory)

4. touch private.pem (This will create a file called private.pem)

5. nano private.pem (this will open a text editor to edit the file created by the touch private.pem command)

Go back to the notepad or vscode opened on your computer earlier and copy all the content of your pem key(Every single word).

Paste into the nano editor of your Bastion host.

Again I've blocked out some part of my key for security reasons, after pasting the pem key details click on CtrlX followed by y and finally the Enter key

Step 6: Logging into your private Instance

While still on your bastion host terminal, run the command

1. chmod 0400 private.pem.

2. ssh -i private.pem ec2-user@172.16.87.100(The private IP of your Private resource)

which according to the IP I copied earlier should be 172.31.66.236 and translates to :

ssh -i private.pem ec2-user@172.31.66.236.

You'll be greeted with a prompt asking you to verify the key authenticity, just type yes and Enter key.

If you get the same result as the Image above then congratulations you just logged into your instance using the Bastion host or Jumper method.

You might be wondering where this would be useful in a realife scenario and I'll be explaining why in next weeks blog post.

Please remember to disable and delete all resources after use so as to not incure cost on your AWS account.

Building a Static Website with AWS S3: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ajao Adedamola — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 17:18:12 +0000

In today's post, we're going to explore how you can leverage Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) to create and host a static website. Follow along as we break down the process into simple, actionable steps.

What is a Static Website?
A static website consists of web pages with fixed content, typically coded in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Unlike dynamic websites, which generate content on the server-side, static websites deliver pre-built files directly to the user's browser.

Why Use AWS S3?
Amazon S3 provides a cost-effective and highly scalable solution for hosting static websites. With S3, you can store your website files securely, benefit from high availability and reliability, and take advantage of AWS's global content delivery network (CDN) for fast content delivery to users worldwide.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Static Website with AWS S3

Step 1: Prepare Your Website Files

Download the necessary HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other assets for your static website here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wmWMvpUIefdQ3nrtpFrMH4uCTm2IQqsv

Step 2: Upload Your Website Files to S3

Click create a new S3 bucket by clicking on the "Create bucket" button.

Choose a unique bucket name and select the region where you want to store your data.

Leave all other settings at their default values, Scroll down and click "Create bucket."

Once the bucket is created, open it and click on the "Upload" button.

Select your earlier dowloaded website files from your local machine and upload them to the S3 bucket.

Step 3: Configure Bucket Permissions

In the bucket tab, navigate to the "Permissions" tab to edit the "Block public access option"

Untick the "Block all public access" option and save changes

Still on the permissions tab of your bucket, Scroll down and click on "Bucket Policy" to add a policy that allows public read access to your website files.

Copy the bucket policy in JSON below and Replace "your-bucket-name" with the name of your S3 bucket.

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
    }
  ]
}

Click "Save" to apply the bucket policy.

Step 4: Enable Static Website Hosting

Navigate to the "Properties" tab,

Scroll down to the "Static website hosting" section and click on "Edit."

Select Enable in the "Static website hosting" option and Hosting type as "Host a static website".

Enter the name of your main HTML file and Error file (e.g., index.html, error.html) as the default document.

The Error file can be optional but since we have the file uploaded earlier, we might as well include it.

Click "Save changes" to enable static website hosting for your S3 bucket.

Step 5: Access Your Website

Once static website hosting is enabled and permissions are configured, S3 will provide a website endpoint URL.

Copy the website endpoint URL and paste it into your browser's address bar to access your static website.

Congratulations! You've successfully created and hosted a static website using AWS S3. Now you can share your website with the world and take advantage of AWS's scalability and reliability for seamless web hosting.

Stay tuned for more AWS tutorials and best practices to optimize your cloud infrastructure and enhance your web development projects.

Please remember to disable and delete all resources after use so as to not incure cost on your AWS account.

Understanding AWS: A Beginner's Guide

Ajao Adedamola — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:41:58 +0000

Welcome to the inaugural edition of my Friday AWS blog series! In this first installment, we're going back to basics to answer the fundamental question: What is AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive, evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon. It offers a wide range of services, including computing power, storage options, networking, databases, machine learning, and more, all available on a pay-as-you-go basis.

At its core, AWS enables businesses to access computing resources without the need for large upfront investments in hardware or infrastructure. Instead, users can leverage AWS's vast infrastructure to quickly scale their applications and services up or down based on demand, paying only for the resources they consume.

One of the key benefits of AWS is its scalability. Whether you're a startup experiencing rapid growth or an established enterprise with fluctuating workloads, AWS can accommodate your needs. With services like Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud), you can easily provision virtual servers in minutes and scale them up or down as needed.

In addition to scalability, AWS prioritizes reliability and security. Amazon's data centers are built with redundancy and failover mechanisms to ensure high availability and minimize downtime. Furthermore, AWS adheres to industry-leading security practices and compliance standards, providing customers with peace of mind regarding the safety and integrity of their data.

Another standout feature of AWS is its extensive ecosystem of services. Whether you're looking to deploy a simple website or blog, build a data lake, or develop a machine learning model, AWS has a service tailored to your needs. From AWS Lambda for serverless computing to Amazon S3 for scalable object storage, the platform offers a wealth of tools and resources to empower innovation and drive business success.

Moreover, AWS is known for its commitment to innovation. The platform also continually introduces new features and services, enabling customers to stay ahead of the curve and leverage cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain.

In summary, AWS is much more than just a cloud computing platform; it's a catalyst for digital transformation and innovation.

So whether you're a cloud architect or a newcomer exploring the possibilities of the cloud, AWS has something to offer. Stay tuned for future installments of our Friday AWS series, where we'll delve deeper into specific AWS services, best practices, and case studies to help you unlock the full potential of the cloud.