DEV Community: Shivani Aggarwal

Deploy Ethereum network on AWS

Shivani Aggarwal — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 15:02:43 +0000

In my previous post Blockchain on AWS (https://dev.to/aws-builders/blockchain-on-aws-i6o ) we discussed various services provided by AWS to work with blockchain technology. In this article we will explore how to use AWS Blockchain Templates to configure and create blockchain based networks.

AWS Blockchain Templates

Using popular open source frameworks, AWS Blockchain Templates makes it quick and easy to develop and deploy secure Blockchain networks. Instead of wasting time and resources manually setting up your Blockchain network, you can focus on building your Blockchain apps with these templates.
The Blockchain framework you pick is deployed as containers on an Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) cluster or directly on an EC2 host running Docker. You may leverage your VPC subnets and network Access Control Lists to build your blockchain network on your own Amazon VPC.

AWS offers two different templates: Blockchain for Ethereum and Blockchain for Hyperledger Fabric

We will use AWS Blockchain Template for Ethereum to create a private Ethereum network on AWS through AWS CloudFormation. The network that we will create has two Ethereum clients and one miner running on Amazon EC2 instances in an Amazon ECS cluster. Amazon ECS runs these services in Docker containers pulled from Amazon ECR.
Before proceeding, as a prerequisite set up an IAM user and create a key pair . For help refer , https://docs.aws.amazon.com/blockchain-templates/latest/developerguide/blockchain-templates-setting-up.html

After prerequisites are met , the next steps would be as below:

Create a VPC and subnets
Create security groups
Create an IAM Role for Amazon ECS and an EC2 Instance Profile
Create bastion host

Now we will walkthrough each step in detail below:

Creating a VPC and subnets

First we will create Elastic IP address to be used for VPC creation
- Open the Amazon VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
- Choose Elastic IPs, Allocate new address, Allocate
- Make a note of the Elastic IP address that you create and choose Close.
- In the list of Elastic IP addresses, find the Allocation ID for the Elastic IP address created earlier. We use this when we create the VPC.
Select the same Region for VPC in which you created your key pair in and where you are launching the Ethereum stack
To create a VPC , on the VPC dashboard choose Launch VPC Wizard
On Select a VPC Configuration page, choose VPC with Public and Private Subnets. Click on Select
Enter VPC name, name for public and private subnet , select elastic allocation ID created earlier . Click on Create VPC
To create second subnet, Choose Subnets and then select the public subnet that you created earlier from the list. Select the Route Table tab and note the Route table ID. We specify this same route table for the second public subnet we will create.
Choose Create Subnet, choose a different availability zone , enter a name and click on create subnet
With the subnet selected from the list, choose Subnet Actions, Modify auto-assign IP settings. Select Auto-assign IPs, Save, Close. This allows the bastion host to obtain a public IP address when you create it in this subnet.
On the Route Table tab, choose Edit. For Change to, select the route table ID that you noted earlier and choose Save.

Creating Security groups

We need to create two security groups one for EC2 instance and for Load balancer

Open the EC2 Console , choose Security Groups, Create Security Group and enter a name for security group to be created for EC2 instance and select the VPC we created earlier
Repeat same step and create one more security group for load balancer
Add inbound rules to the security group for EC2 instances
- Select the EC2 instance security group
- On the Inbound tab, choose Edit and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group you are currently editing from the list
- Add one more rule and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group we created for load balancer
Add inbound and edit outbound rules for the security group for the Application Load Balancer
- Select the Application Load balancer security group
- On the Inbound tab, choose Edit and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group you are currently editing from the list
- Add one more rule and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group we created for EC2 instance
- Add one more rule and For Type, choose SSH. For Source, select My IP, which detects your computer's IP CIDR and enters it.
- On the Outbound tab, choose Edit and delete the rule that was automatically created to allow outbound traffic to all IP addresses.
- Add one more rule and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group you are currently editing from the list.
- Add one more rule and For Type, choose All traffic. For Source, leave Custom selected, and then choose the security group we created for EC2 instance

By this time , you are already half done :)

Creating an IAM Role for Amazon ECS and an EC2 Instance Profile

Open the IAM console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/.
Choose Roles and Select Elastic Container Service as service , enter a Name and choose Create role.
Select the role that you just created from the list. If your account has many roles, you can search for the role name
Copy the Role ARN value and save it so that you can copy it again. You need this ARN when you create the Ethereum network
To create an EC2 instance profile
- Choose Policies in the navigation pane, Create policy. Enter policy name and, choose create policy
- Choose Roles ,Choose EC2 , In the Search field, enter the name of the permissions policy that you created earlier
- Select the check mark for the policy that you created earlier, and choose Next: Review
- For Role name, enter a value that helps you identify the role
- Select the role that you just created from the list and Copy the Instance Profile ARN value and save it.

Creating a Bastion Host

To be able to access the Ethereum network, trusted clients need to be set up to connect through the bastion host. For more information, see Connect to EthStats and EthExplorer Using the Bastion Host. A bastion host is one approach. You can use any approach that provides access from trusted clients to private resources within a VPC.

Create an EC2 linux instance ( for help refer https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/EC2_GetStarted.html#ec2-launch-instance)
Choose Edit Instance Details. For Network, choose the VPC you created earlier, for Subnet select the second public subnet that you created earlier. Leave all other settings to their defaults.
Confirm the change when prompted, and then choose Review and Launch.
Choose Edit Security Groups. For Assign a security group, choose Select an existing security group.
From the list of security groups, select the security group for the Application Load Balancer that you created earlier, and then choose Review and Launch.
Choose Launch.
Note the instance ID. You need it later when you Connect to EthStats and EthExplorer using the Bastion Host

And the final stage is here ,

Creating the Ethereum Network

See Getting Started with AWS Blockchain Templates, and open the latest AWS Blockchain Template for Ethereum in the AWS CloudFormation console using the quick-links for your AWS Region.
Choose create stack and enter a name for stack. Under EC2 configuration, select options according to the following guidelines:
- For EC2 Key Pair, select a key pair.
- For EC2 Security Group, select the security group you created earlier in Create Security Groups.
- For EC2 Instance Profile ARN, enter the ARN of the instance profile that you created earlier in Create an IAM Role for Amazon ECS and an EC2 Instance Profile.
Under VPC network configuration, select options according to the following guidelines:
- For VPC ID, select the VPC that you created earlier in Create a VPC and Subnets.
- For Ethereum Network Subnet IDs, select the single private subnet that you created earlier in the procedure To create the VPC.
Under ECS cluster configuration, leave the defaults. This creates an ECS cluster of three EC2 instances.
Under Application Load Balancer configuration (ECS only), select options according to the following guidelines:
- For Application Load Balancer Subnet IDs, select two public subnets from the list of subnets that you noted earlier
- For Application Load Balancer Security Group, select the security group for the Application Load Balancer that you created earlier in Create Security Groups
- For IAM Role, enter the ARN of the ECS role that you created earlier in Create an IAM Role for Amazon ECS and an EC2 Instance Profile
Under EthStats, select options according to the following guidelines:
- For Deploy EthStats, leave the default setting, which is true.
- For EthStats Connection Secret, type an arbitrary value that is at least six characters.
Under EthExplorer, leave the default setting for Deploy EthExplorer, which is true.
Under Other parameters, leave the default value for Nested Template S3 URL Prefix and make a note of it. This is where you can find nested templates.
Choose Create Stack
When all stacks show CREATE_COMPLETE for Status, you can connect to Ethereum user interfaces to verify that the network is running and accessible. When you use the ECS container platform, URLs for connecting to EthStats, EthExplorer, and EthJsonRPC through the Application Load Balancer are available on the Outputs tab of the root stack.
The Output tab of the root stack provides links to services running on the Application Load Balancer. These URLs are not directly accessible for security reasons. To connect, you can set up and use a bastion host to proxy connections to them After completing this tutorial, don't forget to clean up your AWS resources. You can use AWS cloudformation to delete all resources. For more details follow on https://docs.aws.amazon.com/blockchain-templates/latest/developerguide/blockchain-templates-cleanup.html

BLOCKCHAIN ON AWS

Shivani Aggarwal — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 23:18:44 +0000

Do you know about Blockchain? How to build solutions using Blockchain ? Anything about AWS Blockchain ? - Well no worries , the following discussion would dive into the basic details of Blockchain ,Blockchain benefits, the way Blockchain works, and finally the Blockchain services on AWS.

The intersection between cloud computing and blockchain is leading to various changes in the approaches for conducting business.

Hence, the introduction of blockchain on AWS is extremely promising. Indeed , it is inevitable to notice a growing interest in an AWS Blockchain in recent times.

But first, back to basics!! Before going deep dive in Blockchain on AWS let’s do a run through on Blockchain technology.

What is Blockchain?

If you are thinking of cryptocurrency when you hear the term ‘Blockchain’ , then you are yet to discover the breadth of Blockchain Technology. It is a computer file for storing data. Or, to put it in more technical terms, it’s an open, distributed database. Instead of having a central database/entity verify the data, a network of individual computers verify and sync the stored data .

It is a new technology which governs that no one person or entity (say, a government or corporation) has control over the blockchain; this is a radical departure from the centralized databases that are controlled and administered by businesses and other entities.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Bitcoin operates in the same way.

In fact, Bitcoin is the first example of blockchain in action.

Oh wait , but what is so great about Blockchain?

Let’s look at some of the biggest advantages of using blockchain technology:

It’s decentralized, Because it doesn’t rely on a central computer, it’s resistant to a lot of damage. If one computer fails, the system stays up. More importantly, the data is very hard to corrupt. To compromise data in a centralized system, someone just needs to change what’s in the central database. However, because there’s no central database on a blockchain network, a single computer would have to override the entire network, which is much harder to do.

You get a history of activity, not just a snapshot in time. When you look at a regular database, you’re getting a snapshot of data that’s up to date in that moment in time. Blockchains do this too, but they also maintain a record of all the information that existed before. It’s a database with history, if you like.

There’s no one, central point of attack, The fact that blockchain is a decentralized way of storing and accessing data makes the whole system incredibly secure – because, unlike a centralized database, there’s no one single point of entry for hackers. This makes it particularly useful for recording transactions in a secure manner.

And no centralized control, Because the system of record is decentralized and replicated in its entirety in multiple places, there’s no need for a central administrator and all the costs and infrastructure that comes with it.

How does Blockchain work?

In very simple terms, the file is comprised of blocks of data, with each block being connected to the previous block, forming a chain. Each block also contains a record of when that block was created or edited, which makes it very useful for maintaining a detailed system of record that cannot be corrupted or lost. Because the whole blockchain is duplicated across many computers, any user can view the entire blockchain. Transactions or records are processed not by one central administrator, but by a network of users who work to verify the data and achieve a consensus.

For building a blockchain based solution businesses need to deploy their choice of blockchain frameworks on servers, create networks and manage them all the way to scale the solution. Managing networks and multiple entities can soon become a huge task and a cumbersome process, that is where the blockchain on cloud based solutions from AWS fits in.

Wooo.. Its time to go on CLOUD..

What does Blockchain on AWS include?

Blockchain on AWS refers to a small yet powerful assortment of offerings that support the enterprise blockchain initiatives of organizations. The Amazon Quantum Ledger Database, Amazon Managed Blockchain, AWS Blockchain Partners, and AWS Blockchain Templates are the prominent entries when it comes to discussions about blockchain on AWS. So, let us take a review of how enterprise blockchain on AWS looks like!

The AWS Blockchain ecosystem is tailored for addressing diverse business issues in the deployment of blockchain projects through cloud platforms. Let us take a closer reflection on each individual service in Blockchain on AWS to have further understanding regarding the applications of AWS Blockchain

AWS Blockchain Templates

AWS offers open-source templates for apps built on blockchain. They deploy the network on an ECS cluster or an EC2 instance running Dockers. In other words, the template links the app and the network.

Then, developers can create their own blockchain network in their personalized Amazon VPC. Developers could configure the network Access Control Lists and VPC subnets easily for defining the characteristics and functionalities of their decentralized network. Furthermore, developers can also assign granular permissions for their blockchain network in AWS Blockchain Template through AWS IAM. The granular permissions will help in establishing restrictions on the resources that are accessible by Amazon EC2 instance or an Amazon ECS cluster.

Finally, developers could deploy decentralized applications by writing smart contracts and running them on their newly created blockchain network.

AWS offers two different templates: Blockchain for Ethereum and Blockchain for Hyperledger Fabric

Blockchain for Ethereum uses the incredibly popular and powerful Ethereum Network to power public blockchain applications. This template is by far the most popular method for building blockchain apps on AWS
Blockchain for Hyperledger Fabric lets you add permissions and access controls to the network. Use it for private blockchain networks.

For most blockchain applications, Ethereum is perfect. However, there are a couple more options that may be useful in certain settings. You lose some decentralization but gain other capabilities.

Quantum Ledger Database

Amazon’s Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB) is a managed ledger database that chains together changes in an append-only journal.

It is a fully managed ledger database that provides a transparent, immutable, and cryptographically verifiable transaction log owned by a central trusted authority. Amazon QLDB tracks each and every application data change and maintains a complete and verifiable history of changes over time.

In comparison to ethereum, it’s managed by AWS, meaning it isn’t fully decentralized. This doesn’t mean all the benefits are lost. Data in the ledger remains unchangeable and secure, and the database is completely managed to save time and money. For ledger applications, it’s a great fit.

Amazon Managed Blockchain

Amazon Managed Blockchain is a fully-managed tool for maintaining a public or private blockchain network on Hyperledger Fabric or Ethereum. Developers can manage networks with single API calls.

Again, it is managed by AWS, so some level of decentralization is lost in the process. However, architectural decentralization remains: data is still verified across many different devices in a non-changeable way. Thus, many of the security and reliability benefits remain completely intact.
Because of these security benefits and more, blockchain is an amazing technology with lots of potential in app development.
But no matter the method, blockchain on AWS has many uses.

Conclusion

On a concluding note, you can clearly note that the combination of the cloud and blockchain can induce positive outcomes. The best things about both technologies come together to offer the most feasible business solutions with assurance of productivity. The flexibility, security, and scalability benefits of blockchain on AWS are the foremost reasons to consider its potential. In the long run, the development and deployment of blockchain solutions through cloud platforms would gain mainstream recognition.