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Deploy StackGen in Your AWS Cloud

Introduction​

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Why StackGen?​

StackGen is designed to streamline application deployment and infrastructure provisioning by generating Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tailored to your application's requirements. Typical use cases include:

  • Automating Infrastructure as Code creation for Python and Java apps.
  • Managing infrastructure for scalable web applications.
  • Ensuring compliance and security in cloud deployments.

Overview of Customer Deployment in AWS​

StackGen provides a comprehensive solution for hosting StackGen within your AWS cloud environment. The deployment involves:

  1. Setting up an EKS cluster.
  2. Configuring IAM resources.
  3. Integrating with your existing VPC.

Once deployment is complete, the following resources will be set up:

  • Kubernetes cluster on EKS
  • IAM roles and policies for access management
  • VPC configurations including subnets and security groups
  • Helm charts for deploying StackGen services

Expected Deployment Time​

The typical deployment, including setting up the required AWS resources and configuring the software, is expected to take approximately 1-2 hours, depending on your network and resource availability.

Supported AWS Regions​

StackGen supports deployment in all major AWS regions, ensuring broad availability and compliance with regional regulations. Specific regions can be configured based on your requirements.

Technical Prerequisites and Requirements​

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Prerequisite Skills​

The deployment process requires basic familiarity with the following concepts, tools, or skills:

  • AWS services (EKS, IAM, VPC).
  • Terraform.
  • Kubernetes management.
  • Basic understanding of Helm charts.

Environment Configuration​

The deployment environment must include:

  1. An AWS account with administrative access.
  2. A domain configured in Amazon Route 53.
  3. A valid SSL certificate in AWS Certificate Manager.
  4. A TLS certificate in AWS Certificate Manager.

Required Tools​

To deploy StackGen, you need:

  • Terraform or OpenTofu
  • kubectl
  • Helm (version 3.7.0 or later)
  • AWS CLI
  • AWS IAM user or role for infrastructure provisioning.
  • A Route 53 alias record pointing to your StackGen installation.
  • TLS certificate in AWS Certificate Manager.

StackGen Deployment Architecture on AWS​

AWS Deployment Guide Architechture

The architecture consists of StackGen, which is hosted on an EKS cluster within an AWS VPC. This setup also integrates StackGen services and databases. The network layer can be customized based on specific requirements.

Security and Compliance​

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Avoid Using AWS Root Account​

  • Avoid using the AWS account's root user for deployment or operational tasks.
  • Use IAM users or roles with the least privilege necessary to ensure security.

Least Privilege Principle​

Apply the principle of least privilege to all IAM roles and policies, ensuring only necessary permissions are granted.

Public Resources​

  • No public resources are required during the deployment of StackGen.
  • Resources are configured for private access within the VPC by default.

IAM Roles and Policies​

Example IAM Policy for EKS​

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "eks:CreateCluster",
        "eks:DescribeCluster",
        "eks:ListClusters",
        "eks:DeleteCluster"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Example IAM Policy for VPC​

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ec2:CreateVpc",
        "ec2:DescribeVpcs",
        "ec2:DeleteVpc",
        "ec2:CreateSubnet",
        "ec2:DescribeSubnets",
        "ec2:DeleteSubnet",
        "ec2:CreateRouteTable",
        "ec2:DescribeRouteTables",
        "ec2:DeleteRouteTable"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Keys and Secrets Management​

  • Use AWS Secrets Manager to securely store sensitive data, such as database credentials.
  • Regularly rotate secrets to enhance security.

Data Storage and Encryption​

  • Ensure all data stored in S3 is encrypted using server-side encryption (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS).
  • Enable encryption for EBS volumes to secure data at rest.

Cost and Billing​

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Billable Services​

  • Amazon EKS (mandatory).
  • Amazon RDS (optional, if using managed databases).

Licensing Costs​

StackGen requires licenses to be included in your subscription package. Contact the StackGen Support for specific costs.

Deployment and Maintenance​

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Step-by-Step Deployment Instructions​

  1. Prepare the Environment

    • Install the required tools - Terraform and OpenTofu:
    sudo apt-get install terraform tofu
    • Install kubectl:
    curl -LO "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/$(curl -s https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
    chmod +x ./kubectl
    sudo mv ./kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl
    • Install Helm:
    curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/master/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash
    • Configure AWS CLI:
    aws configure

  2. Configure IAM Roles

    Create necessary IAM roles and policies using the examples provided here.

  3. Configure DNS and SSL

    Set up Route 53 records and SSL certificates in AWS Certificate Manager. Update variables.tfvars accordingly.

  4. Provision StackGen

    Use Terraform to set up StackGen in AWS:

    terraform init
    terraform apply -var-file="variables.tfvars"

Testing and Troubleshooting​

  • Verify that all services are running as expected:

    kubectl get pods -n appcd

Health Monitoring​

  • Use AWS CloudWatch to monitor health metrics (e.g., CPU utilization, memory usage, and network traffic).

Backup and Recovery​

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Backup Instructions​

  • Enable automatic snapshots for RDS databases via the AWS Management Console or CLI.

Rotating Credentials​

  • Regularly rotate IAM credentials and use AWS Secrets Manager for secure management.

Software Maintenance​

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Patches and Upgrades​

  • Check for updates and apply patches as needed.
  • Follow official documentation for upgrading Helm charts and Terraform scripts.

License Management​

  • Ensure software licenses are up-to-date.
  • Renew licenses as needed.

AWS Service Limits​

  • Monitor AWS service limits and request increases as required for scaling.

Troubleshooting​

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Fault Conditions​

  1. Check CloudWatch logs for errors.
  2. Verify the status of Kubernetes pods.
  3. Ensure IAM roles and policies are correctly configured.

Technical Support​

For support, contact the StackGen team at support@stackgen.com.

Support Tiers and SLAs​

StackGen offers enterprise support with a 24-hour Service Level Agreement (SLA). Ensure you are aware of your support tier and corresponding SLA.

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