🚀Unlocking Efficiency: AWS EC2 Deployment with GitLab

>>> A complete guide to Launching an AWS EC2 instance and deploying a simple application using GitLab pipelines

5 min readMay 22, 2024

Hello World… Welcome to the ultimate hands-on guide for launching an AWS EC2 instance and deploying a simple application using GitLab pipelines, starting from scratch! So, let’s get started…

Overview:

What is GitLab?
What AWS EC2 Server is?
What is a User Data script?
Simple hands-on guide: using the PEM key
Simple hands-on guide: using User Data script
Architectural Diagram
Source Code

What is GitLab?

GitLab is a comprehensive DevOps platform that provides an integrated solution for managing the entire software development lifecycle.
From version control with Git repositories to robust CI/CD pipelines, issue tracking, project management, and security features, GitLab offers a single application for teams to collaborate, automate, and deliver software efficiently.
With its scalability, flexibility, and vibrant community, GitLab empowers organizations to streamline their development processes, ensure code quality, and accelerate innovation.

What AWS EC2 Server is?

EC2, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, is a web service that is provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to rent virtual servers, also known as instances, in the cloud.
These instances provide scalable computing capacity and enable users to run applications and workloads without investing in and managing physical hardware.

What is a User Data script?

User data script refers to a script or a set of commands we provide when launching an instance in a cloud computing environment, such as AWS EC2.
The script is executed automatically when the instance starts up and allows to perform various initialization tasks or configurations on the instance.

Simple hands-on guide: using the PEM key

Task Overview: The objective is to use a GitLab pipeline to automate launching an EC2 instance and deploying a simple web app onto the server, utilizing a PEM key for secure access.

Step 1: Store the AWS access keys.

The AWS access keys must be stored as ‘Pipeline Variables’ or ‘Environment Variables’ for securely managing and accessing AWS resources during pipeline execution.
Below snap is the process of how to store them:

Step 2: Store the PEM key.

A PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) key, often referred to as a PEM file or PEM certificate, is a file format used to store cryptographic keys and certificates.
In the context of AWS EC2 instances, a PEM key is typically used for securely accessing the instance over SSH (Secure Shell) protocol.
Below snap is the process of how to store it:

Step 3: Write a pipeline definition in YAML.

The above pipeline definition launches an EC2 instance in AWS, logs in to the server using the PEM key, and then the app is deployed into the server.

Step 4: Create a simple web app.

Step 5: Create a pipeline and run.

Below snap is the process of how to create a pipeline and run it:

So, here we need to change the configuration file then whenever this file is changed then the pipeline gets triggered. The configuration file can be changed in the flow:

Step 6: Results.

Upon the successful completion of the pipeline.
Check the status EC2 server and access the web app.
Steps to check the EC2 server:

Steps to access the web app:

And it’s done successfully using PEM key… 🙌

Simple hands-on guide: using User Data script

Task Overview: The objective is to use GitLab pipeline to automate launching an EC2 instance and deploying a simple web app onto the server, using a User Data script.

Step 1: Store the AWS access keys.

The AWS access keys must be stored as ‘Pipeline Variables’ or ‘Environment Variables’ for securely managing and accessing AWS resources during pipeline execution.
These variables can be used at various scopes within GitLab Pipelines.
Below snap is the process of how to store them:

Step 2: Write a User Data script.

The script above installs, starts, and enables the Apache service, while also writing the application code to the server.

Step 3: Write a pipeline definition in YAML.

The provided pipeline definition launches an EC2 instance in AWS, then accesses the server and deploys the application using a user data script.

Step 4: Create a pipeline and run.

Below snap is the process of how to create a pipeline and run it:

So, here we need to change the configuration file then whenever this file is changed then the pipeline gets triggered. The configuration file can be changed in the flow:

Step 5: Results.

Upon the successful completion of the pipeline.
Check the status EC2 server and access the web app.
Steps to check the EC2 server:

Steps to access the web app:

And it’s done successfully using User Data script… 🙌

Architectural Diagram:

Source Code:

Step into my GitHub Repo, where I’ve compiled a comprehensive collection of source code.

GitHub - saimanasak/cicd-pipelines

Contribute to saimanasak/cicd-pipelines development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Let’s Connect:

Feel free to reach out, share your thoughts, or ask any questions. I’m excited to engage with you and learn from each other as we navigate this exciting field!

LinkedIn: Sai Manasa

GitHub: Sai Manasa

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