Guided Lab: Launching an EC2 Instance with User Data

Tutorials-Dojo

Description

In this lab, we will explore the power of User Data- a powerful tool that automates tasks during an instance’s birth. But before we delve into that let’s focus first on what bootstrapping is and what user data has to do with it.

EC2 Bootstrapping involves configuring an EC2 instance to undergo automated installation and configuration procedures after launch but before it becomes operational. This is accomplished by providing a script through the User Data section of the Meta-data service, which is then executed by the operating system of the EC2 instance.

Prerequisites

This lab assumes you have experience creating EC2 instances and are familiar with its basic components.

If you find any gaps in your knowledge, consider taking the following labs:

  • Creating an Amazon EC2 instance (Linux)
  • Setting up a Web server on an EC2 instance

Objectives

In this lab, you will:

  • Gain hands-on experience with User Data, exploring its powerful capabilities in automating tasks during the launch of an instance and witnessing its practical application in configuring a simple web server.

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Lab Steps

Launching an EC2 Instance with User Data

1. Search “ec2” in the AWS Management Console search bar. Click EC2 on the search results.

2. Use the following configurations:

  • Name: my-web-server
  • AMI: Amazon Linux
  • Instance type: t2.micro
  • Key pair: (If you don’t already have a key pair, please create a new one.)
    • Key pair name: web-server-key-pair
    • Key pair type: RSA
    • Private key file format: .pem
  • Network settings: (Click “Edit”)
    • Security group name: WebServerSG
    • Description: enter ‘Allows SSH and HTTP access‘.
    • Inbound Security Group Rules: (Add security group rule)
      • Inbound rule 1:
        • Type: SSH
        • Source Type: My IP
      • Inbound rule 2
        • Type: HTTP
        • Source Type: Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)

3. Next, click the dropdown of the “Advanced details.”

4. Scroll down until you see “User data.- optional”

5. In the text box, enter the following script:

#!/bin/bash

# Step 1: Update the system
sudo yum update -y

# Step 2: Install Nginx
sudo yum install nginx -y

# Step 3: Start Nginx Service
sudo service nginx start

# Create a custom HTML page directly in the HTML directory
echo '<h1>Welcome to my web page!</h1>' | sudo tee /usr/share/nginx/html/mypage.html > /dev/null

# Add the configuration directly
echo 'server {
    listen 80 default_server;
    server_name _;
    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
    
    location / {
        index mypage.html;
    }
}' | sudo tee /etc/nginx/conf.d/server.conf > /dev/null

# Reload Nginx for the changes to take effect
sudo nginx -t && sudo service nginx reload

Info: #!/bin/bash is called a shebang or hashbang. It’s a special line at the beginning of a script that tells the system which interpreter should be used to execute the script. In this case, it specifies that the script should be interpreted and executed using the Bash shell.

6. Ensure that all are set up correctly, then, click Launch instance.

7. You will be notified with the success pop-up. Click the instance id.

8. Wait for the “Instance state” to go from “Pending” to “Running”, and the “Status check” from “Initializing” to “2/2 checked passed.”

While waiting, take note and copy the “Public IPv4 address.”

9. Now that the “Instance state” is in “Running”, and the “Status check” is in “2/2 checked passed.” Paste the “Public IPv4 address” you copied earlier to a new tab of your browser and press Enter.

10. Finally, you should see a welcome page.

Tips: Add to your habit of cleaning up the resources after your labs (i.e. in this case, terminating your Instance). This is not only a good habit but gives you good practice in taking responsibility for your resources.

Congratulations! You’ve taken your first steps into the world of User Data in Amazon EC2. As you progress, explore more advanced User Data scripts for diverse applications, configurations, and optimizations. Happy exploring!

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