Building and deploying an e-commerce platform on AWS can be a complex task, mainly when you aim for automation and scalability. In this case study, we’ll explore how to automate the deployment of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) e-commerce platform using Terraform and Ansible. This guide will walk you through the infrastructure provisioning process with Terraform, configuration management with Ansible, and finalizing your e-commerce platform for production use.
Project Overview: Building an MVP E-commerce Platform on AWS
Our goal is to deploy a Magento-based e-commerce platform on AWS. Magento is a powerful, flexible, open-source e-commerce solution that provides a rich feature set for online businesses. We’ll use Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and Ansible for configuration management for this project. Combining these tools allows for a fully automated, repeatable, and scalable deployment process.
Infrastructure Provisioning with Terraform
Storing Magento Keys
Before we begin, it’s crucial to store your Magento keys securely. These keys are required to install Magento and its dependencies. You can store these keys in AWS Secrets Manager, which provides a secure and scalable solution for managing secrets.
- Create a secret in AWS Secrets Manager: Store your Magento keys as key-value pairs.
- Retrieve secrets in Terraform: Use Terraform’s data sources to retrieve the stored keys and use them during the deployment.
Setting up Terraform on CloudShell
AWS CloudShell provides a convenient, browser-based environment to run Terraform without setting up a local development environment.
- Launch AWS CloudShell: Access AWS CloudShell directly from the AWS Management Console.
- Install Terraform: Although Terraform is pre-installed in CloudShell, terraform—v to ensure you have the latest version.
- Authenticate with AWS: Ensure that CloudShell is authenticated with your AWS account by configuring your AWS CLI credentials.
Modifying Terraform Files for AWS Deployment
Next, we need to modify the Terraform files to deploy our infrastructure on AWS.
- Define the infrastructure: Create a main.tf file to define your AWS resources, such as VPCs, subnets, EC2 instances, and security groups.
- Use the AWS provider: Ensure your Terraform configuration uses the AWS provider to interact with AWS services.
- Parameterize the configuration: Use Terraform variables to parameterize configurations such as instance types, regions, and AMI IDs.
Creating Security Groups for SSH and HTTP Access
Security groups act as virtual firewalls for your EC2 instances to control inbound and outbound traffic.
- Define security groups: In your Terraform file, define security groups that allow SSH (port 22) and HTTP (port 80) access.
- Apply security groups to instances: Ensure that these security groups are associated with your EC2 instances to enable secure access.
Configuration Management with Ansible
Once the infrastructure is in place, we turn to Ansible for configuration management. Ansible will help automate the installation and configuration of Magento on the deployed EC2 instances.
Installing Ansible on the EC2 Instance
To manage your EC2 instances with Ansible, you need to install Ansible on a control node. This control node could be the same EC2 instance where you’ll be running the Ansible playbooks.
- SSH into the EC2 instance: Use the SSH key and security groups you configured to access your EC2 instance.
- Install Ansible: Run the following commands to install Ansible:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ansible -y
Editing Ansible Variables for Magento Configuration
Ansible variables allow you to customize your configuration files without modifying the playbooks.
Create a variables file: Define variables such as database credentials, Magento admin username, and password in a vars.yml file.
- Configure the Magento environment: Use these variables to customize the Ansible playbook for your Magento setup.
Executing Ansible Playbook for E-commerce Deployment
With the infrastructure ready and Ansible configured, it’s time to deploy Magento.
- Create an Ansible playbook: Write a playbook (magento.yml) that includes tasks for installing necessary packages, configuring the database, and deploying Magento.
- Run the playbook: Execute the playbook using the command:
ansible-playbook magento.yml -i inventory
Ensure that the playbook is completed successfully by deploying Magento on your EC2 instance.
E-commerce Configuration and Validation
With Magento deployed, the final steps involve configuring the platform and validating the deployment.
Accessing the E-commerce Platform
Once the deployment is complete, you can access the Magento admin panel through your web browser.
- Retrieve the public IP: Use the EC2 console or CLI to retrieve your instance’s public IP address.
- Login to Magento: Access the admin panel by navigating to http://<public-ip>/admin. Log in using the credentials you configured in the Ansible variables.
Finalizing Configurations and Validating Results
After accessing the admin panel, finalize the configurations for your e-commerce platform.
- Configure store settings: Set up your store’s currency, payment gateways, and shipping options.
- Test the deployment: Create a test product and simulate a purchase to ensure everything works as expected.
Once the testing is complete, your MVP e-commerce platform is ready for production.
Conclusion
This case study demonstrated how to automate the deployment of an MVP e-commerce platform on AWS using Terraform and Ansible. By leveraging these powerful tools, you can ensure your deployment process is efficient, repeatable, and scalable.