Task 2: Infrastructure Management

This task involves provisioning resources using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like
Terraform or AWS CloudFormation, and managing resource scaling to ensure optimal
performance and cost efficiency. Below is a detailed guide on how to approach these
tasks.

Part 1: Provisioning Resources with IaC

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) allows you to automate the provisioning and management
of AWS resources using code, making your infrastructure more consistent, repeatable,
and easier to manage.

1. Using Terraform

Terraform is an open-source IaC tool that allows you to define and manage your cloud
infrastructure using a high-level configuration language.

● Setting Up Terraform:
○ Install Terraform: Download and install Terraform on your local machine
or a server where you’ll manage your infrastructure.
○ Set Up AWS Credentials: Configure your AWS credentials by setting
environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID,
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY) or using the AWS CLI.
● Creating Terraform Configuration:
○ Define Resources:
■ Write a .tf file (e.g., main.tf) to define AWS resources like EC2
instances, VPCs, S3 buckets, etc.

■ Example EC2 instance definition:

provider "aws" {
region = "us-west-2"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {

 ami = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
instance_type = "t2.micro"

tags = {
Name = "ExampleInstance"
}
}

○ Initialize Terraform:
■ Run terraform init to initialize your working directory
containing Terraform configuration files.
○ Plan and Apply:
■ Run terraform plan to preview the changes that will be made to
your infrastructure.
■ Run terraform apply to provision the resources defined in your
Terraform files.
● Managing Infrastructure:
○ State Management:
■ Terraform maintains the state of your infrastructure in a state file
(terraform.tfstate).
■ Use Terraform’s state management commands to inspect and
manage your infrastructure state.
○ Updating Resources:
■ Modify your .tf files to update existing resources or add new
ones, and apply the changes using terraform apply.
○ Destroying Resources:
■ Use terraform destroy to tear down your infrastructure when
it’s no longer needed.

2. Using AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation is an AWS service that provides a way to model and set up your
AWS resources using templates.

● Creating CloudFormation Templates:

○ CloudFormation templates are written in JSON or YAML.
○ Define resources like EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and RDS databases in
the template.
 ○ Example CloudFormation template snippet:

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Resources:
MyEC2Instance:
Type: 'AWS::EC2::Instance'
Properties:
InstanceType: t2.micro
ImageId: ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0
Tags:
- Key: Name
Value: MyEC2Instance

● Deploying CloudFormation Stacks:

○ Create a Stack:
■ In the AWS Management Console, go to CloudFormation, and
create a new stack by uploading your template.
■ Follow the prompts to provide necessary parameters, configure
stack options, and deploy the stack.
○ Manage Stacks:
■ Use the CloudFormation console or AWS CLI to manage stacks,
update them, or delete them when no longer needed.
● Monitoring and Rollback:
○ CloudFormation handles resource dependencies and performs automatic
rollbacks if stack creation fails, ensuring consistency.

Part 2: Scaling Resources

Scaling your infrastructure is essential to handle varying workloads efficiently, optimizing

performance, and controlling costs. AWS provides several services to facilitate
automatic and manual scaling.

1. Auto Scaling

Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances or other scalable
resources in response to traffic patterns and load.
 ● Auto Scaling Groups:
○ Create an Auto Scaling Group:
■ Define an Auto Scaling group that specifies the minimum,
maximum, and desired number of instances.
■ Attach a Launch Configuration or Launch Template to define the
instance type, AMI, and other configurations.
○ Configure Scaling Policies:
■ Define scaling policies based on CloudWatch alarms, such as
increasing the number of instances if average CPU utilization
exceeds 70% or decreasing instances when it falls below 30%.
○ Example Scaling Policy:

ScaleUpPolicy:
Type: "AWS::AutoScaling::ScalingPolicy"
Properties:
AutoScalingGroupName: !Ref "MyAutoScalingGroup"
PolicyType: "SimpleScaling"
AdjustmentType: "ChangeInCapacity"
ScalingAdjustment: 1
Cooldown: 300

● Dynamic and Predictive Scaling:

○ Dynamic Scaling: Adjusts capacity in response to real-time changes in
resource demand.
○ Predictive Scaling: Uses machine learning to predict future demand and
adjust capacity proactively.

2. Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)

Elastic Load Balancing distributes incoming application traffic across multiple targets,
such as EC2 instances, in multiple Availability Zones.

● Setting Up ELB:
○ Create a Load Balancer:
■ Choose between Application Load Balancer (ALB), Network Load
Balancer (NLB), or Classic Load Balancer (CLB) based on your
needs.
■ Configure listeners, target groups, and health checks.
○ Integrate with Auto Scaling:
 ■ Attach your ELB to an Auto Scaling group to automatically
distribute traffic to the scaled instances.
○ Configure Health Checks:
■ ELB periodically checks the health of registered targets and only
routes traffic to healthy instances.
● Advanced Features:
○ Cross-Zone Load Balancing: Ensures traffic is evenly distributed across
instances in different Availability Zones.
○ Sticky Sessions: Bind user sessions to specific instances to maintain
session state.

3. Monitoring and Adjusting Scaling

● Monitor Usage Patterns:

○ Use CloudWatch to monitor resource utilization, including CPU, memory,
network traffic, and disk I/O.
○ Review metrics regularly to identify patterns that might require scaling
adjustments.
● Manual Scaling Adjustments:
○ While Auto Scaling handles dynamic adjustments, you may need to make
manual adjustments during specific events, such as planned maintenance
or expected traffic spikes.
● Cost Optimization:
○ Regularly review your scaling configurations to ensure they align with
business needs and cost efficiency goals.
○ Use AWS Trusted Advisor and Cost Explorer to identify and implement
cost-saving opportunities.

Conclusion

By leveraging IaC tools like Terraform and AWS CloudFormation, you can automate the
provisioning and management of your AWS resources, ensuring consistency and
reducing the risk of manual errors. Coupling this with effective scaling strategies using
Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing, and monitoring ensures that your infrastructure
can efficiently handle varying loads while optimizing performance and costs. Regular
reviews and adjustments to your infrastructure management practices will help you
maintain a resilient and cost-effective cloud environment.