Backing and Restoring AWS EC2 instances with Automated Script

backing up an aws instances for rollback every 7 days and restoring it to the backed-up state.

Setting Up an AWS Account

1. Create an AWS Account:

   • Visit the AWS homepage and sign up.
   • You'll need to provide basic information and a valid credit card.
   • You'll get a free account for 1 year with limited functionality.

2. Access the AWS Management Console:

   • Once your account is set up, log in to the AWS Management Console.
   • This is your central hub for managing AWS services.

Creating an EC2 Instance in AWS

1: Launch Instance

1. Inside the EC2 Dashboard, click on the Launch Instance button. This starts the process of creating a new EC2 instance.

2: Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

1. You will be presented with a list of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs). Select the AMI that suits your requirements.
   • For beginners, Amazon Linux 2 AMI or Ubuntu Server are popular choices

3: Choose an Instance Type

1. Select the instance type you require.
   • For testing purposes or small workloads, a "t2.micro" instance is a good start as it is eligible for the AWS Free Tier.
2. Click on Next: Configure Instance Details.

4: Configure Instance

1. Configure the instance details according to your needs. This includes settings like network, subnet, IAM roles, and more.
   • For a basic setup, you can leave the default settings.
2. Proceed to Next: Add Storage.

5: Add Storage

1. Modify the storage settings if necessary. The default allocation is usually sufficient for basic applications.
2. Click on Next: Add Tags.

6: Add Tags

1. Optionally, add tags to your instance. Tags are key-value pairs that help you manage, identify, organize, search for, and filter resources.
2. Proceed to Next: Configure Security Group.

7: Configure Security Group

1. A security group acts as a virtual firewall. You can either select an existing security group or create a new one.
   • For a new security group, ensure you allow SSH access (port 22) at a minimum. For a web server, also allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443).
2. Click on Review and Launch.

8: Review and Launch

1. Review your instance configuration. Make any necessary adjustments by going back to the previous steps.
2. Click Launch.
3. You will be prompted to select a key pair. Use an existing key pair or create a new one. If creating a new one, download and save it securely; you will need it to SSH into your instance.
4. After selecting your key pair, acknowledge that you have access to the selected private key file by checking the box.
5. Click Launch Instances.

Connecting to an EC2 Instance Using VS Code

Step 1: Install the Remote - SSH Extension

1. Open VS Code.
2. Go to the Extensions view by clicking on the square icon on the sidebar or pressing Ctrl+Shift+X.
3. Search for Remote - SSH and click on the install button.

Step 2: Configure SSH

1. Before connecting, ensure your private key file permissions are correctly set. On Linux and Mac, you can set the permissions by running chmod 400 /path/to/your-key.pem in your terminal.

2. Open VS Code Command Palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac.

3. Type Remote-SSH: Open Configuration File and select it.

4. Choose the configuration file to edit. If unsure, select config in your SSH folder.

5. Add a new entry for your EC2 instance in the configuration file. Replace your-instance-user, your-instance-ip, and /path/to/your-key.pem with your instance's SSH username (like ec2-user for Amazon Linux AMI which I used), IP address, and the path to your private key file, respectively.

   Host my-ec2-instance
       HostName your-instance-ip
       User your-instance-user
       IdentityFile /path/to/your-key.pem
   

6. Save and close the configuration file.

Step 3: Connect to Your EC2 Instance

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac to open the Command Palette again.
2. Type Remote-SSH: Connect to Host... and select it.
3. Choose my-ec2-instance from the list (or the host name you configured).
4. A new VS Code window will open, and you'll be connected to your EC2 instance. It might take a moment for the connection to establish and for VS Code to set up the remote environment.

Adding a Random File to Your EC2 Instance via VS Code

Step 1: Creating a Ramdom file

1. Use the command. This will create a randomfile.txt with a size of 1MB.

   dd if=/dev/urandom of=randomfile.txt bs=1M count=1
   

Step 2: Verify the File on the EC2 Instance (Optional)

To ensure that the file has been added to your EC2 instance, you can verify it directly through the terminal in VS Code.

1. Use the ls command to list the files in the current directory.

   ls -l
   

Granting IAM Permissions to Create an AMI

To create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI), your IAM user or role needs specific permissions. Follow these steps to grant the necessary permissions.

Step 1: Navigate to IAM Dashboard

1. Once logged in, find and click on Services at the top of the page.
2. Under the Security, Identity, & Compliance section, click on IAM to open the IAM dashboard.

Step 2: Identify the IAM User or Role

1. In the IAM dashboard, click on Users if you're assigning permissions to a user. If you're assigning permissions to a role (for instance, for an EC2 instance or a Lambda function), click on Roles instead.
2. Find and click on the user or role you want to grant permissions to.

Step 3: Attach the Policy for AMI Creation

1. On the user or role detail page, click on the Permissions tab.
2. Click on Add permissions button.
3. Choose Attach existing policies directly.
4. Search for AmazonEC2FullAccess policy. This policy allows for full access to EC2 resources, including the ability to create AMIs.

Step 4: Verify the Permissions

1. Ensure the policy is attached by reviewing the Permissions tab for the user or role.
2. The user or role should now have the necessary permissions to create an AMI.

Creating an AMI

Step 1: Configure AWS CLI

• If not already configured, set up the AWS CLI with your credentials:

  aws configure
  

• Enter your AWS Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, region, and output format as prompted.

Step 2: Create the AMI

• Run the following command to create an AMI from your instance. Replace 'instance-id' with your actual instance ID and 'MyAMIName' with your desired AMI name.

  aws ec2 create-image --instance-id instance-id --name "MyAMIName" --description "An AMI of my instance" --no-reboot
  

• '--no-reboot' is optional and ensures the instance isn't rebooted during the AMI creation process. Omit this if you prefer the instance to reboot for a clean state.

Automating AMI Creation Every 7 Days

Automating the AMI creation process requires using AWS Lambda and Amazon EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events).

Create an IAM Role for AWS Lambda

1. Create IAM Role

• Navigate to the IAM Dashboard, select Roles, and click Create role.
• Choose AWS service as the trusted entity and select Lambda as the use case.
• Attach the AmazonEC2FullAccess policy and any other necessary permissions, then proceed to create the role.

Create a Lambda Function

1. Navigate to AWS Lambda

• Go to the AWS Lambda console and click Create function.

2. Configure the Function

• Choose Author from scratch.
• Name your function and select the IAM role you created earlier.
• Choose Python or another preferred runtime.

3. Function Code

• Use the code in Lambda.py
• Replace 'your-instance-id' with your actual instance ID.

4. Save the Lambda Function

• After entering your code in the AWS Lambda console, click Save to preserve your function.

Schedule the Lambda Function with Amazon EventBridge

Create a Rule:

1. Navigate to the Amazon EventBridge console and click Create rule.
2. Provide a meaningful rule name and description.

Schedule:

1. For the rule type, select Schedule.
2. Enter a cron expression to specify the trigger schedule. To run the function at midnight UTC every 7 days, use: cron(0 0 */7 * ? *).

Select Target:

1. Under Select target, choose Lambda function.
2. Select the Lambda function you wish to trigger.

Configure Input:

1. Choose Constant (JSON text) if you need to pass specific data to your Lambda function upon execution.
2. Provide the necessary JSON text that your Lambda function expects.

Create the Rule:

1. Review your rule settings to ensure everything is configured as desired.
2. Click Create rule to finalize and activate the scheduled execution of your Lambda function.

Restoring an AMI to a New EC2 Instance and Verifying File Presence

Step 1: Launch a New Instance from the AMI

1. Access the EC2 Dashboard:

   • Find and select EC2 from the Services menu to open the EC2 Dashboard.

2. Launch a New Instance:

   • Click on the Launch Instances button.
   • In the Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) section, select My AMIs on the left side. This will display the AMIs you have created.
   • Find the AMI you want to use for restoration and click on the Select button next to it.

3. Choose an Instance Type:

   • Select the instance type you wish to use. You can choose the same type as the original instance or a different one depending on your requirements.
   • Click Next: Configure Instance Details.

4. Configure Instance and Add Storage (optional):

   • Configure the instance details as needed. The default options are typically sufficient.
   • Click Next until you reach the Configure Security Group section.

5. Configure Security Group:

   • You can select an existing security group or create a new one. Ensure that the security group allows you access to connect to the instance, typically through SSH (port 22).
   • Click Review and Launch.

6. Review and Launch:

   • Review your instance settings. If everything is correct, click Launch.
   • You will be prompted to select a key pair. Use an existing key pair or create a new one, then click Launch Instances.

Step 2: Connect to the New EC2 Instance

1. Wait for the Instance to Initialize:

   • It may take a few minutes for your instance to launch and pass status checks.

2. Connect to Your Instance:

   • Once the instance is running, select it in the EC2 Dashboard and click on the Connect button.
   • Follow the provided instructions to connect to your instance using your chosen method (SSH for Linux/macOS, RDP for Windows instances).

Step 3: Verify the File Exists

Once connected to your instance:

1. Check for the File:

   • Use the ls command to list the contents of the directory where randomfile.txt should exist. For example:

   ls /path/to/directory