Deploying a Custom Environment and Application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Overview

AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a fully managed service that enables developers to deploy, manage, and scale applications with minimal configuration. It abstracts the complexity of managing infrastructure, providing a platform that automatically handles the scaling, monitoring, and application updates.

However, while Elastic Beanstalk is typically used to deploy standard environments (such as Node.js, Python, or Ruby applications), there may be times when you need to deploy a custom environment or application. This blog will guide you through deploying a custom environment and application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• An AWS account.
• AWS CLI installed and configured.
• Code for your application.
• Basic knowledge of Docker (if deploying a containerized custom environment).

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Preparing the Application for Deployment

You can deploy applications packaged in various formats, such as ZIP files, WAR files, or Docker containers. The first step is ensuring your application is packaged in a format that Elastic Beanstalk supports.

Using Docker for Custom Environment

If your custom environment isn’t supported natively by AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Docker is a flexible option to package and run the application. Create a Dockerfile in your project root that defines how the environment and application should be set up.

For example, if you want to deploy an application using a custom runtime like OpenJDK, your Dockerfile might look something like this:

This Dockerfile defines a Java 11 environment and tells Docker to copy your application code, build it using Gradle, and then run the application.

Step 2: Configuring AWS Elastic Beanstalk for Custom Environment

Create an Application

1. Go to the AWS Elastic Beanstalk Console and click “Create Application.”
2. Give your application a name and choose a platform. If you’re using Docker, select “Docker” from the platform options.
3. Click “Create,” and Elastic Beanstalk will create the necessary resources, such as an S3 bucket for your application code.

Configure the Environment

Once your application is created, you’ll need to configure the environment for your custom application:

1. Go to the environment dashboard of your newly created AWS Elastic Beanstalk application.
2. Click on “Configuration” and configure the necessary resources:
   • Instances: Choose your Amazon EC2 instance type.
   • Load Balancer: If necessary, configure a load balancer.
   • Scaling: Set up auto-scaling policies to handle traffic variations.
   • Database: If your application requires a database, configure an Amazon RDS instance.

Step 3: Deploying the Application

Using ZIP or WAR Files

If you’re deploying a traditional application (e.g., Java, Python), package your application into a ZIP or WAR file.

1. Select your environment in the AWS Elastic Beanstalk Console and click Upload and Deploy.
2. Choose your packaged application file (ZIP or WAR).
3. Click Deploy.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk will upload your file, deploy the application, and manage the environment.

Deploying a Docker Application

For a Docker-based application:

1. Ensure your Dockerfile is in the root directory of your application.
2. If your Docker application uses a multi-container environment, create a Dockerrun.aws.json file that defines how your containers are configured.
3. Use the following command to create a ZIP file containing your Docker configuration and application code:

1. Go to the AWS Elastic Beanstalk Console and upload the app.zip file via Upload and Deploy.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk will then launch a container using your custom Docker image.

Step 4: Environment Variables and Secrets

If your application requires environment variables (e.g., database credentials, API keys), configure them in the AWS Elastic Beanstalk environment settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Software.
2. Under Environment Properties, add key-value pairs for your environment variables.
3. Click Apply to save the changes.

For sensitive information, using AWS Secrets Manager to store secrets and refer to them within your environment variables is recommended.

Step 5: Monitoring and Scaling

Once your application is deployed, AWS Elastic Beanstalk automatically sets up CloudWatch metrics to monitor your environment. You can view metrics such as CPU utilization, network traffic, and instance health in the AWS Elastic Beanstalk console.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk also provides auto-scaling capabilities, allowing you to scale up or down automatically based on traffic. You can configure auto-scaling by adjusting the Scaling settings under Configuration.

Step 6: Managing Application Updates

Updating your application is straightforward:

1. Package your updated application (ZIP, WAR, or Docker image).
2. Go to the Elastic Beanstalk environment dashboard and upload the new version.
3. Elastic Beanstalk will manage the update process, ensuring minimal downtime during the deployment.

For zero-downtime deployments, consider using Rolling Updates or Blue-Green Deployments. You can configure deployment strategies under Configuration > Rolling updates and deployments.

Best Practices

• Use AWS Elastic Beanstalk Extensions (.ebextensions): For additional customizations, you can create an .ebextensions directory in your project and include configuration files (YAML or JSON) that define environment settings, packages to install and commands to run.
• Log Management: Enable enhanced logging and monitoring through Amazon CloudWatch to gain insights into application performance and troubleshoot issues efficiently.
• Use Elastic Beanstalk CLI: AWS Elastic Beanstalk CLI (EB CLI) simplifies deploying and managing applications. You can use the eb init command to set up your application locally, and eb deploy to deploy new versions.

Conclusion

AWS Elastic Beanstalk provides an easy way to deploy and manage custom environments and applications.

Drop a query if you have any questions regarding AWS Elastic Beanstalk and we will get back to you quickly.

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