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Previously, we deployed our application build environment on EC2 using the AWS Console. In this tutorial, we’ll automate that process with AWS CloudFormation. The template (FISAdminSetup.yaml) is in the GitHub repo (see README).

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CloudFormation Template Overview

This template:
  • Defines two parameters:
    • DefaultVPCId: Your default VPC ID
    • LatestAl2023AmiId: Latest Amazon Linux 2023 AMI ID (kernel 6.1)
  • Creates an IAM role (fisworkshop-admin) for EC2 & Systems Manager
  • Provisions an EC2 instance with security group, instance profile, and user data
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: "2010-09-09"
Parameters:
  DefaultVPCId:
    Type: AWS::EC2::VPC::Id
    Description: Default VPC ID for the region
  LatestAl2023AmiId:
    Type: AWS::SSM::Parameter::Value<AWS::EC2::Image::Id>
    Description: Latest Amazon Linux 2023 AMI ID (kernel 6.1)
    Default: "/aws/service/ami-amazon-linux-latest/al2023-amazon-linux-latest-6-x86_64"

Resources:
  FISWorkshopAdminRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      RoleName: fisworkshop-admin
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service:
                - ec2.amazonaws.com
                - ssm.amazonaws.com

  FISAdminEC2Instance:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Instance
    DependsOn: FISWorkshopAdminInstanceProfile
    Properties:
      InstanceType: m5.xlarge
      ImageId: !Ref LatestAl2023AmiId
      KeyName: !Ref FISWorkshopKeyPair
      SecurityGroupIds:
        - !Ref FISWorkshopSecurityGroup
      IamInstanceProfile: !Ref FISWorkshopAdminInstanceProfile
      UserData:
        Fn::Base64: !Sub |
          #!/bin/bash
          yum update -y
          curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_current.x | bash -
          yum install -y nodejs git docker
          systemctl start docker && systemctl enable docker
          npm install -g aws-cdk --force
          # Install kubectl
          curl -o kubectl https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/amazon-eks/1.29.0/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl
          chmod +x kubectl && mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
          # Install Helm
          curl --location "https://get.helm.sh/helm-v3.1.3-linux-amd64.tar.gz" | tar xz -C /tmp
          mv /tmp/linux-amd64/helm /usr/local/bin/helm
          # Install eksctl
          curl --location "https://github.com/weaveworks/eksctl/releases/latest/download/eksctl_$(uname -s)_amd64.tar.gz" | tar xz -C /tmp
          mv /tmp/eksctl /usr/local/bin/eksctl
All dependencies (Node.js, Docker, AWS CDK, kubectl, Helm, eksctl) are installed automatically via EC2 user data.

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Deploying the CloudFormation Stack

  1. Open the CloudFormation console.
  2. Click Create stack > With new resources (standard).
  3. Upload the FISAdminSetup.yaml template.
  4. Click Next.
The image shows an AWS CloudFormation interface where a user is preparing a template for creating a stack, with options to choose an existing template, use a sample, or build from an application composer. The user has uploaded a template file named "FISAdminSetup.yaml".
  1. Configure stack details:
    • Stack name: FIS-Admin-Setup
    • DefaultVPCId: Select your default VPC
    • LatestAl2023AmiId: Confirm or override the AMI
  2. Click Create stack and wait until the status is CREATE_COMPLETE.

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Provisioned Resources

ResourceDescription
EC2 Key PairSSH key for instance access
IAM Role & InstanceProfileEC2 & Systems Manager permissions
Security GroupNetwork rules for the EC2 instance
EC2 Instancem5.xlarge instance with all tools installed
Verify the EC2 instance in the console:
The image shows an AWS EC2 instance summary page, displaying details such as instance ID, public and private IP addresses, instance state, and type.

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Connect & Verify Installed Tools

SSH into the instance and run: 
git version         # e.g., git version 2.40.1
node --version      # Node.js
docker --version    # Docker
cdk --version       # AWS CDK
kubectl version --client
helm version
eksctl version

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Prepare the FIS Workshop Environment

Clone the AWS Fault Injection Simulator workshop: 
mkdir -p ~/environment/workshopfiles
git clone https://github.com/aws-samples/aws-fault-injection-simulator-workshop-v2.git \
  ~/environment/workshopfiles/fis-workshop

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Verify AWS Region & IAM Role

export AWS_REGION=$(curl -s 169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/placement/region)
echo "AWS_REGION is $AWS_REGION"

aws sts get-caller-identity --query Arn \
  | grep fisworkshop-admin -q \
  && echo "IAM role is valid." \
  || echo "IAM role NOT valid. Terminate and retry."
If the IAM role validation fails, stop here. Ensure fisworkshop-admin is correctly attached before proceeding.

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Install Dependencies & Bootstrap CDK

cd ~/environment/workshopfiles/fis-workshop/PetAdoptions/cdk/pet_stack
npm install
npm audit fix
cdk bootstrap

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Deploy the FIS Workshop Stacks

  1. Build your service Docker image: 
    docker build --platform=linux/amd64 -t my-image:latest .
  2. Deploy the main FIS CDK stack (replace with your ARNs): 
    cdk deploy FisStackAsg \
  --context admin_role=$EKS_ADMIN_ARN \
  --context dashboard_role_arn=$CONSOLE_ROLE_ARN \
  --require-approval never
  3. Retrieve the Petstore site URL: 
    export MYSITE=$(aws ssm get-parameter --name '/petstore/petsiteurl' \
  | jq -r .Parameter.Value \
  | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' \
  | cut -f 3 -d '/')
echo "Petstore URL: $MYSITE"
  4. Deploy FIS serverless & observability components (may take up to 30 minutes).
Your CloudFormation-based environment is now ready for the AWS Fault Injection Simulator workshop!

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References

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