Application Load Balancer & IAM role, AWS CLI

Application Load Balancer & IAM role, AWS CLI

Hetvi Shah Hetvi Shah

Hetvi Shah

MS in Computer Science @ UAB || Teaching assistant of CS 685 foundation of Data science || SWE UAB member

Published Dec 8, 2023
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Load balancing is a crucial strategy in the world of computing, especially for large-scale and scalable applications. It involves the efficient distribution of workloads across multiple servers to ensure optimal utilization of resources, enhance reliability, and improve overall performance. This article explores the concept of load balancing and delves into a specific service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) known as Elastic Load Balancing (ELB).

Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) Overview:

Elastic Load Balancing, or ELB, is a service offered by AWS to automatically distribute incoming traffic across multiple EC2 instances. This dynamic allocation of workloads helps prevent any single server from becoming a bottleneck, thereby improving the responsiveness and availability of applications. ELB offers three distinct types of load balancers to cater to different application needs:

  1. Application Load Balancer (ALB):ALB operates at layer 7 of the OSI model, making it well-suited for applications that require advanced routing and microservices.This type of load balancer is capable of intelligently distributing traffic based on content, enabling efficient management of diverse application architectures.
  2. Network Load Balancer (NLB):NLB operates at layer 4 of the OSI model and is ideal for applications that demand high throughput and low latency.It focuses on distributing traffic based on IP protocol data, making it particularly effective for performance-sensitive applications.
  3. Classic Load Balancer (CLB):CLB operates at layer 4 of the OSI model and is suitable for applications with basic load balancing requirements.While it lacks some of the advanced features of ALB and NLB, CLB provides a straightforward solution for distributing traffic across multiple servers.


Task 1: Launching EC2 Instances with Apache Web Server and Personalized Content

In this task, we'll guide you through launching two EC2 instances using an Ubuntu AMI, installing the Apache Web Server via User Data, and personalizing the content displayed on each instance's webpage.

Step 1: Launching EC2 Instances

  1. Navigate to the AWS Management Console.
  2. Select the EC2 service and click on "Launch Instance."
  3. Choose an Ubuntu AMI for your instances.

Step 2: User Data Script for Apache Installation

In the user data section, input the following script: 

#!/bin/bash
apt-get update -y
apt-get install -y apache2
service apache2 start

This script updates the package list, installs Apache, and starts the Apache service.

Step 3: Modifying index.html

  1. Once the instances are running, connect to each instance using SSH.
  2. Navigate to the default web directory:cd /var/www/html
  3. Modify the index.html file on the first instance to include your name:<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Hetvi Page</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello!</h1> </body> </html>
  4. Modify the index.html file on the second instance to include community appreciation:htmlCopy code<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>TrainWithShubham Community</title> </head> <body> <h1>I am learning devops from trainwithshubham is really Super Awesome :)</h1> </body> </html>


Step 4: Copy Public IP Addresses

  1. In the AWS Management Console, go to the EC2 dashboard.
  2. Note down the public IP addresses of both instances.

Step 5: Testing Webpage Display

  1. Open a web browser.
  2. Paste the public IP address of the first instance into the address bar.
  3. You should see a webpage displaying "Hello from Your Name!"
  4. Repeat the process for the second instance, verifying the display of the community appreciation message.

Task 2: Creating an Application Load Balancer (ALB) and Testing Load Balancing

In this task, we'll create an Application Load Balancer in EC2 using the AWS Management Console, add EC2 instances to it as target groups, and verify the load balancing capabilities.

Step 1: Create an Application Load Balancer

  1. In the AWS Management Console, navigate to the EC2 service.
  2. Under "Load Balancing," choose "Load Balancers" and click on "Create Load Balancer."
  3. Select "Application Load Balancer" and follow the prompts to configure it.

Step 2: Add EC2 Instances as Target Groups

  1. In the ALB configuration, create a new target group.
  2. Specify the instances from Task 1 as targets for the group.

Step 3: Verify ALB Functionality

  1. Check the health status of the target instances in the ALB dashboard.
  2. Open a web browser and access the ALB's DNS name.
  3. Verify that the webpage displays both personalized messages alternatively, indicating successful load balancing.

By completing these tasks, you'll gain hands-on experience with load balancing using AWS tools, ensuring a more robust and scalable infrastructure for your applications.

IAM Role

At the heart of AWS's reliability lies its Identity and Access Management (IAM) service, a pivotal element ensuring secure control over access to diverse AWS resources. IAM provides a powerful framework for handling permissions, allowing administrators to centrally regulate resource access. This pivotal service defines authenticated users (signed in) and their permissions, playing a critical role in maintaining a secure and structured cloud ecosystem. Let's further explore IAM and uncover its extensive capabilities.

AWS IAM encompasses several vital features:

  1. Users and Groups: Generate IAM users for individuals or applications requiring AWS resource access. Grouping users simplifies permission management.
  2. Roles: Delegate permissions to entities external to your AWS account using IAM roles. For instance, an EC2 instance can adopt an IAM role, accessing specific resources without embedding long-term credentials.
  3. Policies: Define permissions through IAM policies, attachable to users, groups, or roles. These policies, structured in JSON format, dictate allowed or denied actions on various AWS resources.
  4. Permission Boundaries: Set limits on the maximum permissions assignable to a user or group through permission boundaries.
  5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Heighten security with MFA support, requiring users to provide a second authentication form—like a temporary code from a mobile app—in addition to their password.
  6. Identity Federation: Enable users to access AWS via credentials from your authentication system (e.g., Microsoft Active Directory) using identity federation.
  7. Access Analyzer: Identify unintended or overly permissive permissions by analyzing resource-based policies, ensuring tighter security.
  8. Audit and Logging: AWS CloudTrail logs IAM actions, creating an audit trail detailing activities within your AWS account.
  9. Service Control Policies (SCPs): Complementing IAM, AWS Organizations offer SCPs to manage permissions across multiple accounts at the organizational level.

To understand IAM will perform the task.

Understanding AWS CLI

The AWS CLI is a versatile and powerful tool that allows users to interact with AWS services directly from the command line. With AWS CLI, you can perform various tasks, automate workflows, and manage your AWS resources efficiently. The latest version, AWS CLI v2, introduces several improvements, making it easier to install, configure, and use.

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AWS CLI v2 Features:


  1. Improved Installers: The installation process is more streamlined, ensuring a faster and smoother setup.
  2. Enhanced Configuration Options: AWS CLI v2 introduces AWS IAM Identity Center, a successor to AWS SSO, providing more flexibility in managing user identities.
  3. Interactive Features: AWS CLI v2 includes interactive features that enhance the user experience, making it even more accessible for both beginners and experienced users.Task-01: Create AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY


Step 1: Log in to AWS Console

Navigate to the AWS Console and sign in to your AWS account.

Step 2: Access IAM (Identity and Access Management)

Once logged in, go to the IAM dashboard. IAM allows you to manage access to AWS services and resources securely.

Step 3: Select Users

In the IAM dashboard, select "Users" from the left-hand menu. This will show a list of existing users.

Step 4: Create a New User

Click on the "Add user" button to create a new user. Provide a meaningful username, select "Programmatic access" under access type, and click "Next: Permissions."

Step 5: Attach Policies

In the permissions step, attach policies based on your requirements. For simplicity, you can attach the "AdministratorAccess" policy, which grants full access to AWS services. Click "Next: Tags" and proceed without adding any tags.

Step 6: Review and Create

Review your choices, and if everything looks good, click "Create user." Note the "Access key ID" and "Secret access key" displayed on the final screen.


Keep this information secure, as it will be needed to configure AWS CLI.

Setup and Install AWS CLI

Step 1: Install AWS CLI

Before proceeding, make sure you have Python installed on your machine. Open a terminal or command prompt and run: 

pip install awscli

Step 2: Configure AWS CLI

Run the following command in the terminal: 

aws configure

Enter the access key, secret key, default region, and output format when prompted.

Note: If you want to make image to tell concept then use draw.io

Sharing the journey of AWS showcases its role in shaping the digital era, inspiring innovation and transformation across industries.

#devops #7daysaws #cloud

Thank you for reading I hope you like it!!

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Thank you for reading! Your support means the world to me. Let’s keep learning, growing, and making a positive impact in the tech world together.

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