Mastering AWS CloudFormation Helper Scripts
Mastering AWS CloudFormation Helper Scripts

CLOUD LABS

Mastering AWS CloudFormation Helper Scripts

In this Cloud Lab, you’ll learn to deploy a sample to-do list application on EC2 instances using AWS CloudFormation while leveraging all the CloudFormation helper scripts. This sample to-do list is built as a React application with a Node.js server as the backend.

15 Tasks

intermediate

3hr

Certificate of Completion

Desktop OnlyDevice is not compatible.
No Setup Required
Amazon Web Services

Learning Objectives

Thorough understanding of the AWS CloudFormation helper scripts
Hands-on experience installing and configuring EC2 instance with the cfn-init helper script
Ability to send resource completion signals to CloudFormation using the cfn-signal helper script
Hands-on experience leveraging the cfn-hup helper script as a daemon

Technologies
AWS logoAWS
CloudFormation
Cloud Lab Overview

AWS CloudFormation allows users to create and manage a collection of related AWS resources called a stack. It obeys the laws of dealing with infrastructure as code and helps maintain a highly secure, manageable, and scalable infrastructure. CloudFormation helper scripts are a set of tools AWS provides to facilitate the deployment and configuration of resources provisioned using AWS CloudFormation templates. These helper scripts enable users to automate the initialization and setup of Amazon EC2 instances within a CloudFormation stack.

You’ll start this Cloud Lab by first exploring the use case for a to-do list React application and its Node.js backend server and how you can execute the AWS::CloudFormation::Init metadata with the cfn-init helper script. You’ll learn to signal CloudFormation that the cfn-init helper script has been executed using the cfn-signal helper script. You’ll also learn to use the cfn-hup helper script as a daemon to re-execute the cfn-init helper script if a CloudFormation resource’s metadata is changed. Finally, you’ll learn to fetch a CloudFormation resource’s metadata using the cfn-get-metadata helper script.

Learning the skill set associated with AWS CloudFormation helper scripts will equip you with the ability to efficiently manage and automate infrastructure on AWS. With this skill set, you’ll be able to design, deploy, and update AWS resources in a scalable and repeatable manner.

Here’s the high-level architecture diagram of the infrastructure that you’ll create in this Cloud Lab:

Architecture diagram
Architecture diagram
Cloud Lab Tasks
1.Introduction
Getting Started
Test a To-Do List Full Stack Application
2.The cfn-init Helper Script
Introduction to the CloudFormation::Init Metadata Type
Initialize AWS Resources with the cfn-init Helper Script
Create a Stack for the cfn-init Helper Script
Clean Up
3.The cfn-signal Helper Script
Signal When Instances Have Successfully Set Up
Clean Up
4.The cfn-hup Helper Script
Detect Metadata Changes with the cfn-hup Helper Script
Update EC2 Instances on Port Change in the Metadata
5.The cfn-get-metadata Helper Script
Retrieve and Extract Resource Metadata on Instances
Clean Up
6.Conclusion
Wrap Up
7.Appendix
Generate Logs for Troubleshooting
Additional Parameters
Labs Rules Apply
Stay within resource usage requirements.
Do not engage in cryptocurrency mining.
Do not engage in or encourage activity that is illegal.

Before you start...

Try these optional labs before starting this lab.

Trusted by 1.4 million developers working at companies including

Don’t take our word for it. See what our developers have to say.

Your method is simple, straight to the point and I can practice with it everywhere, even from my phone, that's something I have never had in other learning platforms.

Felipe Matheus
TestimonialsImg

I highly recommend Educative. The courses are well organized and easy to understand.

Adina Ong
TestimonialsImg

I prefer Educative courses because they have a nice mix of text & images. I find that with full video courses, it can often be too easy to go into passive learning mode.

Clifford Fajardo
TestimonialsImg

I prefer Educative courses because they have a nice mix of text & images. I find that with full video courses, it can often be too easy to go into passive learning mode.

Clifford Fajardo
TestimonialsImg
Don’t take our word for it. See what our developers have to say.

Your method is simple, straight to the point and I can practice with it everywhere, even from my phone, that's something I have never had in other learning platforms.

Felipe Matheus
TestimonialsImg

I highly recommend Educative. The courses are well organized and easy to understand.

Adina Ong
TestimonialsImg

I prefer Educative courses because they have a nice mix of text & images. I find that with full video courses, it can often be too easy to go into passive learning mode.

Clifford Fajardo
TestimonialsImg

Get access to Educative Cloud Labs

Course Footer Image
Course Footer Image