bransfieldjack / ec2-with-terraform

Using Terraform to create a basic EC2 instance on AWS.

Technology Used:

• Terraform v0.11.11 + provider.aws v1.58.0
• Putty 0.70

System Requirements:

I am working from a windows machine with 10.0.17763 N/A Build 17763. I also have the linux subsystem installed and running with terraform added to the path for use with both bash and powershell.

For the purposes of this demo, I will use SSH (putty) to administer an EC2 instance where terraform will be installed - no need to rely on local hardware.

Terraform download:

• https://www.terraform.io/downloads.html

Putty download:

• https://www.putty.org/

EC2 Creation and setup:

Login to the AWS console with the appropriate user account (not the root account):

Select EC2 from the management console:

Launch a new instance:

Select an appropriate AMI:

Choose an instance type:

Review setup and launch the instance:

Create, or re-use an already created key pair (do not store in a public visible repo or location!):

Select acknowledge, and launch the instance:

Review launch status until the instance is ready:

Select and connect to the instance:

Select the option to connect using a standalone SSH client (putty):

Download Putty:

Enter the host name of the instance (this will be the instance username already provided when selecting the AMI, and the public DNS of your EC2 instance)

Select connection, SSH, Auth and Browse and find the private key already created. (notes on how to create a private key for putty:https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/putty.html):

Open the session to the instance:

Once logged in, run the "sudo yum update" command:

Run the following commands to setup terraform on the instance:

cd ~

mkdir terraform

cd terraform

wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/0.11.11/terraform_0.11.11_linux_amd64.zip

unzip terraform_0.11.11_linux_amd64.zip

Adding terraform to the path in linux:

echo @"export PATH=\$PATH:$(pwd)" >> ~/.bash_profile

To get it working:

source ~/.bash_profile

Next, we need to create a .tf configuration file:

Open VIM or NANO text editor inside your instance, whichever you prefer. Add the followng basic configuration to create your instance on AWS according to your timezone/preferences/etc. :

Command:

nano ec2.tf

Input:

provider "aws" {
	access_key = "ACCESS_KEY_HERE"
	secret_key = "SECRET_KEY_HERE"
	region = "us-east-1"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
	ami = "ami-2757f631"
	instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

When finished, save the file and exit:

Navigate back to your directory and run the "terraform init" command:

terraform init

This will initialise plugin requirements, you cannot proceed without doing this.

Next, we will want to compile the plan, then create the instance using the newly added ec2.tf configuration file:

terraform plan

terraform apply

yes

You should see your instance being created:

aws_instance.example: Still creating... (10s elapsed)
aws_instance.example: Still creating... (20s elapsed)

You should see that the setup has completed with success: