cloudific Secure Cloud Monitor Project

Overview

The cloudific Secure Cloud Monitor Monitor project is designed to enhance the security and monitoring capabilities of cloud infrastructure on AWS. It aims to provide a robust, scalable, and cost-effective observability framework, incorporating AWS-native services and Aviatrix for advanced network security. This initiative addresses the need for improved resilience and threat management following a DDoS attack that highlighted vulnerabilities in the existing setup.

Components

• Amazon ECS: Container management service that supports Docker containers.
• Amazon CloudWatch: Monitoring service for AWS cloud resources and applications.
• AWS WAF and Shield: Services providing protection against DDoS attacks and other web exploits.
• AWS IAM: Manages access to AWS services and resources securely.
• AWS VPC: Isolates cloud resources with virtual networking environment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• An AWS account with appropriate permissions to create the necessary resources.
• Terraform installed on your machine. Visit Terraform's website for download instructions.
• Configure your AWS CLI with credentials that have necessary permissions.

Repository Structure

• /modules: Contains all Terraform configuration files.
• /.github/workflows: Contains scripts for CI/CD integration and other automation tasks.
• /SAD.md: Documentation files and additional resources.
• main.tf: main file for infrastructure provisioning.
• provisioners.tf: provisioning.

Setup Instructions

1. Steps to configure GitHub Secrets:

• Go to your GitHub repository: Navigate to the GitHub repository where your project is hosted.
• Settings: Click on the Settings tab at the top of the repository.
• Secrets: From the sidebar, select Secrets & variables > Actions.
• New repository secret: Click on New repository secret to add each of the following:
  • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: Your AWS access key ID.
    • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: Your AWS secret access key.
    • DOCKER_PASSWORD: Your docker password.
    • DOCKER_USERNAME: Your docker username.
    • Enter the Name and Value for each secret and click Add secret.
    • These secrets can then be used in your GitHub Actions workflows without exposing them in your logs or repository files.

2.Clone the Repository:

`git clone https://github.com/alvo254/cloudific.git cd securecloud-monitor`

3.Initialize Terraform: Navigate to the Terraform directory and run the initialization command. This will download all necessary Terraform providers

`cd terraform terraform init`

4.Configure AWS Credentials: Make sure your AWS credentials are configured by setting up the AWS CLI or by setting environment variables:

`export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="your-access-key-id" export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="your-secret-access-key" export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION="us-east-1"`

5.Plan the Deployment: Check the execution plan to see the resources Terraform plans to create:

`terraform plan`

6.Apply the Configuration: Deploy your infrastructure:

`terraform apply` or `terraform apply -auto-approve` to skip the prompt

When prompted, type `yes` to proceed with the creation of resources.

7.Verify Deployment: After Terraform successfully applies the configuration, verify that all resources are created and functioning as expected in the AWS Management Console.

CI/CD Integration

This project uses GitHub Actions for CI/CD. The workflows located in the .github/workflows directory facilitate the automation of build, test, and deployment processes.

• Review and adapt the pipeline scripts as necessary.
• Ensure all environment variables and secrets are configured in your GitHub repository settings.

Maintenance and Monitoring

• Regularly update and review AWS CloudWatch for insights.
• Set CloudWatch alarms to notify on critical issues.
• Use AWS Config for continuous compliance monitoring.

Documentation and Training

• Keep all project documentation updated within the /docs solutions architect document.