A fast take a look at netflix’s asgard – stelligent
Asgard is definitely an free application from Netflix which makes it simpler to utilize Amazon . com Web Services. It provides plenty of functionality that is not accessible via AWS’s normal web interface: for many AWS features, Asgard removes many of the cryptic command line tools needed. It’s provided totally free by Netflix, and also the source can be obtained on GitHub.
Asgard is a superb tool to make use of when you are starting to understand certain concepts in AWS. Many of the more effective features available employed in the cloud are addressed by CLI tools, APIs or CloudFormation. They are great if you are developing applications to benefit from the woking platform, but could make comprehending the concepts difficult when you are exploring them the very first time.
For instance, among the greatest benefits of employed in the cloud is that you could instantly scale your hardware to complement usage. AWS performs this with Launch Configurations and Auto Scaling Groups, a effective feature that's a discomfort to apply: getting auto-scaling groups setup properly involves a variety of CLI tools or calling into APIs. With Asgard (with our tool, Stelligent Havoc), it’s a few clicks along with a couple of fields to complete.
Another painful AWS feature is SimpleDB, which is required to run another Netflix Free Tool, Chaos Monkey (the focus of some other blog entry). Establishing a Simple DB through the AWS CLI tools requires some tricky scripting and a little bit of luck. With Asgard, you just need to punch within the name striking create.
Asgard has other benefits in addition to making complicated AWS functions simpler. For those who have a company where multiple developers need use of operate in your AWS account, but you need to keep the access and keys under wraps, you are able to enter them into Asgard and provide your developers access there, empowering them but mitigating the safety risks.
Asgard may also provides a method to have logs by what changes are now being designed to your AWS atmosphere. While using the CLI tools or API, it’s for you to make certain that activities are now being appropriately documented. With Asgard, you receive everything free of charge.
Also, if you would like to benefit from the hidden access keys or logging without need to operate with the web interface, Asgard also provides an escape API which you can use for doing things programmatically.
Asgard can be obtained like a self-contained war — you are able to download it and also have it running in your machine inside a couple of minutes. Available too is really a war you can put inside your already running servlet container. There are a handful of gotchas you need to look out for, so make certain you browse the troubleshooting page.
Or you would be the instant-gratification type, we’ve created a CloudFormation template you should use that will setup Asgard in AWS for you personally in 10 mins, and all you need to do is enter a couple of simple parameters. Our template uses Chef scripts to put together Tomcat after which install the Asgard web application. The scripts are free and on Stelligent’s github page. All you need to do is enter a password for the Asgard installation, and also the name key pair to setup the EC2 instance. (You simply need the important thing pair name, you are able to omit the .pem.) If you’ve never generate a keypair, take a look at these directions around the AWS Documentation site.
Once you get Asgard running, you will be motivated for the access key and secret key (which you'll find in your AWS Security Credentials page) after which it’ll have a couple of minutes to begin up. Whether it requires a lengthy time, look into the Asgard troubleshooting page.
When the setup is finished, you can start benefiting from the effective AWS features, without all the irritation of coping with the command line.
