Automating Amazon Machine Image (AMI) Creation With EC2 Image Builder Pipelines

Introduction

In this guide, we will automate the creation of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) using EC2 Image Builder pipelines with Pulumi. EC2 Image Builder is a fully managed AWS service that simplifies the creation, management, and deployment of customized, secure, and up-to-date server images. By using Pulumi, we can define our infrastructure as code, making it easier to manage and automate the creation of AMIs.

Step-by-Step Explanation

Step 1: Set Up Pulumi Project

1. Initialize a new Pulumi project:

   pulumi new aws-typescript
   

2. Configure your AWS credentials:

   pulumi config set aws:region <your-region>
   

Step 2: Define EC2 Image Builder Components

1. Create a new component for the EC2 Image Builder pipeline. This component defines the build and test phases of the image creation process.
2. Define the infrastructure for the component, including the build and test instances.

Step 3: Create EC2 Image Builder Recipe

1. Define an image recipe that specifies the base image and the components to be applied to it.
2. Specify the version and the parent image to use.

Step 4: Set Up EC2 Image Builder Pipeline

1. Define the pipeline that orchestrates the image creation process.
2. Specify the infrastructure configuration, including the instance profile, security groups, and subnet.
3. Set up the schedule for the pipeline to run periodically.

Step 5: Deploy the Pulumi Stack

1. Run pulumi up to deploy the stack and create the EC2 Image Builder pipeline.
2. Verify that the pipeline is created successfully in the AWS Management Console.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you have automated the creation of AMIs using EC2 Image Builder pipelines with Pulumi. This approach allows you to manage your infrastructure as code, making it easier to maintain and update your AMI creation process. For more information, refer to the Pulumi AWS documentation and the EC2 Image Builder documentation.

Full Code Example

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as aws from "@pulumi/aws";

// Define EC2 Image Builder Component
const component = new aws.imagebuilder.Component("exampleComponent", {
    name: "example-component",
    version: "1.0.0",
    platform: "Linux",
    data: \`name: Example Component
schemaVersion: 1.0
phases:
  - name: build
    steps:
      - name: ExampleStep
        action: ExecuteBash
        inputs:
          commands:
            - echo "Hello, World!"
\`,
});

// Define EC2 Image Builder Recipe
const imageRecipe = new aws.imagebuilder.ImageRecipe("exampleImageRecipe", {
    name: "example-recipe",
    version: "1.0.0",
    parentImage: "arn:aws:imagebuilder:us-west-2:aws:image/amazon-linux-2-x86_64",
    components: [{
        componentArn: component.arn,
    }],
    blockDeviceMappings: [{
        deviceName: "/dev/xvda",
        ebs: {
            volumeSize: 30,
            volumeType: "gp2",
            deleteOnTermination: "true",
        },
    }],
});

// Define EC2 Image Builder Infrastructure Configuration
const infrastructureConfiguration = new aws.imagebuilder.InfrastructureConfiguration("exampleInfrastructureConfiguration", {
    name: "example-infrastructure-configuration",
    instanceProfileName: "EC2ImageBuilderInstanceProfile",
    securityGroupIds: ["sg-0123456789abcdef0"],
    subnetId: "subnet-0123456789abcdef0",
});

// Define EC2 Image Builder Pipeline
const imagePipeline = new aws.imagebuilder.ImagePipeline("exampleImagePipeline", {
    name: "example-pipeline",
    imageRecipeArn: imageRecipe.arn,
    infrastructureConfigurationArn: infrastructureConfiguration.arn,
    schedule: {
        scheduleExpression: "cron(0 0 * * ? *)",
    },
});

// Export the Image Pipeline ARN
export const imagePipelineArn = imagePipeline.arn;