Overview

Configuring AWS EC2 auto scaling group for PostgreSQL

This section reviews how to configure an AWS EC2 instance for a PostgreSQL server. We will

1. Create a security group that allows SSH and PostgreSQL server connections

2. Create a launch template

3. Create server using auto scaling group (recommended) OR single instance

4. Attach an elastic IP address to our instance

Each of these subsections contains a video that walks through the instructions.

Why use AWS EC2 Auto Scaling over a single instance?

Auto-scaling adds or removes EC2 instances depending on changes in demand on the server. By using an auto scaling group, we can keep costs down by utilizing a smaller-sized instance (i.e 2 vCPUs) and adding instances when CPU usage increases.

AWS EC2 auto scaling allows you to

• Assign a launch template to your auto scale group

  • A launch template is a saved pre-configuration of an instance that you can use to launch instances that have the same parameters

  • AWS uses your launch template to add instances you've previously configured when scaling out your application

    • Note: scaling out is when AWS adds instances when demand increases

• Configure the minimum, maximum, and desired number of instances for your application

• Prevent certain instances from being automatically terminated when scaling in

  • Note: scaling in is when AWS removes instances when demand decreases

• Set a scaling policy that defines when instances should be added or removed from the group

References

Guides

(1) Research Documentation for Creating Jupyter Hub Server Using AWS, https://docs-jupyter.davidjachochavez.org/

(2) Better Programming (Medium), How to Provision a Cheap PostgreSQL Database in AWS EC2, https://medium.com/better-programming/how-to-provision-a-cheap-postgresql-database-in-aws-ec2-9984ff3ddaea

Documentations

(3) Amazon EC2 Instance Types, https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/

(4) Amazon EC2 On-Demand Instance Pricing, https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/on-demand/

(5) Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Amazon EBS-optimized instances, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ebs-optimized.html

(6) AWS EC2 Auto Scaling User Guide, What is Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling?, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/what-is-amazon-ec2-auto-scaling.html

(7) Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, Creating a launch template for an Auto Scaling Group, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/create-launch-template.html

(8) Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, Health checks for Auto Scaling, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/healthcheck.html

(9) Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Status checks for your instance, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/monitoring-system-instance-status-check.html

(10) Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, Controlling which Auto Scaling instances terminate during scale in, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/as-instance-termination.html

(11) Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, Target tracking scaling policies, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/as-scaling-target-tracking.html

Forums

(12) StackOverflow, What is the smallest AWS EC2 Instance I can run Postgres DB on?, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/61718959/what-is-the-smallest-aws-ec2-instance-i-can-run-a-postgres-db-on

(13) StackOverflow, How does the ARM architecture differ from x86?, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14794460/how-does-the-arm-architecture-differ-from-x86