Skip to main content

🚀 05. Elastic Beanstalk

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to create a simple Elastic Beanstalk application (Node.js web server) using the AWS Management Console.

🪜 Step-by-Step Setup​

Step 1: Open Elastic Beanstalk​

  • Go to AWS Console → Services → Elastic Beanstalk.

Step 2: Create a New Application​

  • Click Create application.

    • Enter an application name (e.g., MyApplication).

Step 3: Choose Environment Type​

  • Select Web server environment (for web apps).
  • Click Create environment.

Step 4: Configure Environment Information​

  • Enter an Environment name (e.g., MyApplication-dev).
  • A domain name is auto-generated for access.

Step 5: Choose Platform​

  • Select Node.js as the platform.
  • Leave defaults unchanged unless specific requirements exist.

Step 6: Upload Application Code​

  • Under Application code, select Sample application.
  • This deploys a sample Node.js app automatically.

Step 7: Select Environment Configuration​

  • Choose Single instance (Free Tier eligible).
  • Optionally choose:
    • High availability → Load Balanced setup.
    • Custom configuration → Advanced options.
IAM Roles Example

Step 8: Configure Service Access (IAM Roles)​

Elastic Beanstalk needs:

  • Service Role: elasticbeanstalk-service-role (To create Resources)
  • EC2 Instance Profile: aws-elasticbeanstalk-ec2-role (EC2 to AWS communication)

If missing:

  1. Go to IAM Console → Roles → Create role.
  2. Choose AWS service → EC2.
  3. Attach policies:
    • AWSElasticBeanstalkWebTier
    • AWSElasticBeanstalkWorkerTier
    • AWSElasticBeanstalkMulticontainerDocker
  4. Name the role: aws-elasticbeanstalk-ec2-role.
  5. Return to Beanstalk and refresh to select the new role.
IAM Roles Example

Step 9: Review and Create​

  • Click Next through optional screens (Networking, Database, etc.).
  • Click Skip to review → verify all configurations.
  • Ensure both roles (service + instance) are correctly assigned.
  • Click Create environment.
IAM Roles Example

Step 10: Monitor Environment Creation​

  • Beanstalk triggers a CloudFormation stack.
  • In Elastic Beanstalk → Events, watch for:
    • CREATING_IN_PROGRESS → CREATE_COMPLETE
  • CloudFormation provisions:
    • EC2 instance(s), Security Groups, Auto Scaling Group, Elastic IP, etc.
IAM Roles Example

Step 11: Verify Underlying AWS Resources (Optional)​

  • EC2 Console: Check running instance (t2/t3.micro).
  • Elastic IPs: Confirm if one is assigned.
  • Auto Scaling: Single-instance group should appear.
IAM Roles Example

Step 12: Test the Application​

  • On the Beanstalk environment page, click the environment URL/domain.
  • The sample app should load (“Congratulations, you are now running Elastic Beanstalk…”).
IAM Roles Example

Step 13: Common Post-Setup Actions​

ActionHow to Access
Upload & Deploy New VersionActions → Upload and Deploy
View LogsLogs tab
Monitor PerformanceMonitoring tab
Configure Updates/SettingsConfiguration tab

Step 14: Create Multiple Environments (Optional)​

  • You can create environments like:
    • MyApplication-dev
    • MyApplication-prod
  • Useful for separate staging/production setups.

Step 15: Cleanup Resources​

To avoid charges:

  1. From the Application page, choose Actions → Delete application.
  2. Verify deletion of related:
    • EC2 instances
    • EIPs
    • Load Balancers
    • CloudFormation stacks

💡 Notes & Tips​

  • If IAM roles don’t autofill, create EC2 role manually first.
  • Single instance setups are ideal for labs/free-tier.
  • For production, prefer Multi-AZ / Load Balanced environments.
  • Elastic Beanstalk uses CloudFormation under the hood.
  • If creation fails, check Events tab for detailed error logs.

✅ You now have a Node.js web app running on AWS Elastic Beanstalk!
Use the Configuration, Monitoring, and Logs sections to manage your environment as you iterate.