AWS AMI Linux x86_64 with Node.js by anevis

Create and publish an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) based on Amazon Linux 2023 x86_64 with the latest Node.js LTS for running Node.js web applications.

🚀 Features

• Amazon Linux 2023 x86_64 - Latest stable Linux distribution from AWS
• Node.js LTS - Latest Long Term Support version of Node.js
• AWS CLI v2 - Latest AWS Command Line Interface for cloud operations
• Production Ready - Pre-configured with PM2, Forever, and Nodemon
• Web Server Ready - Nginx configured as reverse proxy
• Firewall Configured - Ports 80, 443, 3000, and 8080 open
• Sample Application - Includes a sample Node.js app for testing
• Systemd Integration - Service templates for easy app deployment

📋 Prerequisites

• Packer installed
• AWS CLI configured with appropriate credentials
• AWS account with EC2 permissions

🛠️ Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/anevis/aws-ami-linux-x86_64-nodejs.git
cd aws-ami-linux-x86_64-nodejs

2. Configure AWS credentials

aws configure

3. Build the AMI

./build.sh

⚙️ Customization

Using Variables

Copy the example variables file and customize:

cp variables.pkrvars.hcl.example variables.pkrvars.hcl

Edit variables.pkrvars.hcl:

region = "us-west-2"
instance_type = "t3.small"
ami_name = "my-custom-nodejs-ami-{{timestamp}}"
ami_description = "My custom Node.js AMI"

Manual Build

# Initialize Packer
packer init aws-ami-nodejs.pkr.hcl

# Validate configuration
packer validate aws-ami-nodejs.pkr.hcl

# Build AMI
packer build aws-ami-nodejs.pkr.hcl

🎯 What's Included

Software Components

• Node.js LTS - Latest Long Term Support version
• npm - Node Package Manager
• AWS CLI v2 - Latest AWS Command Line Interface
• PM2 - Production process manager
• Forever - Simple CLI tool for continuous running
• Nodemon - Development tool for auto-restarting
• Nginx - Web server and reverse proxy
• Firewalld - Firewall management

Directory Structure

/opt/nodejs/              # Node.js applications directory  
/opt/nodejs/sample-app/   # Sample application
/etc/nginx/conf.d/        # Nginx configuration
/etc/systemd/system/      # Systemd service templates

Helper Scripts

• /usr/local/bin/nodejs-app-deploy - Deploy Node.js applications

🚀 Using the AMI

Launch Instance

aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id ami-xxxxxxxxx \
  --instance-type t3.micro \
  --key-name your-key-name \
  --security-group-ids sg-xxxxxxxxx

Deploy Your Application

1. Upload your Node.js application to /opt/nodejs/your-app/
2. Use the helper script:

nodejs-app-deploy your-app /opt/nodejs/your-app

3. Your app will be available at http://your-instance-ip/

Manual Service Management

# Start your application
sudo systemctl start nodejs-app@your-app

# Enable auto-start on boot
sudo systemctl enable nodejs-app@your-app

# Check status
sudo systemctl status nodejs-app@your-app

🏗️ Architecture

Internet → EC2 Security Group → Nginx (Port 80) → Node.js App (Port 3000)

• Nginx handles incoming HTTP requests on port 80
• Reverse proxy forwards requests to Node.js app on port 3000
• Firewall allows HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), and development ports (3000, 8080)
• Systemd manages Node.js application lifecycle

📁 File Structure

├── aws-ami-nodejs.pkr.hcl          # Main Packer configuration
├── build.sh                        # Build script
├── variables.pkrvars.hcl.example   # Variables template
├── scripts/
│   ├── install-nodejs.sh          # Node.js installation script
│   └── configure-system.sh        # System configuration script
└── README.md                       # This file

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Packer not found: Install Packer from packer.io
2. AWS credentials: Run aws configure or set environment variables
3. Permissions: Ensure your AWS user has EC2 and IAM permissions
4. Region: Make sure your AWS CLI region matches the Packer configuration

Logs

• Build logs: Check Packer output during build
• Instance logs: /var/log/cloud-init-output.log
• Application logs: journalctl -u nodejs-app@your-app

📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test the build
5. Submit a pull request

📞 Support

For questions and support, please open an issue in the GitHub repository.