Architecture (What we will build)
+----------------------+
| S3 Bucket | ← Static files / backups
+----------+-----------+
|
v
+-------------------+ +--------------------+ +-------------------+
| EC2 #1 (Ubuntu) |----| EFS Storage |----| EC2 #2 (Ubuntu) |
| /var/www/html -> | | (Shared directory) | | /var/www/html -> |
| Uses EBS for root | +--------------------+ | Uses EBS for root |
| Nginx website | Nginx website |
+-------------------+
^
|
+------- Backup web content → S3 Bucket
Concept Mapping (Explain like 6 yrs experience)
| AWS Storage | When We Use It | Why |
|---|---|---|
| EBS | Root disk of the server (OS + application installation) | Like a server’s hard drive |
| EFS | When multiple servers need the same data | Shared folder NFS → scalable web farm |
| S3 | Store backups, static files, logs, objects | Cheap, durable, serverless storage |
This project shows each one performing its real role.
STEP 1 — Create 2 EC2 Servers (Web Servers)
- Ubuntu
- t2.micro
Create a Security Group:
- Allow SSH 22
- Allow HTTP 80
- Allow NFS 2049 (later for EFS)
- Allow SSH 22
Confirm each EC2 has its own EBS volume automatically created.
STEP 2 — Install NGINX on Both Servers
SSH into both servers:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y nginx nfs-common
sudo systemctl enable nginx --now
Test in browser:
http://EC2-Public-IP
STEP 3 — Create EFS (Shared Storage)
- Go to EFS
- Create file system → Name:
web-shared-efs
- Select your VPC
- After creation → Go to Network → Security Group → Add rule:
| Type | Port | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NFS | 2049 | SG of the EC2 instances |
STEP 4 — Mount EFS On Both EC2 Servers
On each server:
sudo mkdir -p /shared
sudo mount -t nfs4 -o nfsvers=4.1 fs-XXXX.efs.<region>.amazonaws.com:/ /shared
Verify:
df -h
STEP 5 — Host Website from Shared Storage
sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/*
sudo ln -s /shared /var/www/html
Add shared index:
echo "This is a SHARED website $(hostname)" | sudo tee /shared/index.html
Test in browser with both EC2 public IPs:
EC2 #1 → shows hostname
EC2 #2 → shows same file, different hostname
This proves EFS = shared website content.
STEP 6 — Store Backups in S3
Create an S3 bucket → web-backup-bucket-<yourname>
On one EC2 server, upload backup:
sudo apt install -y awscli
aws configure
aws s3 cp /shared/index.html s3://web-backup-bucket-<yourname>/backup-index.html
Check bucket → file appears.
This demonstrates S3 as backup storage.
STEP 7 — Create a Cron Job to Backup Automatically
crontab -e
Add:
0 * * * * aws s3 cp /shared/index.html s3://web-backup-bucket-<yourname>/backup-$(date +\%F-\%H).html
Now you taught:
✔ Scheduling
✔ Automation
✔ DevOps daily real tasks
WHAT THIS PROJECT PROVES (You will say during explanation)
| Skill Demonstrated | Real DevOps Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Using EBS | OS + App persistence |
| Setting up EFS | Shared web content across multiple servers (high availability) |
| Using S3 | Backup & durable storage |
| NFS + SG rules | Understanding network + permissions |
| Cron + AWS CLI | Automation tasks required in real jobs |
This is production architecture used in real companies behind load balancers.
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