Concepts
AWS EventBridge is a serverless event bus service that makes it easy to connect applications together using data from your own applications, integrated SaaS applications, and AWS services. It can be set to respond to a variety of events such as changes to AWS resources, application service requests, or even a preset schedule.
Use Cases for EventBridge:
- Scheduled Lambda Functions: Trigger AWS Lambda functions on a regular schedule to perform routine tasks such as database cleanups or data backups.
- EC2 Instance Scheduling: Automatically start or stop EC2 instances at predefined times to save costs during off-peak hours.
- Custom Application Events: Respond to business events from your custom applications by triggering workflows in other AWS services.
Example: Automating EC2 Instance Stop/Start
Here’s a step-by-step process to schedule an instance stop/start using EventBridge:
- Create Your Event Rule:
- Go to the EventBridge console.
- Create a new rule and define a schedule using cron or rate expressions (e.g., “cron(0 12 * * ? *)” for every day at 12 PM UTC).
- Select “EC2” as the target service and then choose the “StopInstances” or “StartInstances” action.
- Configure Rule Targets:
- Specify the instance ID or use a tag to identify the target instance(s).
- Optionally, you can add input transformers, input paths, or constants as required.
- Set Permissions:
- Ensure that the event bus has the necessary IAM permissions to perform the stop/start actions on EC2 instances.
- Enable the Rule:
- Enable the rule so it becomes active according to the schedule you’ve set.
AWS Config for Configuration Management and Automation
AWS Config is a service that provides a detailed view of your AWS resources configurations and allows you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations.
Use Cases for AWS Config:
- Compliance Auditing: Continuously monitor and record your AWS resource configurations to ensure compliance with internal policies or external regulations.
- Change Management: Get alerted and can take action when changes in configurations are detected that deviate from your compliancy rules.
- Resource Inventory: Maintain a history of configurations of AWS resources to assist in IT audits and change management.
Example: Remediate Non-compliant Security Group Configurations
AWS Config can be used to automate the remediation of non-compliant resource configurations. For instance, if a security group allows unrestricted access (0.0.0.0/0) to port 22, AWS Config can automatically apply a remediation action to correct this.
- Create a Config Rule:
- Go to the AWS Config console.
- Set up a rule (e.g.,
restricted-common-ports) to check if certain ports are unrestricted.
- Define the Remediation Action:
- Choose a remediation action such as a Lambda function or an SSM Automation document that can modify the security group to restrict access.
- Set Trigger:
- Configure the rule to trigger upon configuration changes or at regular intervals.
- Permissions:
- Ensure the AWS Config role has the correct permissions to execute remediation actions.
- Review and Compliance:
- Review compliance details and check for successful remediation in the AWS Config dashboard.
Conclusion
Automating routine tasks in the AWS Cloud through services such as EventBridge and AWS Config not only helps in maintaining a secure and compliant architecture but also saves time and reduces human error. When studying for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam, understanding how to schedule and configure these services will be crucial for efficient AWS management.
Utilizing these services allows SysOps administrators to focus on more critical tasks, knowing that the scheduled automated tasks are running smoothly in the background. Remember to take advantage of the many examples and tutorials available in the AWS documentation to feel fully prepared for the exam’s scenarios and questions.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: AWS EventBridge cannot trigger Lambda functions based on a schedule.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: AWS EventBridge can be used to trigger AWS Lambda functions on a scheduled basis. This allows for serverless automation of tasks that need to run at specific times.
Which of the following AWS services can be used to evaluate and audit the configuration of your AWS resources? (Select two)
- AWS EventBridge
- AWS Config
- AWS Trusted Advisor
- AWS CloudTrail
Answer: AWS Config, AWS Trusted Advisor
Explanation: AWS Config enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources, while AWS Trusted Advisor provides real-time guidance to help you provision your resources following AWS best practices.
True or False: AWS Config rules only evaluate changes in configurations when an AWS resource is created or modified.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: AWS Config rules can evaluate the configuration settings of your AWS resources both at the time of creation or modification and also according to a schedule set by the user (e.g., every 24 hours).
Which AWS service primarily focuses on delivering real-time stream processing of event data?
- AWS Kinesis
- AWS EventBridge
- AWS CloudWatch
- AWS Step Functions
Answer: AWS Kinesis
Explanation: AWS Kinesis is mainly used for real-time processing of large, streaming data, while AWS EventBridge is more focused on event routing between AWS services or software running on AWS.
What is the main purpose of Amazon EventBridge?
- Data warehousing
- Event-driven computing
- Monitoring resource usage
- Analyzing Big Data
Answer: Event-driven computing
Explanation: Amazon EventBridge is a serverless event bus that enables you to automate your AWS services and application architecture through event-driven computing.
True or False: You can use AWS Config to automatically take action when a resource is not compliant with the desired configurations.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: You can use AWS Config rules to determine whether a resource is non-compliant, and then you can set up remediation actions that will automatically be executed when non-compliance is detected.
Which AWS service allows you to schedule automated actions like stopping or starting an EC2 instance at a specific time?
- AWS Auto Scaling
- AWS Lambda
- AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- AWS Instance Scheduler
Answer: AWS Instance Scheduler
Explanation: AWS Instance Scheduler allows you to schedule start and stop times for your Amazon EC2 and Amazon RDS instances, which can help you to save costs by preventing running instances when they are not needed.
When setting up rules in EventBridge, what is the format used to define event patterns?
- JSON
- XML
- YAML
- CSV
Answer: JSON
Explanation: Event patterns in EventBridge are written in JSON, which allows you to match events entering the event bus against defined patterns.
What is the primary purpose of AWS CloudWatch Events, which has now become part of Amazon EventBridge?
- To collect log files
- To monitor application performance
- To schedule automated triggering of AWS services
- To provision new AWS resources
Answer: To schedule automated triggering of AWS services
Explanation: The primary purpose of AWS CloudWatch Events, which is now incorporated into Amazon EventBridge, is to respond to state changes in your AWS resources with automated triggering of actions and workflows.
Which AWS service would you use to monitor and receive alerts about the operational health of AWS infrastructure?
- AWS Personal Health Dashboard
- AWS Config
- AWS CloudTrail
- AWS Service Health Dashboard
Answer: AWS Personal Health Dashboard
Explanation: The AWS Personal Health Dashboard gives you a personalized view of the performance and availability of the AWS services underlying your AWS resources and also alerts you to potential issues.
True or False: You can directly execute an AWS Step Functions state machine using an EventBridge rule.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: You can directly target an AWS Step Functions state machine as an action for an EventBridge rule, allowing you to invoke workflows in response to events.
Great post! I’ve been struggling with how to schedule tasks using EventBridge. This was really helpful.
Can someone explain how AWS Config can be used to enforce compliance rules automatically?
I’m curious how EventBridge is different from CloudWatch Events. Anyone got insights?
Thanks for the detailed tutorial on EventBridge. Helped a lot!
Has anyone used EventBridge for cross-account event triggering?
How reliable is EventBridge in terms of latency and delivery guarantees?
Fantastic article! Appreciate the insights.
What are the key differences between AWS Config and CloudFormation in terms of managing infrastructure?