Convert AWS console actions to reusable code with AWS Console-to-Code, now usually accessible

At the moment, we’re asserting the overall availability (GA) of AWS Console-to-Code that makes it straightforward to transform AWS console actions to reusable code. You should utilize AWS Console-to-Code to report your actions and workflows within the console, comparable to launching an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) occasion, and assessment the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) instructions to your console actions. With just some clicks, Amazon Q can generate code for you utilizing the infrastructure-as-code (IaC) format of your alternative, together with AWS CloudFormation template (YAML or JSON), and AWS Cloud Growth Package (AWS CDK) (TypeScript, Python or Java). This can be utilized as a place to begin for infrastructure automation and additional personalized to your manufacturing workloads, included in pipelines, and extra.

Since we introduced the preview final yr, AWS Console-to-Code has garnered constructive response from prospects. It has now been improved additional on this GA model, as a result of we have now continued to work backwards from buyer suggestions.

New options in GA

• Help for extra companies – Throughout preview, the one supported service was Amazon EC2. At GA, AWS Console-to-Code has prolonged assist to incorporate Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Amazon Digital Non-public Cloud (Amazon VPC).
• Simplified expertise – The brand new consumer expertise makes it simpler for purchasers to handle the prototyping, recording and code technology workflows.
• Preview code – The launch wizards for EC2 situations and Auto Scaling teams have been up to date to permit prospects to generate code for these sources with out truly creating them.
• Superior code technology – AWS CDK and CloudFormation code technology is powered by Amazon Q machine studying fashions.

Getting began with AWS Console-to-Code
Let’s start with a easy state of affairs of launching an Amazon EC2 occasion. Begin by accessing the Amazon EC2 console. Find the AWS Console-to-Code widget on the correct and select Begin recording to provoke the recording.

Now, launch an Amazon EC2 occasion utilizing the launch occasion wizard within the Amazon EC2 console. After the occasion is launched, select Cease to finish the recording.

Within the Recorded actions desk, assessment the actions that had been recorded. Use the Kind dropdown record to filter by write actions (Write). Select the RunInstances motion. Choose Copy CLI to repeat the corresponding AWS CLI command.

That is the CLI command that I acquired from AWS Console-to-Code:

aws ec2 run-instances 
  --image-id "ami-066784287e358dad1" 
  --instance-type "t2.micro" 
  --network-interfaces '{"AssociatePublicIpAddress":true,"DeviceIndex":0,"Teams":["sg-1z1c11zzz1c11zzz1"]}' 
  --credit-specification '{"CpuCredits":"commonplace"}' 
  --tag-specifications '{"ResourceType":"occasion","Tags":[{"Key":"Name","Value":"c2c-demo"}]}' 
  --metadata-options '{"HttpEndpoint":"enabled","HttpPutResponseHopLimit":2,"HttpTokens":"required"}' 
  --private-dns-name-options '{"HostnameType":"ip-name","EnableResourceNameDnsARecord":true,"EnableResourceNameDnsAAAARecord":false}' 
  --count "1"

This command could be simply modified. For this instance, I up to date it to launch two situations (--count 2) of kind t3.micro (--instance-type). This can be a simplified instance, however the identical method could be utilized to different workflows.

I executed the command utilizing AWS CloudShell and it labored as anticipated, launching two t3.micro EC2 situations:

The only-click CLI code technology expertise is predicated on the API instructions that had been used when actions had been executed (whereas launching the EC2 occasion). Its fascinating to notice that the companion display screen surfaces recorded actions as you full them in console. And because of the interactive UI with begin and cease performance, its straightforward to obviously scope actions for prototyping.

IaC technology utilizing AWS CDK
AWS CDK is an open-source framework for outlining cloud infrastructure in code and provisioning it by way of AWS CloudFormation. With AWS Console-to-Code, you possibly can generate AWS CDK code (at present in Java, Python and TypeScript) to your infrastructure workflows.

Lets proceed with the EC2 launch occasion use case. If you happen to haven’t performed it already, within the Amazon EC2 console, find the AWS Console-to-Code widget on the correct, select Begin recording, and launch an EC2 occasion. After the occasion is launched, select Cease to finish the recording and select the RunInstances motion from the Recorded actions desk.

To generate AWS CDK Python code, select the Generate CDK Python button from the dropdown record.

You should utilize the code as a place to begin, customizing it to make it production-ready to your particular use case.

I already had the AWS CDK put in, so I created a brand new Python CDK challenge:

mkdir c2c_cdk_demo
cd c2c_cdk_demo
cdk init app --language python

Then, I plugged within the generated code within the Python CDK challenge. For this instance, I refactored the code right into a AWS CDK Stack, modified the EC2 occasion kind, and made different minor modifications to make sure that the code was appropriate. I efficiently deployed it utilizing cdk deploy.

I used to be capable of go from the console motion to launch an EC2 occasion after which all the way in which to AWS CDK to breed the identical end result.

from aws_cdk import (
    Stack,
    aws_ec2 as ec2,
)
from constructs import Assemble

class MyProjectStack(Stack):

    def __init__(self, scope: Assemble, construct_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
        tremendous().__init__(scope, construct_id, **kwargs)

        existing_vpc = ec2.Vpc.from_lookup(self, "ExistingVPC",
            is_default=True
        )

        occasion = ec2.Occasion(self, "Occasion",
                instance_type=ec2.InstanceType("t3.micro"),
                machine_image=ec2.AmazonLinuxImage(),
                vpc=existing_vpc,
                vpc_subnets=ec2.SubnetSelection(
                    subnet_type=ec2.SubnetType.PUBLIC
                )
        )

It’s also possible to generate CloudFormation template in YAML or JSON format:

Preview code
It’s also possible to instantly entry AWS Console-to-Code from Preview code function in Amazon EC2 and Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling group launch expertise. Which means that you don’t have to really create the useful resource with the intention to get the infrastructure code.

To do that out, comply with the steps to create an Auto Scaling group utilizing a launch template. Nonetheless, as a substitute of Create Auto Scaling group, click on Preview code. It’s best to now see the choices to generate infrastructure code or copy the AWS CLI command.

Issues to know
Right here are some things you must take into account whereas utilizing AWS Console-to-Code:

• Anybody can use AWS Console-to-Code to generate AWS CLI instructions for his or her infrastructure workflows. The code technology function for AWS CDK and CloudFormation codecs has a free quota of 25 generations monthly, after which you have to an Amazon Q Developer subscription.
• It’s advisable that you simply check and confirm the generated IaC code code earlier than deployment.
• At GA, AWS Console-to-Code solely data actions in Amazon EC2, Amazon VPC and Amazon RDS consoles.
• The Recorded actions desk in AWS Console-to-Code solely show actions taken through the present session inside the particular browser tab, and it doesn’t retain actions from earlier periods or different tabs. Observe that refreshing the browser tab will end result within the lack of all recorded actions.

Now accessible
AWS Console-to-Code is out there in all industrial Areas. You’ll be able to study extra about it within the Amazon EC2 documentation. Give it a strive within the Amazon EC2 console and ship suggestions to the AWS re:Put up for Amazon EC2 or by way of your normal AWS Help contacts.