Skip to main content

CloudForge Community Interactive Deployer

An interactive command-line tool that guides you through configuring and deploying CloudForge Community infrastructure.

Features​

  • Interactive Configuration: Prompts for all necessary parameters with sensible defaults
  • Plugin-Based Architecture: Automatic discovery of applications via ServiceLoader
  • Multiple Applications:
    • CI/CD: Jenkins, GitLab, Drone
    • Analytics: Metabase, Superset, Grafana
    • Collaboration: Mattermost
    • Container Registry: Harbor, Nexus
    • VCS: Gitea
    • Databases: PostgreSQL, Redis
    • Secrets Management: Vault
    • Monitoring: Prometheus
  • Automatic Database Provisioning: RDS databases for applications that require them
  • Smart Defaults: Skips irrelevant questions based on your choices
  • Validation: Ensures all required fields are provided
  • CDK Integration: Generates proper CDK context and synthesizes stacks

Quick Start​

Prerequisites​

  1. AWS CDK CLI: npm install -g aws-cdk
  2. AWS Credentials: aws configure
  3. Java 17+: Required for compilation
  4. Maven: For building the project

Running the Interactive Deployer​

The Interactive Deployer automatically activates when deployment-context.json is not found. Simply run:

# Synthesize CloudFormation template (option 1)
cdk synth

# Deploy to AWS (option 2)
cdk deploy

# Create changeset without executing (option 4)
cdk deploy --no-execute

The interactive prompts will guide you through configuration and generate deployment-context.json.

Manual Invocation (if deployment-context.json exists but you want to reconfigure):

cd cfc-testing
mvn compile
mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.cloudforgeci.samples.app.InteractiveDeployer"

Architecture​

Modular Design​

The Interactive Deployer uses a Strategy Pattern with the SystemContext Orchestration Layer to provide a modular, expandable architecture:

Strategy Pattern​

  • Each deployment type implements the DeploymentStrategy interface
  • Strategies handle their own configuration collection and deployment logic
  • New deployment types can be added by implementing the interface and registering in DEPLOYMENT_STRATEGIES

SystemContext Orchestration Layer​

  • Uses SystemContext.createJenkinsDeployment() for Jenkins deployments
  • Uses SystemContext.createS3CloudFrontDeployment() for S3 website deployments
  • Handles infrastructure creation, dependency management, and context injection
  • Ensures consistent resource creation across all deployment types

Extensibility​

Adding a new deployment type requires:

  1. Implement DeploymentStrategy interface
  2. Add strategy to DEPLOYMENT_STRATEGIES map
  3. Implement collectConfiguration() and deploy() methods
  4. Use SystemContext orchestration methods for deployment

Configuration Options​

Basic Configuration​

  • Stack Name: Name for your CDK stack
  • Environment: dev, staging, or prod
  • Deployment Type: jenkins, s3-website, or s3-website-mailer

Domain Configuration​

  • Domain: Your domain name (e.g., example.com) - optional with Private CA
  • Subdomain: Subdomain prefix (e.g., ci, app) - skipped if no domain
  • SSL Certificate: Enable SSL - uses public ACM cert with domain, Private CA without

No Domain Quick Start: If you skip domain configuration but enable SSL, the system automatically creates an AWS Private CA and issues a certificate for your ALB DNS name. This allows HTTPS without domain registration, ideal for development and internal applications. Private CA costs ~$400/month and is auto-deleted when the stack is destroyed.

Application Deployment​

  • Application: Choose from 15+ pre-configured applications
  • Runtime: Fargate or EC2
  • Topology: APPLICATION_SERVICE (multi-instance) or S3_WEBSITE (static sites)
  • Instance Capacity: Min/max instances (EC2 only)
  • CPU/Memory: Resource allocation
  • Authentication: Cognito OIDC or application-native OIDC
  • Database: Automatic RDS provisioning for database-required applications

S3 Website Deployment​

  • Bucket Name: S3 bucket for hosting
  • Index/Error Documents: Default pages
  • CloudFront: CDN distribution

S3 Website + Mailer Deployment​

  • SES Configuration: Email address and region
  • Lambda Function: Function name, memory, timeout

Advanced Configuration​

  • Network Mode: public-no-nat or private-with-nat
  • WAF Protection: Enable/disable
  • CloudFront CDN: Enable/disable
  • Security Profile: DEV, STAGING, or PRODUCTION

Example Sessions​

With Custom Domain​

🚀 CloudForge Community Interactive Deployer
=============================================

Stack Name [my-cloudforge-stack]: jenkins-ci
Environment:
  1. dev (default)
  2. staging
  3. prod
Choose [dev]: 1

Application:
  1. jenkins
  2. gitlab
  3. metabase
  4. grafana
  5. mattermost
  ... (15+ total)
Choose: 1

Domain (e.g., example.com) []: mycompany.com
Subdomain (e.g., ci, app) []: ci
Enable SSL Certificate [Y/n]: y

Runtime:
  1. FARGATE (default)
  2. EC2
Choose [FARGATE]: 1

Topology:
  1. APPLICATION_SERVICE (default)
  2. S3_WEBSITE
Choose [APPLICATION_SERVICE]: 1

CPU (units) [1024]: 2048
Memory (MB) [2048]: 4096

Authentication Mode:
  1. none (default)
  2. alb-oidc
  3. jenkins-oidc
Choose [none]: 1

Network Mode:
  1. public-no-nat (default)
  2. private-with-nat
Choose [public-no-nat]: 1

Enable WAF Protection [y/N]: n
Enable CloudFront CDN [y/N]: n

Security Profile:
  1. DEV (default)
  2. STAGING
  3. PRODUCTION
Choose [DEV]: 1

🔧 Building CDK Context...

📋 Deployment Configuration:
============================
Stack Name: jenkins-ci
Environment: dev
Deployment Type: jenkins
Runtime: FARGATE
Topology: JENKINS_SERVICE
Security Profile: DEV
Domain: mycompany.com
Subdomain: ci
SSL Enabled: true
Network Mode: public-no-nat
WAF Enabled: false
CloudFront Enabled: false
CPU: 2048
Memory: 4096 MB
Auth Mode: none

Proceed with deployment? [Y/n]: y

🚀 Starting CDK Deployment...

🚀 Deploying Jenkins using SystemContext orchestration layer...
✅ Jenkins deployment created successfully!
   - Infrastructure: VPC, ALB, EFS
   - Runtime: FARGATE
   - Topology: APPLICATION_SERVICE
   - Domain: mycompany.com
   - SSL: Enabled

✅ CDK Stack synthesized successfully!
Run 'cdk deploy' to deploy to AWS

Without Domain (Private CA Quick Start)​

🚀 CloudForge Community Interactive Deployer
=============================================

Stack Name [my-cloudforge-stack]: jenkins-quick
Environment:
  1. dev (default)
  2. staging
  3. prod
Choose [dev]: 1

Application:
  1. jenkins
  ...
Choose: 1

Domain (e.g., example.com) []: <enter to skip>
Enable SSL Certificate [Y/n]: y

⚠️  No domain configured - will use AWS Private CA for HTTPS
   - Certificate issued for ALB DNS name
   - Browser will show certificate warnings (not publicly trusted)
   - Private CA costs ~$400/month (auto-deleted with stack)
   - Fully compliant: meets HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC2 encryption requirements

Authentication Mode:
  1. none (default)
  2. alb-oidc
  3. application-oidc
Choose [none]: 2

Cognito Domain Prefix []: jenkins-quick-myco

📋 Deployment Configuration:
============================
Stack Name: jenkins-quick
Environment: dev
Deployment Type: jenkins
Runtime: FARGATE
Topology: JENKINS_SERVICE
Security Profile: DEV
SSL Enabled: true (Private CA)
Network Mode: private-with-nat
Auth Mode: alb-oidc
Cognito: Auto-provisioned

Proceed with deployment? [Y/n]: y

🚀 Deploying Jenkins using SystemContext orchestration layer...
✅ Jenkins deployment created successfully!
   - Infrastructure: VPC, ALB, EFS, Private CA
   - Runtime: FARGATE
   - Topology: APPLICATION_SERVICE
   - SSL: Private CA Certificate
   - Auth: Cognito ALB-OIDC

✅ CDK Stack synthesized successfully!
Run 'cdk deploy' to deploy to AWS

Generated CDK Context​

The interactive deployer builds a CDK context map with all your configuration:

With Custom Domain​

{
  "env": "dev",
  "runtime": "FARGATE",
  "topology": "APPLICATION_SERVICE",
  "applicationId": "jenkins",
  "securityProfile": "DEV",
  "domain": "mycompany.com",
  "subdomain": "ci",
  "enableSsl": true,
  "networkMode": "public-no-nat",
  "authMode": "none"
}

Without Domain (Private CA)​

{
  "env": "dev",
  "runtime": "FARGATE",
  "topology": "APPLICATION_SERVICE",
  "applicationId": "jenkins",
  "securityProfile": "DEV",
  "enableSsl": true,
  "networkMode": "private-with-nat",
  "authMode": "alb-oidc",
  "cognitoAutoProvision": true,
  "cognitoDomainPrefix": "jenkins-quick-myco"
}

Note: When no domain is configured but enableSsl: true, the system automatically creates AWS Private CA resources and issues a certificate for the ALB DNS name.

Next Steps​

After running the interactive deployer:

  1. Review the stack: cdk diff
  2. Deploy to AWS: cdk deploy
  3. Clean up: cdk destroy (when done)

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. AWS Credentials: Ensure aws configure is run
  2. CDK Bootstrap: Run cdk bootstrap for first-time setup
  3. Permissions: Ensure your AWS user has necessary permissions
  4. Region: Set CDK_DEFAULT_REGION environment variable

Getting Help​

  • Check the CloudForge Community documentation
  • Review CDK documentation for AWS-specific issues
  • Check AWS CloudFormation console for deployment errors

Advanced Usage​

Custom Configuration​

You can also modify the generated CDK context manually or create custom deployment scripts based on the interactive deployer's output.

Integration with CI/CD​

The interactive deployer can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines by providing configuration via environment variables or configuration files.

Contributing​

To extend the interactive deployer:

  1. Add new deployment types in collectConfiguration()
  2. Implement deployment logic in the corresponding deploy*() methods
  3. Update the buildCfcContext() method to include new parameters
  4. Add validation logic as needed

License​

This tool is part of the CloudForge Community project and follows the same licensing terms.