03 · AWS by handLab 17 / 59
Challengeaws
Production DNS & TLS with Route 53 and ACM — Challenge
Take a site from an IP address to a real domain over HTTPS, with a certificate that renews itself.
- Time
- 25 min
- Level
- Intermediate
- Objectives
- 4 objectives
- Cost
- Low cost
Where this fits in the platform
Already built
This lab adds
- A domain you control, with a certificate on it
Which lets you
—
Before you start
You will need
- AWS CLI v2, configured
- A domain you control
You will be able to
- Choose between A, CNAME and ALIAS records deliberately
- Validate an ACM certificate by DNS and understand why it renews
- Plan a cutover around TTL instead of being surprised by it
Cost — Low cost
Low. A Route 53 hosted zone is $0.50/month and queries are fractions of a cent. ACM certificates are free. A domain, if you do not have one, is roughly $12/year.
The goal#
Achieve the same outcome as Production DNS & TLS with Route 53 and ACM, from an empty starting point, without the steps.
The platform is reachable at d3bbb7tnfglcfh.cloudfront.net. That is fine for a test and unusable for anything real.
This is the same work that put egykode.com in front of this page, including the mistake that cost an hour.
Hands-on environment
Run it on AWS
This lab builds real cloud infrastructure, so it needs your own AWS account. Follow the cost and cleanup notes above — the resources are yours, and so is the bill.
Anything you tick here is your own record. EgyKode cannot see inside that terminal, so the success criteria stay self-assessed even when the environment checks your work for you.
What must be true when you are done
Step 1 of 3
What must be true when you are done#
- The site answers on your domain over HTTPS with a valid certificate.
- You can state why an ALIAS is used at the apex instead of a CNAME.
- The certificate's validation record is present and you can explain why it must stay.
- You can name the TTL on your record and what it means for a cutover.
Rules#
- Do not open the guided lab until you are finished, or until the same problem has held you up for 20 minutes.
- Documentation is allowed and encouraged.
- Verify every criterion with a command whose output you can read.
If you get stuck#
- What did you expect, exactly?
- What happened instead — the error text, not a paraphrase?
- Which layer is that error from?
- What is the smallest command that proves the layer below is fine?
You are done when
0 of 4
The concept behind it
Next up
Lab 17 of 59 on the project path