Forem: Onifade Julius

Setting Up Passwordless Authentication on Servers Using Public Keys and Passwords

Onifade Julius — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 08:04:29 +0000

Passwordless authentication is a fast way of connecting to remote servers in a secure and fast manner. It helps solve the issue of forgotten password or password being compromised. Passwordless authentication can be done via ssh keypairs or configured passwords.

This guide shows the step by step process of how I set it up using public key and password automation

1. Setting Up Passwordless Authentication Using Public Keys

Password Authentication relies on pair of keys both public and private> . The public key is stored on the server, while the private key remains on the client machine. The process involves matching the private key to the public key, allowing access without the need for a password.

Step 1: Generate SSH Key Pair

Generate an SSH key pair on the from which you’ll be connecting to the server.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

You will be asked to input a file location and passphrase. Press Enter to accept the default location and to also leave the passphrase empty

Step 2: Give the Keypair File read and write command

chmod 600 <PATH to pem file>

This changes the permission of the pem file to read and write

Step 3: Copy Public key to Remote Machine

ssh-copy-id -f "-o IdentityFile <PATH TO PEM FILE>" ubuntu@<INSTANCE-PUBLIC-IP>

ssh-copy-id: This is the command used to copy your public key to a remote machine.
-f: This flag forces the copying of keys, which can be useful if you have keys already set up and want to overwrite them.
"-o IdentityFile ": This option specifies the identity file (private key) to use for the connection. The -o flag passes this option to the underlying ssh command.
ubuntu@: This is the username (ubuntu) and the IP address of the remote server you want to access.

Then you would be asked to input this command.

ssh -o  'IdentityFile <PATH TO PEM FILE>' 'ubuntu@<INSTANCE-PUBLIC-IP>'

You have not successfully access the remote machine. To see if it would work when you try it again you can

exit

Step 3: Test Passwordless Authentication

Whenever you want to log in to the machine subsequent time use,

ssh username@server_ip_address

If everything is configured correctly, you should be able to log in without being prompted for a password.

2. Setting Up Passwordless Authentication Using Password

While SSH key authentication is more secure, there are cases where password-based automation is required, such as in legacy systems or automation scripts.

You can manually connect or log into your instance or server.

Step 1: Access the sshd_config file

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/60-cloudimg-settings.conf

Step 2: Update Password Authentication

Change the password authentication to YES

Step 3: Restart SSH

You restart the ssh to make the new changes take effect by running the command

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Step 4: Set Password

You set password that you would be asked subsequent when you want to log into that machine running the command.

sudo passwd ubuntu

Let's confirm that the password is set.

exit

ssh-copy-id ubuntu@<INSTANCE-PUBLIC-IP>

You would then be asked to input the set password you created above, after then you would run the command

ssh 'username@server_ip_address'

This method is generally not recommended for production environments due to security risks of storing plaintext passwords, but it can be useful for automated tasks in controlled environments.

NOTE

Use SSH Keys: Public key authentication is more secure and should be preferred over password-based methods.

5. Conclusion

Passwordless authentication is a key feature in securing and ensuring fast server access. Using public keys is the recommended method for passwordless SSH logins due to its enhanced security and ease of use.
By following the steps in this guide, you can set up secure passwordless authentication on your servers and improve your overall workflow efficiency.

Deploying a Node.js Application on AWS EC2: A Step-by-Step Guide

Onifade Julius — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:03:42 +0000

AWS EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) provides a scalable and secure cloud platform to deploy and run applications, including Node.js apps. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the entire process of deploying a Node.js application on an AWS EC2 instance. By the end, you'll have your application running live on an EC2 instance, accessible via an IP address or domain.

1. Testing the Project Locally

Before deploying to AWS, it's always a good idea to test the project locally to ensure everything works as expected.

Steps to Test Locally:

Clone the Repository: First, clone the project repository to your local machine:

   git clone git@github.com:Julius36/Hosting-NodeJs-app-on-EC2.git
   cd Hosting-NodeJs-app-on-EC2

Set Up Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the root directory of the project and define the following environment variables:

   DOMAIN= ""
   PORT=3000
   STATIC_DIR="./client"
   PUBLISHABLE_KEY=""
   SECRET_KEY=""

Install Dependencies and Start the Application: Install all project dependencies and start the Node.js application:

   npm install
   npm run start

At this point, the application should be up and running locally. Access it by navigating to http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

2. Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance

With the local testing complete, let’s move to the cloud and set up an EC2 instance on AWS to host the Node.js application.

Steps to Create an EC2 Instance:

Create an IAM User:
- Go to the AWS Console, and create a new IAM user with Administrator Access.
- Set the access type to Password for easier management of your credentials.
Launch an EC2 Instance:
- In the AWS Console, navigate to EC2 Dashboard.
- Click on Launch Instance and follow these steps:
  - Select an OS Image: Choose Ubuntu Server as your operating system (preferred version: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS).
  - Choose Instance Type: Select the instance type as t2.micro (free tier eligible).
  - Create a Key Pair: Create a new key pair for SSH access and download the .pem file securely to your local machine.
  - Configure Security Groups: Make sure to allow HTTP and SSH traffic. Add an inbound rule for port 3000 (or any other port your Node.js app uses) to allow traffic.

Connect to Your EC2 Instance: Once your EC2 instance is running, connect to it via SSH using the key pair you downloaded:

   ssh -i /path/to/instance.pem ubuntu@<EC2_PUBLIC_IP>

Replace <EC2_PUBLIC_IP> with your instance’s public IP address.

3. Configuring Ubuntu on the EC2 Instance

Now that you are connected to the EC2 instance, you need to install the required dependencies and configure the environment.

Steps to Configure Ubuntu:

Update Packages and Dependencies: Start by updating the package list to ensure everything is up-to-date:

   sudo apt update

Install Git: Install Git on the EC2 instance:

   sudo apt install git

Install Node.js and npm: Follow this guide by DigitalOcean to install the latest stable version of Node.js and npm:

   sudo apt install nodejs
   sudo apt install npm

4. Deploying the Node.js Application on AWS EC2

Now that the EC2 instance is configured, you can deploy your Node.js application.

Steps to Deploy:

Clone the Project on the EC2 Instance: Clone the project repository just like you did locally:

   git clone git@github.com:Julius36/Hosting-NodeJs-app-on-EC2.git
   cd Hosting-NodeJs-app-on-EC2

Set Up Environment Variables: Create the .env file again on the EC2 instance with the following content:

   DOMAIN=""
   PORT=3000
   STATIC_DIR="./client"
   PUBLISHABLE_KEY=""
   SECRET_KEY=""

For the DOMAIN variable, you can use an Elastic IP Address associated with your EC2 instance (more on Elastic IP below).

Install Dependencies and Start the Project: Run the following commands to install dependencies and start the project:

   npm install
   npm run start

Edit Inbound Rules to Allow Traffic: Go back to your EC2 Security Group settings and ensure that inbound traffic is allowed for port 3000 (or the port your app uses). This will enable your app to be accessible from the web.

Yippie!!! You’ve successfully deployed a Node.js application on an AWS EC2 instance. From setting up the EC2 instance to installing the necessary software and running your app, this guide has covered all the essential steps. You can now access your Node.js app through your EC2’s public IP.

A Beginner’s Guide to Using Cloud-Nuke: Using Cloud-Nuke for Safe and Controlled Cleanup

Onifade Julius — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 17:56:13 +0000

AWS cloud services is exciting to use until your bill starts pilling up because you did not stop one service from running. This was my reality a few days ago. The reason why we use cloud providers is to help us reduce cost and also make use of services effectively, but this might not be the case if not properly managed.

In this article, I’ll will be talking about a powerful tool for cleaning up your AWS account quickly and efficiently. This tool is a fast way of doing things instead of manually managing resources or doing it through Terraform, this tool is a great alternative that can be easily run from your console.

Introducing Cloud-Nuke

Cloud-Nuke is an open-source tool available on GitHub. It’s designed to delete all AWS resources within an account or clean up the account, saving you from manual clean-up tasks.

1. How to Install Gruntwork’s Cloud-Nuke

macOS or Linux

For macOS or Linux users, installation is straightforward. Simply run:

brew install cloud-nuke

Windows

For Windows users, you can install it via Winget with the command:

winget install cloud-nuke

If installing via Winget doesn’t work, you can manually download and install the Cloud-Nuke via GitHub:

Visit the Cloud-Nuke GitHub releases page.
Download the latest release for Windows (usually a .zip file).
Extract the .zip file to a directory of your choice.
Add the directory containing cloud-nuke.exe to your PATH:
- Open the Start Menu, search for "Environment Variables," and select "Edit the system environment variables."
- In the System Properties window, click on "Environment Variables."
- In the "System variables" section, find and select the Path variable, then click "Edit."
- Click "New" and paste the path to the directory where cloud-nuke.exe is located.
- Click "OK" to close all windows.

To verify the installation, run the command:

cloud-nuke

2. Setting Up AWS Credentials

Before using Cloud-Nuke, you need to export your AWS access key, secret key, and region as environment variables. Use the following commands:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY="<PLACE_YOUR_AWS_ACCESS_KEY>"
export AWS_SECRET_KEY="<PLACE_YOUR_AWS_SECRET_KEY>"
export AWS_REGION="<PLACE_YOUR_AWS_REGION_NAME>"

You can find these details by navigating to your AWS console:

On the top right corner under your username, click on My Security Credentials.
Navigate to Access keys (access key ID and secret access key).

Ensure the key status is ACTIVE.

3. Deleting All AWS Resources with Cloud-Nuke

Warning: Running Cloud-Nuke will delete all the resources in your AWS account, so proceed with caution as there’s no going back!

To delete all AWS resources, simply run:

cloud-nuke aws

This command will display the types and quantities of resources that are about to be deleted. It will then ask for confirmation before proceeding. To confirm, type nuke and hit enter.

4. Deleting Resources in a Specific AWS Region

If you want to delete resources in a specific region, you can specify the region using the --region flag:

cloud-nuke aws --region us-east-1

This will only affect resources in the us-east-1 region.

5. Listing Supported Resource Types

Cloud-Nuke doesn’t support all AWS resources. To list the supported resource types, run:

cloud-nuke aws --list-resource-types

6. Excluding Resources from Deletion

To exclude specific resources from being deleted, use the --exclude-resource-type flag:

cloud-nuke aws --exclude-resource-type s3 --exclude-resource-type ec2

7. Excluding Resources by Age

If you only want to delete resources that were created before a certain period, use the --older-than flag:

cloud-nuke aws --older-than 24h

8. Targeting Specific Resource Types

To target specific resource types, use the --resource-type flag:

cloud-nuke aws --resource-type ec2 --resource-type ami

This will focus the deletion process only on ec2 and ami resources. You can also use this flag to speed up the search process.

To inspect specific resource types without deleting them, run:

cloud-nuke inspect-aws --resource-type ec2

9. Protecting Resources with the `cloud-nuke-after` Tag

To protect resources from accidental or premature deletion, you can tag them with cloud-nuke-after and specify a future date in the format 2024-07-09T00:00:00Z. This ensures that the resources remain intact until their designated expiration date.

By using Cloud-Nuke, you don’t only take control of your AWS resources you also prevent yourself from unexpected bills. NOTE, always use this tool with caution, especially in production environments, as it can have significant consequences on your infrastructure. Way to Cloud!