What is OpsWorks?

• Configuration management tool
• Managed instances of Chef and Puppet
• Use code to automate instance config

OpsWorks Anatomy

• aws -> stack -> layer -> instance -> app
• Every stack has at least 1 layer
• Stacks have layers such as:
  • Load balancer layer
  • App server layer
  • RDS layer
• Layers modularize our stacks
  • Use chef recipes to customize the stack
• Instances sit in layers
  • Instances can be 24/7, load-based, time-based

In what order are stacks created?

1. Create stack
2. Add layers
3. Add instances
4. Add apps
5. Deploy apps (finished w/ chef recipes)

Deployment

• On each event, different scripts can run
• 5 lifecycle events in each layer:
  1. Setup
  2. Configure
  3. Deploy
  4. Undeploy
  5. Shutdown

Deployment Types

Manual

• All-at-once
• Fast
• Lowered capacity

Rolling

• Prevent downtime
• Don’t double resources
• Failures reduce capacity

Blue/Green

• DNS switch from one load balancer to another
• Totally clean new environment
• Doubling our resources, intensive

Exam Tips

• OpsWorks is less granular than CF
• OpsWorks works with chef recipes
• Elastic beanstalk is better for super short app lifecycle
• OpsWorks focuses on core resources; CF is everything