The Elk Stack on AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Elk Stack, comprising Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana, has become increasingly popular due to its ability to handle large amounts of data in schema-free JSON documents (NoSQL) and its powerful internal search technology (Lucene). In this article, we will guide you through the simple installation of the ELK Stack on AWS, also known as Amazon Web Services.

AWS Environment: What You Need to Know

Before we dive into the installation process, let's take a look at what you need to know about setting up your environment. We'll start by describing the environment and then walk you through how each component is installed and configured. Finally, we'll finish by configuring our sandbox server to send its system logs to Logstash and view them via Kibana.

Step 1: Create an EC2 Instance

To create a production-ready ELK Stack on AWS, we recommend starting with at least three EC2 instances - one for each component, each with an attached EBS SSD volume. This will ensure that your setup is scalable and can handle high traffic.

Step 2: Install Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is the main component of the ELK Stack and a widely used database and search server. To install it on AWS, start by creating an EC2 instance in the public subnet of a VPC. Then, set up the security group (firewall) to enable access from anywhere using SSH and TCP 5601 (Kibana).

Step 3: Install Logstash

Logstash is a log shipping and parsing service that helps you collect and process logs from various sources. To install it on AWS, start by creating an EC2 instance in the public subnet of a VPC. Then, set up the security group (firewall) to enable access from anywhere using SSH.

Step 4: Install Kibana

Kibana is a web interface that connects users with the Elasticsearch database and enables visualization and search options for system operation users. To install it on AWS, start by creating an EC2 instance in the public subnet of a VPC. Then, set up the security group (firewall) to enable access from anywhere using SSH and TCP 5601.

Step 5: Configure Your Sandbox Server

Now that you have installed each component, it's time to configure your sandbox server to send its system logs to Logstash and view them via Kibana. To do this, start by creating a new elastic IP address and associating it with your running instance in order to connect to the internet.

In this article, we have guided you through the simple installation of the ELK Stack on AWS. With its ability to work with data in schema-free JSON documents (NoSQL) and powerful internal search technology (Lucene), the Elk Stack is a great open-source stack for log aggregation and analytics. By following these steps, you can set up your own sandbox environment and start using the ELK Stack to analyze your system logs.

Tips for Production Environment

For a production setup, we recommend at least three EC2 instances - one per component, each with an attached EBS SSD volume. Additionally, consider using a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple instances and ensure high availability. Finally, make sure to configure your security group (firewall) to allow access from anywhere using SSH and TCP 5601.

I hope you have enjoyed this article on the Elk Stack on AWS. With its ease of use and scalability, it's a great choice for anyone looking to analyze their system logs.

Elk stack on aws