Setting Up a Caddy Server and Redis Replication Cluster on Ubuntu with EC2

This guide details the process of configuring a Caddy server and a Redis replication cluster across multiple Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances running on Ubuntu. This setup allows you to leverage Caddy's lightweight and performant nature for serving web content, while ensuring data redundancy and scalability with a Redis cluster.

Prerequisites:

• An AWS account with access to EC2 services.
• Familiarity with Ubuntu command line and basic networking concepts.
• SSH access to your EC2 instances.

Part 1: Launching EC2 Instances

1. Launch EC2 Instances:

• Log in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.
• Choose an appropriate Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for Ubuntu. Consider factors like version and pre-installed software.
• Select an instance type that suits your performance and resource needs.
• Configure security groups to allow inbound SSH access and communication between instances (explained later).
• Launch the desired number of EC2 instances (minimum two for a replication cluster).

 

1. Update and Secure Ubuntu:

   • Once launched, connect to each EC2 instance via SSH using its public IP address and the assigned private key.
   • Update the package lists and install essential packages:
   Bash

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   sudo apt install software-properties-common -y
   

   
   
   • Install a firewall like UFW and configure basic rules to restrict inbound traffic:
   Bash

   sudo apt install ufw -y
   sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
   sudo ufw enable
   

   
   

Part 2: Installing and Configuring Caddy Server

1. Install Caddy:

   • Add the official Caddy repository:
   Bash

   curl -sL https://dl.caddy.com/ caddy_stable.deb /tmp/caddy.deb
   

   
   
   • Install Caddy:
   Bash

   sudo dpkg -i /tmp/caddy.deb && sudo apt install -f -y
   

   
   

2. Configure Caddyfile:

   • Create a configuration file named Caddyfile (e.g., /etc/caddy/Caddyfile).

   • Here's a basic example serving static content from a directory:

   :80 {
       root /var/www/html
       file_server
   }
   

   • Replace /var/www/html with your actual content directory path. You can add more complex configurations for routing and other functionalities as needed.

3. Start and Enable Caddy Service:

   • Start the Caddy service:
   Bash

   sudo systemctl start caddy
   

   
   
   • Enable Caddy to start automatically on boot:
   Bash

   sudo systemctl enable caddy
   

    

   
   

Part 3: Setting Up Redis Replication Cluster

1. Install Redis Server:

   • Install Redis on all EC2 instances:
   Bash

   sudo apt install redis-server -y
   

   
   

2. Configure Redis for Replication:

   • Edit the Redis configuration file (/etc/redis/redis.conf):
   Bash

   sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf
   

   
   

   • Make the following changes:

     • In the bind directive, specify the IP address on which each server listens for connections. Ensure these addresses are accessible within your network.
     • Uncomment the port directive and set a common port for all Redis servers (e.g., 6379).
     • In the replicaof directive, configure each server except the primary to replicate from the primary server's IP and port.

   • Here's an example configuration (replace IP addresses appropriately):

   bind 10.0.0.1  # (Primary Server IP)
   port 6379
   replicaof 10.0.0.2 6379  # (Secondary Server IP)
   
   # Repeat replicaof for additional secondary servers
   

3. Restart Redis Service:

   • Restart the Redis service on all instances to apply the configuration changes:
   Bash

   sudo systemctl restart redis-server
   

   
   

Part 4: Testing and Verification

1. Test Caddy Server:

   • Access your Caddy server from a web browser using the public IP address of one of the instances and the port specified in the Caddyfile (e.g., http://<public_ip>:80). You should see your web content if configured correctly.