Setting Up Docker Swarm on AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Docker Swarm is a robust orchestration tool that simplifies the management and scaling of Dockerized applications. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through setting up a Docker Swarm on AWS using three EC2 instances—one serving as the Swarm Manager and the other two as Swarm Nodes. We'll also deploy a simple Django app within the Swarm, ensuring you have a scalable and efficient setup.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

An AWS account with access to EC2 instances.
SSH access to your instances.
Basic knowledge of Docker.

Step 1: Launch EC2 Instances

Create Three EC2 Instances:

Use the AWS Management Console to create three EC2 instances.

Designate one instance as the Swarm Manager and the other two as Swarm Nodes.

Ensure the security groups are configured to allow traffic on ports 2377 (for Swarm management) and 8001 (for the Django app).

Step 2: Install Docker Engine

Connect to Each EC2 Instance via SSH
Install Docker Engine by Running the Following Commands:

# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt-get update

# Install the Docker packages
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Step 3: Initialize Docker Swarm

On the Swarm Manager:

sudo docker swarm init

On Both Swarm Nodes:

Copy the generated command with the token from the Swarm Manager and run it on both Swarm Nodes to join them to the Swarm as workers.

Step 4: Verify Swarm Nodes

List All Nodes in the Swarm to Ensure Successful Joining:

sudo docker node ls

Step 5: Deploy a Docker Service

Create a Docker Service on the Swarm Manager:

sudo docker service create --name django-app-service --replicas 3 --publish 8001:8001 trainwithshubham/react-django-app:latest

This command deploys a Django app with three replicas and exposes port 8001.

Step 6: Check Service Status

Verify the Service Deployment:

sudo docker service ls

Step 7: Verify Containers

Check That the Containers Are Running on the Swarm Manager:

sudo docker ps

Step 8: Access the Django App

Access the Django App Using the IP Address of Any Node:

http://<Any_ip_of_3_vms>:8001

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up a Docker Swarm on AWS with a Django app running in a distributed environment. This tutorial provides a solid foundation for deploying and managing scalable applications using Docker Swarm. Feel free to explore additional Docker Swarm features and customize the deployment according to your application's requirements.

Happy Learning!

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