Introduction

Our client’s Design Generator is a pioneering design platform that serves project developers and engineering professionals by enabling the rapid generation of preliminary engineering designs for critical infrastructure sectors such as water and wastewater treatment and power. Leveraging AWS cloud infrastructure, the company has built a tailored environment for hosting its services.

The Story

AWS serves as the cornerstone of the client’s Design Generator infrastructure, providing a robust foundation for hosting its services. Additionally, the company utilizes Microsoft Azure for its code repository and build pipeline. The intricate architecture—comprising microservices, databases, and visualization components—is orchestrated using Terraform. Key AWS services such as EC2, IAM, ELBs, S3, and Lambdas form the backbone of the infrastructure.

Project Requirements The task involved creating new pipelines for microservices, extending infrastructure for new services, and configuring Terraform, EC2 instances, and load balancers. The migration of CI/CD pipelines from Bitbucket and Jira to Microsoft Azure in 2021, combined with increasing service demands, led to frequent requests for load balancers from AWS support.

Technologies and Methodologies Technologies employed included EC2, IAM, ELBs, ASGs, S3, Lambdas, Terraform, Docker images, and Microsoft Azure Pipelines. While DevOps specialists primarily handled infrastructure-related tasks, developers also contributed—particularly in service hosting. S3 was used as a repository for various artifacts generated during the design process.

The Challenge 

Key challenges included delays in acquiring load balancers and navigating the complexities of a large Terraform-based infrastructure that lacked documentation.

Mitigation Strategies 

DevOps specialists made dedicated efforts to analyze the infrastructure alongside their daily tasks, helping to close documentation gaps. Developers also completed AWS training to strengthen their capabilities and provide additional support.

Milestones Achieved 

Significant milestones included the successful creation of new build pipelines, configuration of EC2 instances, and setup of load balancers—each contributing to the expansion and robustness of the system’s capabilities.

The Results

While mastering AWS may involve a learning curve, its effectiveness and scalability make it a worthwhile investment. Despite cost considerations, the client’s Design Generator navigated AWS usage seamlessly, underscoring its essential role in supporting the company’s objectives. Collaboration between developers and DevOps specialists was instrumental in overcoming challenges and fostering innovation across the organization.