AWS EC2 Instance Manage

AWS EC2 Instance Manager

Serverless Solution for Cloud Infrastructure Management

View Full Project on GitHub

📖 Introduction

AWS EC2 Instance Manager is a serverless solution designed to simplify cloud infrastructure management. This project addresses the common challenge of efficiently controlling EC2 instances while maintaining real-time visibility into their status.

In today's cloud-centric environment, managing compute resources efficiently is crucial for both cost optimization and operational excellence. Traditional methods of managing EC2 instances via the AWS Console can be time-consuming and lack immediate feedback.

Our solution bridges this gap by providing:

  • ✅ Start, Stop, and Monitor EC2 Instances in a few clicks
  • ✅ Real-time notifications via AWS SNS (SMS & Email)
  • ✅ Serverless architecture using AWS Lambda
  • ✅ Python-powered automation for scalability and efficiency
  • ✅ Cost-effective: Only pay for what you use
Architecture Diagram - EC2 Instance Manager Flow

⚙️ Features

Instance Management

Start, stop, and reboot EC2 instances directly from Lambda

Real-Time Notifications

Receive SMS or Email alerts when instance state changes

Serverless Design

No need for dedicated servers; fully managed by AWS Lambda

Dashboard Ready

Easily integrate with dashboards or CLI scripts

Cost Optimization

Helps reduce unused instance charges with automated controls

🛠️ Technologies Used

AWS Lambda
AWS EC2
AWS SNS
Python 3.9
IAM Roles
CloudWatch

🏗️ Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

  • AWS Account
  • EC2 Instance
  • Basic knowledge of AWS services

🖥️ Step 1: EC2 Instance Setup

Launch EC2 Instance

  • Go to EC2 in AWS Console → Click Launch instances

Basic Configuration

  • Name: my-ec2-instance
  • AMI: Amazon Linux (Free tier)
  • Instance type: t2.micro (Free tier)
  • Key pair: Create new or select existing

Network & Security

  • VPC: Default
  • Subnet: Any availability zone
  • Auto-assign public IP: Enabled
  • Security group: Create new ec2-lambda-access

Get Instance ID

  • Go to Instances list → Select your instance → Copy Instance ID (e.g., i-1234567890abcdef0)
  • Use this ID in your Lambda code for automation

🔐 Step 2: IAM Role Setup

Go to IAM

  • Open IAM in AWS Console → Click Roles → Click Create role

Trusted Entity

  • Use case: Select AWS service → Lambda → Click Next

Attach Permissions

Add the following policies:

  • AmazonEC2FullAccess
  • AmazonSNSFullAccess
  • CloudWatchLogsFullAccess (for logging)

Role Details

  • Role Name: lambda-ec2-sns-role
  • Description: Role for Lambda to manage EC2 & send SNS notifications
  • Click Create role

📢 Step 3: Create SNS Topic

  1. Go to SNS Console
  2. Click Create Topic
  3. Choose Standard type
  4. Name: ec2-state-notify
  5. Click Create Topic

Subscribe to Notifications

  1. Open your SNS topic
  2. Click Create Subscription
  3. Protocol: SMS or Email
  4. Endpoint: Your phone number (+91XXXXXXXXXX) or email
  5. Click Create Subscription

⚡ Step 4: Create Lambda Function

  1. Go to Lambda Console
  2. Click Create Function
  3. Choose Author from scratch
  4. Basic Information:
    • Function name: startec2mssns
    • Runtime: Python 3.9
  5. Click Create Function

Configure Lambda Permissions

Add these permissions to your Lambda execution role:

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "ec2:StartInstances",
                "ec2:StopInstances", 
                "ec2:DescribeInstances"
            ],
            "Resource": "*"
        },
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": "sns:Publish",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:sns:ap-south-1:YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID:ec2-state-notify"
        }
    ]
}

🚀 Step 5: Deploy Lambda Code

Lambda Function Code

Copy the following Python code to your Lambda function:

import json
import boto3
import time

# AWS Clients
ec2 = boto3.client('ec2')
sns = boto3.client('sns')

# Configuration
INSTANCE_ID = "i-0e068c43430210bff"
SNS_TOPIC_ARN = "arn:aws:sns:ap-south-1:your account id:ec2-state-notify"

def publish_sms(message):
    """Send SMS notification"""
    try:
        response = sns.publish(
            TopicArn=SNS_TOPIC_ARN,
            Message=message,
            MessageAttributes={
                'AWS.SNS.SMS.SMSType': {
                    'DataType': 'String',
                    'StringValue': 'Transactional'
                }
            }
        )
        print(f"SMS sent: {response['MessageId']}")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"SMS error: {str(e)}")
        return False

def lambda_handler(event, context):
    """Main Lambda handler"""
    
    # Extract action from event
    action = ""
    if isinstance(event, dict):
        action = event.get('action') or (event.get('queryStringParameters') or {}).get('action','')
        if not action and event.get('body'):
            try:
                action = json.loads(event['body']).get('action','')
            except:
                pass

    action = (action or "").lower()
    print(f"Action received: {action}")

    try:
        if action == 'test':
            success = publish_sms(f"TEST: EC2 Monitor - Instance {INSTANCE_ID}")
            return {'result': 'test', 'sms_sent': success}

        if action == 'start':
            status_resp = ec2.describe_instances(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID])
            current_state = status_resp['Reservations'][0]['Instances'][0]['State']['Name']
            if current_state == 'running':
                publish_sms(f"🟢 EC2 - ALREADY RUNNING")
                return {'result': 'already_running'}
            
            publish_sms(f"🟡 EC2 - STARTING...")
            ec2.start_instances(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID])
            waiter = ec2.get_waiter('instance_running')
            waiter.wait(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID], WaiterConfig={'Delay': 10, 'MaxAttempts': 12})
            publish_sms(f"✅ EC2 - STARTED SUCCESS")
            return {'result': 'started'}

        if action == 'stop':
            publish_sms(f"🟡 EC2 - STOPPING...")
            ec2.stop_instances(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID])
            waiter = ec2.get_waiter('instance_stopped')
            waiter.wait(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID], WaiterConfig={'Delay': 10, 'MaxAttempts': 12})
            publish_sms(f"🛑 EC2 - STOPPED SUCCESS")
            return {'result': 'stopped'}

        resp = ec2.describe_instances(InstanceIds=[INSTANCE_ID])
        state = resp['Reservations'][0]['Instances'][0]['State']['Name']
        state_icon = '🟢' if state == 'running' else '🛑'
        publish_sms(f"{state_icon} EC2 - {state.upper()}")
        return {'result': 'status', 'state': state}
        
    except Exception as e:
        error_msg = f"❌ EC2 ERROR: {str(e)}"
        publish_sms(error_msg)
        return {'result': 'error', 'error': error_msg}

Lambda Function Settings

  • Timeout: 1.20 minutes
  • Memory: 128 MB
  • Environment Variables (Optional):
    • INSTANCE_ID = i-0e068c43430210bff
    • SNS_TOPIC_ARN = arn:aws:sns:ap-south-1:266731137793:ec2-state-notify

🧪 Step 6: Test the Function

  1. Go to the Test tab in the Lambda console
  2. Create a new test event with the following JSON:
{
  "action": "start"
}

{
  "action": "stop"
}

Expected Test Results

  • Lambda function executes successfully
  • EC2 instance starts/stops as per action
  • SMS notifications received on your phone
  • CloudWatch logs show execution details

📊 Test Results & Output

Lambda Console - Function Execution
SNS Topic Configuration
EC2 Instance State Changes
SNS Notifications on Phone
CloudWatch Logs Output

✅ AWS EC2 Instance Manager Successfully Deployed!

Your serverless EC2 management system is now ready to use

View Complete Project on GitHub

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