Automate Start/Stop AWS EC2 Instance Using Lambda: Step-by-Step Guide

In the realm of cloud technology, efficiency is crucial. In this blog, we are going to explore AWS Lambda and EventBridge to automate AWS EC2 instance management. Save costs, streamline operations, and eliminate manual tasks. Discover how automation can transform your cloud workflow effortlessly.

In this blog, we will cover everything step by step about  How to Automate Start/Stop AWS EC2 Instances using Lambda.

• Introduction
• Overview of services used
• Creating an AWS EC2 Instance
• Creating AWS IAM Role
• Configuring Lambda Function 
• Configure EventBridge
• Verifying Lambda Function & EventBridge Rule
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Introduction

This blog focuses on using AWS Lambda to automate the starting and stopping of Amazon EC2 instances on a regular schedule. Imagine having a fleet of virtual computers in the cloud, each serving different purposes like testing software or running applications. 

These instances incur costs while running, similar to leaving lights on when not needed. By creating Lambda functions, we can instruct AWS to automatically turn off instances during periods of inactivity, such as nights or weekends, and restart them when needed.

This automation not only streamlines resource management but also helps save costs by optimizing instance usage based on specific time intervals.  The scheduling aspect is handled through Amazon EventBridge, where we set rules to trigger Lambda functions at designated times, ensuring efficient resource utilization and cost-effectiveness within the AWS environment.

Overview of services used

Elastic compute service (EC2):   AWS  EC2 is a cloud service that offers secure and scalable computing capability. It provides scalable instances, Elastic Load Balancing, Auto Scaling, and a variety of storage options including EBS and S3. With strong security features and different pricing models, EC2 works seamlessly with other AWS services to provide flexible and cost-effective cloud computing globally.

Know more on AWS EC2 Here

 Identity and Access Management (IAM): AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service that provides secure control over AWS services and resources. It helps you to create and manage AWS users and groups, as well as use permissions to grant and prohibit access to AWS resources.

Know more on IAM Here

AWS Lambda Function: AWS Lambda is a serverless computing solution that executes your code in response to events while automatically maintaining the underlying infrastructure. It scales automatically and you simply pay for the compute time consumed, making it suitable for event-driven applications that don’t require server maintenance.

Know more on Lambda  Here

EventBridge: Amazon EventBridge is a serverless event bus service that connects applications based on data from your own apps, SaaS integrations, and AWS services. It enables you to easily create event-driven architectures by routing events from various sources to targets such as AWS Lambda, SNS, SQS, and other AWS services. EventBridge streamlines event management and delivery allows for event filtering, and assures scalable, reliable, and secure event ingestion and processing.

Know more on EventBridge Here

Demo:

Automate Start/Stop AWS EC2 Instance Using Lambda: Step-by-Step Guide

We’re going to follow the steps below:

1. Creating an AWS EC2 Instance
2. Setting up an AWS IAM Role
3. Configuring a Lambda Function
4. Configuring EventBridge
5. Verifying the Lambda Function & EventBridge Rule.

1. Creating an AWS EC2 Instance

Refer to this blog to create an AWS EC2 Instance

2. Create an AWS IAM Role

We are going to  Create an IAM role Policy.

1. Click on the Policies from the Left Side and click on Create Policy.

2. Replace the existing Policy with the below policy.

{  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "logs:CreateLogGroup",
        "logs:CreateLogStream",
        "logs:PutLogEvents"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:logs:*:*:*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ec2:Start*",	
        "ec2:Stop*"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

3. Policy Name as LambdaRole and click on Create policy
4. Click  on the Roles

5. Select AWS Service as the trusted entity type

6. Search for the LambdaRole we had created and click Next

7. Provide the name as AWSlambdaRole and click on Create Role

8. AWSLambdaRole is created successfully.

3. Configure the Lambda Function 

We are going to create a Lambda Function in this section

1. Search for Lambda and Click on Create a function.

2. Select the Author from scratch Name as LambdaAutomation and Select the Runtime as Python 3.9.

4.   select the Use an existing role choose the role we created and then click on Create Function.

Here, we have successfully created the Lambda Function.

Under Code, replace the existing code with the below Python code and click on deploy to save it

import boto3

region = 'us-west-1'

instances = ['i-12345cb6de4f78g9h']

ec2 = boto3.client('ec2', region_name=region)




def lambda_handler(event, context):

ec2.stop_instances(InstanceIds=instances)

print('stopped your instances: ' + str(instances))

 we have successfully deployed the Python code in the Lambda Function.

 4. Configure the EventBridge

We are going to create an EventBridge and add a trigger

1. Navigate to  Lambda Console and click on Add Trigger.

2. Select the EventBridge (CloudWatch Events)

3. Select Create a new rule and Select the Rule type as Schedule expression.

4. Now in the New Google Tab, search for the UTC Time Right Now.

5. we will write the Expression as cron(47 6 ? * * *) for  the instance to be stopped after 10 minutes

6. We have successfully added the Trigger.

5. Verify the Lambda Function & EventBridge Rule

We are going to verify the instance state in this section

1. Now it’s 6:47 UTC, refresh the EC2 Console and you can our EC2 Instance has Stopped Automatically.

Thus we have successfully automated the process of Stopping the AWS EC2 Instance at the Specific Time

Conclusion

We covered the essential steps in building a comprehensive AWS workflow: creating an AWS EC2 instance for foundational infrastructure, configuring IAM roles to manage access securely, setting up Lambda functions for event-driven processing, and integrating EventBridge for seamless event routing. This setup ensures a robust and scalable architecture for AWS applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related References

• AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate SAA-C03.
• AWS EC2 Instance | Steps to Connect Windows EC2 Instance
• AWS Free Tier Limits
• AWS Free Tier Account Details
• AWS Lambda: Serverless Compute Service

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