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AWS Serverless GeoServer Infrastructure

AWS Serverless GeoServer Infrastructure

Deploy GeoServer with PostgreSQL and PostGIS on AWS using containerized deployment via AWS Fargate for seamless geospatial data management and auto-scaling.

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Praneeth Bhandwalkar
Published Nov 20, 2024
Last Modified Nov 21, 2024

Objective:

The project aims to deploy and auto-scale a GeoServer application with a PostgreSQL database and PostGIS extension on AWS. The architecture is designed to minimize the need for manual server management using serverless technologies.

Key AWS Services Used:

  1. AWS Fargate: To run containerized GeoServer instances.
  2. Amazon RDS: Host the PostgreSQL database with PostGIS extensions.
  3. Amazon EFS: For shared storage across containers.
  4. Amazon ECS: To orchestrate container deployments.
  5. Amazon VPC: For secure networking.

Architecture Overview:

The infrastructure employs a serverless, containerized deployment using AWS services to:
  • Host GeoServer on Fargate.
  • Store geospatial data in a PostgreSQL/PostGIS database.
  • Share files via EFS.
  • Balance load and scale services using ECS and an Application Load Balancer (ALB).

Step-by-Step Implementation:

Part 1: Set Up Infrastructure

  1. VPC Creation:
    • Create a VPC with public and private subnets across multiple availability zones.
    • Configure NAT gateways and internet gateways.
  2. Security Groups:
    • Define security groups for the Application Load Balancer, GeoServer, EFS, and RDS with appropriate rules for restricted access.
  3. Amazon EFS:
    • Create an EFS for shared file storage between containerized GeoServer instances.
  4. PostgreSQL Database:
    • Set up an Amazon RDS PostgreSQL instance with PostGIS extensions for spatial data processing.
  5. AWS CloudShell:
    • Use CloudShell to configure the PostgreSQL database and install PostGIS extensions.

Part 2: Configure GeoServer

  1. GeoServer Deployment:
    • Use ECS to create a task definition and configure a containerized GeoServer instance.
    • Mount the EFS volume to share data across multiple containers.
  2. Data Upload:
    • Load geospatial datasets into the PostgreSQL/PostGIS database.
  3. Application Load Balancer:
    • Set up an ALB to route traffic to GeoServer instances.
    • Configure health checks and sticky sessions for efficient load balancing.
  4. Scaling:
    • Use ECS to deploy multiple GeoServer instances, auto-scaling based on CPU utilization.

GeoServer Configuration:

  1. Configure GeoServer to:
    • Connect to the PostGIS database.
    • Use data from EFS and PostgreSQL.
    • Publish geospatial layers for visualization.
  2. Access GeoServer via the ALB's DNS and manage the application through its web interface.

Key Features:

  • Automation: Fully automated deployment using ECS and Fargate.
  • Scalability: Ability to auto-scale based on demand with ECS services.
  • Flexibility: Integration with PostgreSQL/PostGIS and EFS for geospatial data management.
  • Security: Controlled access using VPC and security groups.

Outcome:

This project demonstrates how AWS serverless technologies can simplify the deployment and scaling of GeoServer for geospatial applications. It eliminates server management overhead and provides a scalable, cost-effective solution for geospatial data hosting and processing.

Note:

  • Ensure that all resources are deleted after use to avoid unnecessary costs.
     

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