Use Cases / Context

Although Amazon Web Services (AWS) allows API calls without using an SDK, we found that integrating the Amazon SDK into Cetmix Tower makes provisioning, configuring, and maintaining AWS instances more convenient for the end user. However, not all Cetmix Tower users require this functionality, so to avoid overloading the system, we have included it in a separate module.

Configuration

Setting up AWS Access

1. Create AWS Access Keys

   To use the AWS integration with Cetmix Tower, you need to create AWS access keys:

   • Follow the official AWS documentation https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/security-creds.html for creating IAM access keys
   • It’s recommended to create a dedicated IAM user with appropriate permissions for Cetmix Tower
   • Store your access key ID and secret access key securely - you’ll need them in the next step

2. Configure AWS Secrets in Cetmix Tower

   Create two secrets in Cetmix Tower to store your AWS credentials:

   • Navigate to Cetmix Tower > Settings > Keys and Secrets
   • Create a new Secret with:
     • Name: AWS Access Key
     • Reference: aws_access_key
     • Key Type: Secret
   • Enter your AWS access key ID in the Secret Value tab
   • Similarly, create another Secret with:
     • Name: AWS Secret Access Key
     • Reference: aws_secret_access_key
     • Key Type: Secret
   • Enter your AWS secret access key in the Secret Value tab

   Note: These secrets will be accessible as #!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!# and #!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!# in your commands.

3. Configure AWS Region

   Create a variable to define your AWS region:

   • Navigate to Cetmix Tower > Settings > Variables
   • Create a new Variable with:
     • Name: AWS Region Name
     • Reference: aws_region_name
     • Type: String
   • Set your AWS region (e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1) as the value

Usage

Please check the official Boto3 Documentation https://boto3.amazonaws.com/v1/documentation/api/latest/index.html for the detailed information about the services and methods provided by the Boto3 library.

Disclaimer: The following example demonstrates one of many possible commands you can create and run with this module. The boto3 library provides access to the full range of AWS services and methods - this is just a starting point to help you get familiar with the integration.

Example of Cetmix Tower Python Command to List EC2 Instances

• Navigate to Command Creation

  • Go to Cetmix Tower > Commands > Commands
  • Click the Create button

• Configure Command Settings

  • Set a descriptive Name (e.g., “List AWS EC2 Instances”)
  • Leave Reference blank to generate automatically (or set a custom reference)
  • Select Action: “Execute Python code”
  • Set Access Level: Choose appropriate level (e.g., “Manager”)
  • Optional: Set Default Path if needed
  • Optional: Add Tags (e.g., “aws”, “ec2”) for better organization

• Add Required Variables

  • In the Variables tab, add the previously configured variable:
    • aws_region_name

• Add Required Secrets

  • In the Secrets field, add the previously configured secrets:
    • aws_access_key
    • aws_secret_access_key

• Write Python Code

  • Go to the Code tab
  • Enter the following Python code:

  # List EC2 instances using boto3
  result = {"exit_code": 0, "message": None}
  
  session = boto3.Session(
      aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
      aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#,
      region_name={{ aws_region_name }}
  )
  ec2 = session.client('ec2')
  instances = ec2.describe_instances()
  
  instance_details = []
  for reservation in instances['Reservations']:
      for instance in reservation['Instances']:
          instance_detail = "Instance ID: " + instance['InstanceId']
          instance_detail += ", Type: " + instance.get('InstanceType', 'Unknown')
          instance_detail += ", State: " + instance.get('State', {}).get('Name', 'Unknown')
          instance_details.append(instance_detail)
  
  if instance_details:
      result["message"] = "Found " + str(len(instance_details)) + " EC2 instances:\n" + "\n".join(instance_details)
  else:
      result["message"] = "No EC2 instances found"
  

• Save the Command

  • Click the Save button to create the command

Running the AWS EC2 Command

• Navigate to Server
  • Go to Cetmix Tower > Servers > Servers
  • Open the server where you want to run the command
• Execute Command from Server
  • Click the Run Command button at the top of the server form
  • In the popup dialog:
    • Select your AWS EC2 command from the dropdown
    • Verify the variable values (if any need adjustment)
    • Click Run to execute
• View Command Results
  • After execution, the command log will display showing:
    • The command executed
    • Execution status
    • Output message containing EC2 instance details if successful

Example Output

For a successful execution with EC2 instances:

Found 3 EC2 instances:
Instance ID: i-0abc123def456789, Type: t2.micro, State: running
Instance ID: i-0def456abc789123, Type: t3.medium, State: stopped
Instance ID: i-0789abc123def456, Type: m5.large, State: running

For a successful execution with no EC2 instances:

No EC2 instances found

Creating Additional AWS Commands

The cetmix_tower_aws module provides access to the boto3 Python library for AWS service integration. Here are some common services you can use:

# Standard client initialization pattern
client = boto3.client(
    'service_name',  # Replace with: ec2, s3, rds, cloudwatch, etc.
    region_name={{ aws_region_name }},
    aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
    aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#
)

# Or use resource interface for object-oriented access
resource = boto3.resource(
    'service_name',  # Replace with: ec2, s3, etc.
    region_name={{ aws_region_name }},
    aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
    aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#
)

Popular AWS services include: EC2 (compute), S3 (storage), RDS (databases), and CloudWatch (monitoring).

For more details, see the AWS Boto3 Documentation.

Changelog

Bug Tracker

Bugs are tracked on GitHub Issues. In case of trouble, please check there if your issue has already been reported. If you spotted it first, help us to smash it by providing a detailed and welcomed feedback.

Do not contact contributors directly about support or help with technical issues.

Credits