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Overview

This guide walks you through the initial setup and prerequisites needed to deploy the GovTech Multicloud Platform to AWS using Terraform and Kubernetes (EKS).

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Prerequisites

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Required Tools

Ensure the following tools are installed and configured:
1

Install AWS CLI

Download and install the AWS CLI:
# macOS
brew install awscli

# Linux
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install
Verify installation:
aws --version
2

Install Terraform

Install Terraform version 1.5.0 or higher:
# macOS
brew install terraform

# Linux
wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/1.5.0/terraform_1.5.0_linux_amd64.zip
unzip terraform_1.5.0_linux_amd64.zip
sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin/
Verify installation:
terraform version
# Should show: Terraform v1.5.0 or higher
3

Install kubectl

Install kubectl for Kubernetes cluster management:
# macOS
brew install kubectl

# Linux
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
chmod +x kubectl
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
Verify installation:
kubectl version --client

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AWS Account Setup

1

Configure AWS Credentials

Configure your AWS credentials with appropriate permissions:
aws configure
Enter your AWS credentials:
  • AWS Access Key ID
  • AWS Secret Access Key
  • Default region: us-east-1
  • Default output format: json
2

Verify AWS Access

Verify your AWS account access:
aws sts get-caller-identity
This should return your account ID, user ARN, and user ID.
3

Create S3 Bucket for Terraform State

Create an S3 bucket to store Terraform state (replace account ID):
aws s3 mb s3://govtech-terraform-state-<YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID> --region us-east-1

# Enable versioning
aws s3api put-bucket-versioning \
  --bucket govtech-terraform-state-<YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID> \
  --versioning-configuration Status=Enabled

# Enable encryption
aws s3api put-bucket-encryption \
  --bucket govtech-terraform-state-<YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID> \
  --server-side-encryption-configuration '{
    "Rules": [{
      "ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault": {
        "SSEAlgorithm": "AES256"
      }
    }]
  }'

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IAM Permissions

Your AWS user or role needs the following permissions:
  • VPC: Create and manage VPCs, subnets, route tables, internet gateways, NAT gateways
  • EKS: Create and manage EKS clusters and node groups
  • EC2: Create and manage EC2 instances, security groups, key pairs
  • RDS: Create and manage RDS instances, subnet groups, parameter groups
  • S3: Create and manage S3 buckets
  • IAM: Create and manage IAM roles, policies, OIDC providers
  • KMS: Create and manage KMS keys
  • ECR: Create and manage ECR repositories
  • CloudTrail: Create and manage CloudTrail trails
  • GuardDuty: Enable and manage GuardDuty
  • WAF: Create and manage WAF web ACLs
For production deployments, use IAM roles with least privilege access. Avoid using root account credentials.

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Environment Variables

Set up required environment variables: 
# AWS Configuration
export AWS_REGION=us-east-1
export AWS_ACCOUNT_ID=$(aws sts get-caller-identity --query Account --output text)

# Database Password (use a secure password manager)
export TF_VAR_db_password="your-secure-password-here"

# Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc for persistence
echo 'export AWS_REGION=us-east-1' >> ~/.bashrc
Never commit the db_password to version control. Use environment variables, AWS Secrets Manager, or a secure secret management solution.

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Project Structure

Understand the project structure before deployment: 
platform/
├── terraform/
│   ├── main.tf                    # Main Terraform configuration
│   ├── variables.tf               # Variable definitions
│   ├── modules/
│   │   ├── networking/            # VPC, subnets, gateways
│   │   ├── kubernetes-cluster/    # EKS cluster and node groups
│   │   ├── database/              # RDS PostgreSQL
│   │   ├── storage/               # S3 buckets
│   │   └── security/              # WAF, KMS, GuardDuty, CloudTrail
│   └── environments/
│       ├── dev/                   # Dev environment config
│       ├── staging/               # Staging environment config
│       └── prod/                  # Production environment config
└── kubernetes/
    ├── deploy.sh                  # Deployment script
    ├── namespace.yaml             # Namespace with security policies
    ├── configmap.yaml             # Application configuration
    ├── backend/                   # Backend deployment manifests
    ├── frontend/                  # Frontend deployment manifests
    ├── database/                  # PostgreSQL StatefulSet
    └── ingress/                   # AWS ALB Ingress

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Pre-Deployment Checklist

Before deploying, verify:
  • AWS CLI installed and configured
  • Terraform >= 1.5.0 installed
  • kubectl installed
  • Git installed
  • AWS credentials configured
  • Correct AWS region selected (us-east-1)
  • IAM permissions verified
  • S3 bucket for Terraform state created
  • Environment variables set
  • Database password generated (secure)
  • Environment selected (dev/staging/prod)
  • No CIDR conflicts with existing VPCs
  • Sufficient IP addresses in chosen CIDR ranges
  • DNS resolution working

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Next Steps

Once prerequisites are complete, proceed to:
  1. Terraform Configuration - Set up infrastructure
  2. Kubernetes Deployment - Deploy applications
  3. Environments - Understand environment differences

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Troubleshooting

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AWS CLI Not Found

If you see aws: command not found: 
# Add AWS CLI to PATH
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

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Terraform Version Mismatch

If Terraform version is too old: 
# Check current version
terraform version

# Upgrade to latest
brew upgrade terraform  # macOS

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kubectl Connection Issues

If kubectl cannot connect to cluster: 
# Update kubeconfig
aws eks update-kubeconfig --name govtech-dev --region us-east-1

# Verify connection
kubectl cluster-info

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Support

For additional help:

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