/epoch-time-api

This repository hosts the code and infrastructure setup for a simple API endpoint that returns the current epoch time. The API is developed using Flask, a lightweight Python web framework, and is containerized with Docker for seamless deployment and scalability.

Primary LanguageHCL

Epoch Time API Endpoint

This repository hosts the code and infrastructure setup for a simple API endpoint that returns the current epoch time. The API is developed using Flask, a lightweight Python web framework, and is containerized with Docker for seamless deployment and scalability.

Repository Contents

  • Flask Application Code: The core application code written in Python using the Flask framework.
  • Dockerfile: Used for creating a Docker image of the application.
  • Terraform Configuration Files: These files are used to provision the necessary AWS resources.
  • Deployment Script: Automates the deployment process and provides the container service IP Address.
  • Requirements: The Python application libraries installed in the application

API Details

The API responds to HTTP GET requests at the root endpoint (/) and returns a JSON payload in the format {"The current epoch time": <EPOCH_TIME>}, where <EPOCH_TIME> is an integer representing the current epoch time in seconds.

Disclaimer: This is a basic implementation intended for demonstration purposes. Additional features or modifications may be necessary for a production environment.

Prerequisites

To deploy this application, the following tools are required:

  • Terraform: Used to provision and manage the AWS resources required for this application. Ensure Terraform is installed on your machine. It can be downloaded from the official Terraform website. This project has been tested with Terraform version v1.7.1.
  • AWS CLI: Used to interact with AWS services. Ensure AWS CLI is installed on your machine. It can be downloaded from the official AWS CLI website. This project has been tested with AWS CLI version 2.15.14.

Download Git Repo

To install the application clone this git repository to a system with internet access:

git clone https://github.com/gaurelus/epoch-time-api.git

Login to AWS CLI

Requires Admin Account Access To access cloud resources authenticate with the following command in your terminal:

aws configure

Run the deploy.sh script

  • navigate to source directory
cd ./epoch-time-api/
  • Change deploy script permissions for execution
chmod +x ./deploy.sh
  • Deploy New application VPC and retrieve new IP address for curl command
./deploy.sh

Usage

Once the application is deployed, you can interact with it using HTTP GET requests. The application responds to requests at the root endpoint (/) and returns the current epoch time in a JSON payload.

Here’s an example of how to use curl to send a request to the application:

curl http://<PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS>:80

The deployment script will provide you with the proper command and IP Address to access the hosted service. The output will be a JSON object in the following format:

{
  "The current epoch time": <EPOCH_TIME>
}

Where <EPOCH_TIME> is an integer representing the current epoch time in seconds.

Error Handling

You might encounter the following error when trying to connect to the application:

curl: (7) Failed to connect to <YOUR_PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS> port 80: Connection refused

This error typically occurs when the application is not ready to accept connections. The solution is simple: wait a few seconds and try again. The application or AWS Fargate configurations might be in the process of starting up still.

  • Here’s the command to retry the connection:
curl http://<YOUR_PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS>:80

Please note that the public IP address of your application is output by the deployment script. If you lose this IP address, you can rerun the deployment script to retrieve it.

Destroying the Terraform Infrastructure

Once you’re done with the application and want to clean up the resources, you can destroy the Terraform infrastructure that was created. Here are the steps to do so:

  • Navigate to the terraform directory:
cd ./terraform
  • Run the Terraform destroy command:
terraform destroy
  • Confirm the destruction of the resources when prompted by typing yes.

WARNING: Please note that this will destroy all the resources created by Terraform, including the VPC, container service, and any other associated resources. This action is irreversible, so make sure you no longer need these resources before running the destroy command.

Also, remember to clear your AWS CLI credentials from your machine if you’re not planning to use them again. You can do this by running aws configure and following the prompts to remove your credentials.

That’s it! You’ve successfully cleaned up the resources created by this project. If you have any issues, feel free to raise an issue on this GitHub repository.

WARNING: This application uses a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment. Use a production WSGI server instead.