Provision Stacks with CloudFormation

Provision Nuon install stacks on AWS with CloudFormation.

Nuon supports provisioning install stacks to AWS using CloudFormation. A CloudFormation stack template is generated for every install, along with a quick-create link and CLI commands. Which one you use will depend on whether your customer wants to use the AWS web console or the AWS CLI.

• Quick-create — open the quick-create link and create the stack in the AWS web console.
• AWS CLI — run the generated aws cloudformation create-stack command.

CloudFormation is AWS-only.

How it works

Provisioning with CloudFormation is a hand-off between you and your customer:

1. You create the install. The install workflow pauses at the await install stack step.
2. On that step, you copy the quick-create link or the CLI commands.
3. You send them to your customer.
4. Your customer launches the stack in their AWS account.
5. The stack boots up the runner. Once the runner connects, the await install stack step completes.

Prerequisites

Your customer will need the following in order to launch the stack.

• Access to the target AWS account with permission to create CloudFormation stacks.
• If using the CLI, the AWS CLI installed and configured.

Using the quick-create link

Follow these steps to provision a stack using a quick-create link.

1. Create an install

   Create an install as you usually would, and wait for the provision workflow to get to the await install stack step.

2. Send your customer the quick-create link

   On the await install stack step, copy the Quick launch in AWS console link and send it to your customer.

   The remaining steps are for your customer.

3. Open the quick-create link

   Open the link while signed in to the target AWS account. It opens CloudFormation’s quick-create flow with the template URL and stack name prefilled.

4. Configure the install

   Fill in the required inputs and secrets. Override any default values you want to change.

   The secret values will be written directly to AWS Secrets Manager. They will not be saved in plaintext anywhere.
5. Provision the stack

   Check the boxes at the bottom of the page and click Create stack. This will provision the Nuon stack. Once the runner phones home, the await install stack step in Nuon will complete.

Using the AWS CLI

Follow these steps to provision a stack using the AWS CLI.

1. Send your customer the command

   On the await install stack step, copy the generated Create stack command and send it to your customer.

   The remaining steps are for your customer.

2. Configure and create the stack

   Run the command using credentials for the target AWS account. Use the --parameters flag to set input and secret values.

   aws cloudformation create-stack \
     --stack-name <stack-name> \
     --template-url <template-url> \
     --capabilities CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
     --region <region>
   

   This will provision the Nuon stack. Once the runner phones home, the await install stack step in Nuon will complete.