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  2. Collecting distributed tracing data for ECS/Fargate services with AWS X-Ray

How Do I Collect Distributed Tracing Data for ECS/Fargate Services With AWS X-Ray?

Introduction

AWS X-Ray provides a powerful tool for collecting and analyzing distributed tracing data, which is crucial for monitoring the performance of applications running on AWS ECS/Fargate. This guide explains how to set up AWS X-Ray tracing for your ECS/Fargate services, enabling you to gain insights into your application’s behavior and performance.

Step-by-Step Explanation

To collect distributed tracing data for ECS/Fargate services using AWS X-Ray, follow these steps:

  1. Define the IAM Role and Policy for the ECS Task: Create an IAM role with the necessary permissions for ECS tasks to interact with AWS X-Ray.

  2. Create an ECS Task Definition: This should include both your application container and the X-Ray daemon container, which will run as a sidecar.

  3. Configure the ECS Service: Use the task definition to set up your ECS service, ensuring it can communicate with AWS X-Ray.

Below is an example program demonstrating these steps:

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as aws from "@pulumi/aws";

// IAM Role for ECS Tasks
const ecsTaskExecutionRole = new aws.iam.Role("ecs_task_execution_role", {
    name: "ecsTaskExecutionRole",
    assumeRolePolicy: JSON.stringify({
        Version: "2012-10-17",
        Statement: [{
            Action: "sts:AssumeRole",
            Effect: "Allow",
            Principal: {
                Service: "ecs-tasks.amazonaws.com",
            },
        }],
    }),
});
const ecsTaskExecutionRolePolicy = new aws.iam.RolePolicyAttachment("ecs_task_execution_role_policy", {
    role: ecsTaskExecutionRole.name,
    policyArn: "arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AmazonECSTaskExecutionRolePolicy",
});
// IAM Policy for X-Ray
const xrayWritePolicy = new aws.iam.Policy("xray_write_policy", {
    name: "XRayWriteAccess",
    policy: JSON.stringify({
        Version: "2012-10-17",
        Statement: [{
            Action: [
                "xray:PutTraceSegments",
                "xray:PutTelemetryRecords",
            ],
            Effect: "Allow",
            Resource: "*",
        }],
    }),
});
// Attach the X-Ray policy to the task role
const xrayPolicyAttachment = new aws.iam.RolePolicyAttachment("xray_policy_attachment", {
    role: ecsTaskExecutionRole.name,
    policyArn: xrayWritePolicy.arn,
});
// ECS Task Definition
const app = new aws.ecs.TaskDefinition("app", {
    family: "fargate-task",
    requiresCompatibilities: ["FARGATE"],
    networkMode: "awsvpc",
    cpu: "256",
    memory: "512",
    executionRoleArn: ecsTaskExecutionRole.arn,
    containerDefinitions: JSON.stringify([
        {
            name: "my-app",
            image: "nginx",
            essential: true,
            portMappings: [{
                containerPort: 80,
                hostPort: 80,
            }],
        },
        {
            name: "xray-daemon",
            image: "amazon/aws-xray-daemon",
            essential: true,
            portMappings: [{
                containerPort: 2000,
                hostPort: 2000,
                protocol: "udp",
            }],
            environment: [{
                name: "AWS_REGION",
                value: "us-west-2",
            }],
        },
    ]),
});
const cluster = new aws.ecs.Cluster("cluster", {name: "my-cluster"});
// ECS Service
const appService = new aws.ecs.Service("app_service", {
    name: "app-service",
    cluster: cluster.id,
    taskDefinition: app.arn,
    desiredCount: 1,
    launchType: "FARGATE",
    networkConfiguration: {
        subnets: [
            "subnet-abc123",
            "subnet-def456",
        ],
        assignPublicIp: true,
    },
});

Key Points

  • IAM Role and Policy: Ensure the ECS task can assume the necessary role and has permissions to write trace data to AWS X-Ray.
  • Task Definition: Include both the application and X-Ray daemon containers.
  • ECS Service Configuration: Properly configure the service to utilize the task definition and communicate with AWS X-Ray.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined, you can successfully set up AWS X-Ray to collect distributed tracing data from your ECS/Fargate services. This setup allows you to monitor and analyze the performance of your applications, helping you make informed decisions and optimizations.

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