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Setting Up AWS Application Load Balancer (ALB)

Overview​

An AWS Application Load Balancer (ALB) serves as the entry point for HTTP/HTTPS traffic to your AutoStopping-managed resources. It intelligently routes requests and works with AutoStopping to start and stop resources based on traffic patterns.

How AWS Load Balancer Works with AutoStopping​

AWS Load Balancer Architecture

A Harness load balancer in AWS consists of two primary components:

  1. Application Load Balancer (ALB): Routes HTTP/HTTPS traffic based on application-level information
  2. Lambda Function: Manages resource warm-up and displays progress pages during startup

Key Benefits​

  • Centralized Traffic Management: Direct traffic to multiple AutoStopped resources
  • Reuse Across Rules: One load balancer can serve multiple AutoStopping rules
  • Path-Based Routing: Route different paths to different resource groups
  • Seamless User Experience: Users access resources through familiar URLs

DNS Configuration​

Each load balancer requires a domain name (e.g., *.autostopping.example.com) that points to the load balancer. This is typically configured as:

*.autostopping.example.com → Load balancer DNS address

Setup Process​

Prerequisites​

Creating a Load Balancer from the AutoStopping Homepage​

  1. In the AutoStopping overview page, click Load Balancers in the top right

  2. Enter a name and select AWS in Cloud Provider

  3. Choose a cloud connector or create a new one.

  4. Enter Load Balancer Configuration.

    • Choose access type as Internal or External
    • Select the AWS region for deployment
    • Choose an SSL certificate
    • Select the VPC for deployment
    • Choose appropriate security groups

  5. Click Save Load Balancer

Your load balancer is now ready to use with AutoStopping rules.

DNS Configuration

If using Route 53, Harness automatically creates the necessary DNS record:

A record: *.autostopping.yourdomain.com → [ALB DNS address]

If using another DNS provider, you'll need to manually create a CNAME record:

  1. Go to your DNS provider's management console
  2. Create a wildcard CNAME record: *.autostopping.yourcompany.com → [ALB DNS address]
  3. For detailed instructions, see AWS DNS CNAME documentation

Updating the Lambda Function​

The AWS Load Balancer uses a Lambda function to manage traffic and handle resource warm-up. You may need to update this function to the latest version.

Step 1: Locate the Lambda Function​

  1. Go to the AWS Console and navigate to the EC2 service
  2. Select Load Balancers and find your AutoStopping ALB
  3. Go to the Listeners tab
  4. Find the default rule and note the target group
  5. The target group contains the Lambda function that needs updating

Step 2: Update the Function Code​

important

The current version is aws-proxymanager-0.1.3.zip

  1. Download the latest code package

  2. In AWS Console, navigate to Lambda → Functions and find your function

  3. Select the Code tab

  4. Click Upload from → .zip file

  5. Select the downloaded zip file and click Save