AWS App Runner: Simplified Container and Source Code Deployment

AWS App Runner is a fully managed service that makes it easy to deploy containerized web applications and APIs at scale. This guide explores its features, use cases, and best practices.

Service Overview

Getting Started

1. Source Code Deployment

Example Node.js application:

// app.js
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.json({ message: 'Hello from App Runner!' });
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${port}`);
});

Configuration file:

# apprunner.yaml
version: 1.0
runtime: nodejs12
build:
  commands:
    pre-build:
      - npm install
    build:
      - npm run build
run:
  command: node app.js
  network:
    port: 3000

2. Container Deployment

Dockerfile example:

FROM node:14-alpine

WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .

EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "app.js"]

Infrastructure as Code

AWS CDK Implementation

import * as apprunner from '@aws-cdk/aws-apprunner-alpha';
import * as ecr from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-ecr';

// Create App Runner service from container
const service = new apprunner.Service(this, 'Service', {
  source: apprunner.Source.fromEcr({
    imageConfiguration: {
      port: 3000,
    },
    repository: ecr.Repository.fromRepositoryName(
      this,
      'Repo',
      'my-app-repo'
    ),
    tag: 'latest',
  }),
});

CloudFormation Template

Resources:
  AppRunnerService:
    Type: AWS::AppRunner::Service
    Properties:
      ServiceName: my-web-app
      SourceConfiguration:
        AuthenticationConfiguration:
          AccessRoleArn: !GetAtt AppRunnerECRAccessRole.Arn
        ImageRepository:
          ImageIdentifier: !Sub ${AWS::AccountId}.dkr.ecr.${AWS::Region}.amazonaws.com/my-app:latest
          ImageConfiguration:
            Port: 3000
      InstanceConfiguration:
        Cpu: 1024
        Memory: 2048

Auto Scaling Configuration

{
  "AutoScalingConfigurationName": "production-config",
  "MaxConcurrency": 100,
  "MinSize": 1,
  "MaxSize": 25,
  "Tags": [
    {
      "Key": "Environment",
      "Value": "Production"
    }
  ]
}

Networking and Security

VPC Configuration

Resources:
  AppRunnerVpcConnector:
    Type: AWS::AppRunner::VpcConnector
    Properties:
      VpcConnectorName: my-vpc-connector
      Subnets: 
        - subnet-123456
        - subnet-789012
      SecurityGroups:
        - sg-123456

IAM Configuration

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ecr:GetAuthorizationToken",
        "ecr:BatchCheckLayerAvailability",
        "ecr:GetDownloadUrlForLayer",
        "ecr:BatchGetImage"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Monitoring and Logging

CloudWatch Integration

import boto3
import datetime

cloudwatch = boto3.client('cloudwatch')

def get_app_metrics():
    response = cloudwatch.get_metric_statistics(
        Namespace='AWS/AppRunner',
        MetricName='RequestCount',
        Dimensions=[
            {
                'Name': 'ServiceName',
                'Value': 'my-web-app'
            }
        ],
        StartTime=datetime.datetime.utcnow() - datetime.timedelta(hours=1),
        EndTime=datetime.datetime.utcnow(),
        Period=60,
        Statistics=['Sum']
    )
    return response

Custom Metrics

const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const cloudwatch = new AWS.CloudWatch();

async function publishCustomMetric(value) {
  await cloudwatch.putMetricData({
    Namespace: 'MyAppMetrics',
    MetricData: [{
      MetricName: 'BusinessTransactions',
      Value: value,
      Unit: 'Count',
      Dimensions: [{
        Name: 'ServiceName',
        Value: 'my-web-app'
      }]
    }]
  }).promise();
}

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: Deploy to App Runner

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      
      - name: Configure AWS credentials
        uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v1
        with:
          aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
          aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
          aws-region: us-west-2
          
      - name: Login to Amazon ECR
        id: login-ecr
        uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v1
        
      - name: Build and push image
        env:
          ECR_REGISTRY: ${{ steps.login-ecr.outputs.registry }}
          ECR_REPOSITORY: my-app
          IMAGE_TAG: latest
        run: |
          docker build -t $ECR_REGISTRY/$ECR_REPOSITORY:$IMAGE_TAG .
          docker push $ECR_REGISTRY/$ECR_REPOSITORY:$IMAGE_TAG
          
      - name: Deploy to App Runner
        run: |
          aws apprunner update-service \
            --service-arn ${{ secrets.APPRUNNER_SERVICE_ARN }} \
            --source-configuration imageRepository={imageIdentifier=$ECR_REGISTRY/$ECR_REPOSITORY:$IMAGE_TAG}

Performance Optimization

1. Resource Configuration

# Optimal resource configuration
Resources:
  AppRunnerService:
    Type: AWS::AppRunner::Service
    Properties:
      InstanceConfiguration:
        Cpu: 1 vCPU
        Memory: 2 GB
      AutoScalingConfigurationArn: !Ref AutoScalingConfig
      HealthCheckConfiguration:
        Path: /health
        Protocol: TCP
        Interval: 10
        Timeout: 5
        HealthyThreshold: 2
        UnhealthyThreshold: 3

2. Caching Strategy

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const cache = require('memory-cache');

app.get('/api/data', (req, res) => {
  const key = req.url;
  const cachedResponse = cache.get(key);
  
  if (cachedResponse) {
    return res.json(cachedResponse);
  }
  
  // Generate response
  const response = generateResponse();
  cache.put(key, response, 300000); // Cache for 5 minutes
  res.json(response);
});

Cost Optimization

1. Auto Scaling Configuration

{
  "AutoScalingConfigurationName": "cost-optimized",
  "MaxConcurrency": 50,
  "MinSize": 1,
  "MaxSize": 10,
  "Tags": [
    {
      "Key": "CostCenter",
      "Value": "WebApp"
    }
  ]
}

2. Resource Utilization

# Resource optimization example
Resources:
  OptimizedService:
    Type: AWS::AppRunner::Service
    Properties:
      InstanceConfiguration:
        Cpu: "1024"  # 1 vCPU
        Memory: "2048"  # 2 GB
      AutoScalingConfigurationArn: !Ref CostOptimizedConfig
      ObservabilityConfiguration:
        ObservabilityEnabled: true
        TraceConfiguration:
          Vendor: AWSXRAY

Best Practices

1. Application Design

• Use health checks
• Implement graceful shutdown
• Handle environment variables
• Optimize container size

2. Operational Excellence

• Enable observability
• Implement proper logging
• Use infrastructure as code
• Regular monitoring and alerts

3. Security

• Use VPC connectivity
• Implement least privilege
• Enable encryption
• Regular security updates

Troubleshooting Guide

Common issues and solutions:

1. Deployment Failures

   • Check build logs
   • Verify source configuration
   • Validate container image
   • Check resource limits

2. Performance Issues

   • Monitor metrics
   • Check resource utilization
   • Validate auto-scaling
   • Review application logs

References

1. AWS App Runner Documentation
2. App Runner Best Practices
3. Pricing Information
4. App Runner Workshop
5. Container Security
6. Auto Scaling Guide

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