Create An AWS EC2 Instance

Overview

In the following guide, you are going to create a self-service action in Port that executes a GitLab pipeline to create an EC2 Instance in AWS using Terraform templates.

Prerequisites

1. A Gitlab project to contain your action resources i.e. the gitlab pipeline file.

2. An AWS Account or IAM user with permission to create access keys. Learn more

3. An SSH Key Pair to connect with the provisioned instance. Learn more

4. In your GitLab project, go to the Settings menu at the sidebar on the left, select CI/CD and create the following Variables:

   • PORT_CLIENT_ID - Port Client ID learn more
   • PORT_CLIENT_SECRET - Port Client Secret learn more
   • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID - An aws access key with the right iam permission to create an ec2 instance learn more
   • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY - An aws access key secret with permission to create an ec2 instance learn more
   • AWS_DEFAULT_REGION - The aws region where you would like to provision your ec2 instances.

GitLab Pipeline

1. Create a gitlab project to host the terraform template files and the .gitlab-ci.yaml file.

2. Create the terraform templates ( main.tf, variables.tf and outputs.tf ) at the root of your gitlab project.

main.tf

main.tf

# Configure the providers
terraform {
  required_providers {
    port = {
      source  = "port-labs/port-labs"
      version = "~> 2.0.3"
    }
    aws = {
      source = "hashicorp/aws"
    }
  }

  required_version = ">= 1.1.0"
}


data "aws_ami" "ubuntu" {
  most_recent = true

  filter {
    name   = "name"
    values = ["ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/*22.04-amd64-server-*"]
  }

  filter {
    name   = "virtualization-type"
    values = ["hvm"]
  }

  owners = ["099720109477"] # Canonical
}

locals {
  ami_id = var.ec2_ami != "" ? var.ec2_ami : data.aws_ami.ubuntu.id
}

provider "aws" {
  region = var.aws_region
}

resource "aws_instance" "app_server" {
  ami           = local.ami_id
  instance_type = var.ec2_instance_type

  tags = {
    Name = var.ec2_name
  }
}

resource "port_entity" "ec2_instance" {
  count      = length(aws_instance.app_server) > 0 ? 1 : 0
  identifier = aws_instance.app_server.id
  title      = var.ec2_name
  blueprint  = "ec2Instance"
  run_id     = var.port_run_id
  properties = {
    string_props = {
      "instance_state"   = aws_instance.app_server.instance_state,
      "instance_type"    = aws_instance.app_server.instance_type,
      "availabilityZone" = aws_instance.app_server.availability_zone,
      "public_dns"       = aws_instance.app_server.public_dns,
      "public_ip"        = aws_instance.app_server.public_ip,
      "private_dns"      = aws_instance.app_server.private_dns,
      "private_ip"       = aws_instance.app_server.private_ip,
      "monitoring"       = aws_instance.app_server.monitoring,
      "key_name"         = aws_instance.app_server.key_name,
      "subnet_id"        = aws_instance.app_server.subnet_id
    }
    array_props = {
      "tags"               = aws_instance.app_server.tags,
      "security_group_ids" = aws_instance.app_server.vpc_security_group_ids,
    }
  }
  relations = {
    single_relations = {
      "operatingSystem" = local.ami_id
    }
  }

  depends_on = [aws_instance.app_server]
}

variables.tf

variable "ec2_name" {
  type = string
}

variable "aws_region" {
  type = string
}

variable "ec2_instance_type" {
  type = string
}

variable "ec2_ami" {
  type = string
}

variable "port_run_id" {
  type = string
}

outputs.tf

outputs.tf

output "instance_id" {
  description = "The unique identifier for the provisioned EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.id
}

output "instance_state" {
  description = "The state of the EC2 instance (e.g., running, stopped)."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.instance_state
}

output "instance_type" {
  description = "The type of EC2 instance (e.g., t2.micro, m5.large)."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.instance_type
}

output "availability_zone" {
  description = "The Availability Zone where the EC2 instance is deployed."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.availability_zone
}

output "public_dns" {
  description = "The public DNS name assigned to the EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.public_dns
}

output "public_ip" {
  description = "The public IP address assigned to the EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.public_ip
}

output "private_dns" {
  description = "The private DNS name assigned to the EC2 instance within its VPC."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.private_dns
}

output "private_ip" {
  description = "The private IP address assigned to the EC2 instance within its VPC."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.private_ip
}

output "monitoring" {
  description = "Indicates if detailed monitoring is enabled for the EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.monitoring
}

output "security_group_ids" {
  description = "The list of security group IDs assigned to the EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.vpc_security_group_ids
}

output "key_name" {
  description = "The name of the key pair associated with the EC2 instance."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.key_name
}

output "subnet_id" {
  description = "The ID of the subnet to which the instance is attached."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.subnet_id
}

output "tags" {
  description = "A map of tags assigned to the resource."
  value       = aws_instance.app_server.tags
}

3. Create a GitLab Workflow file under .gitlab-ci.yaml with the following content:

GitLab workflow

modification required

Replace QUOTA_CODE on line 17 with your service quota code for vCPUs.

You can view your quotas for each region using the Service Quotas console.

Get the quota code for Running On-Demand Standard (A, C, D, H, I, M, R, T, Z) instances

gitlab-ci.yaml

stages:
  - prerequisites
  - terraform
  - port-update

image:
  name: hashicorp/terraform:light
  entrypoint:
    - '/usr/bin/env'
    - 'PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin'

variables:
  TF_VAR_gitlab_token: ${GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN}
  AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID}
  AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY : ${AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY}
  AWS_DEFAULT_REGION: ${AWS_DEFAULT_REGION}
  QUOTA_CODE: "L-1216C47A"
  PORT_CLIENT_ID: ${PORT_CLIENT_ID}
  PORT_CLIENT_SECRET: ${PORT_CLIENT_SECRET}

before_script:
  - rm -rf .terraform
  - export AWS_ACCESS_KEY=${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID}
  - export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=${AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY}
  - export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=${AWS_DEFAULT_REGION}
 
fetch-port-access-token:
  stage: prerequisites
  except:
    - pushes
  before_script:
    - apk update
    - apk add --upgrade curl jq -q
  script:
    - |
      echo "Getting access token from Port API"
      accessToken=$(curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d '{"clientId": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_ID"'", "clientSecret": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_SECRET"'"}' \
        -s 'https://api.getport.io/v1/auth/access_token' | jq -r '.accessToken')
  
      echo "ACCESS_TOKEN=$accessToken" >> data.env
      runId=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')
      echo "RUN_ID=$runId" >> data.env
      curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $accessToken" \
        -d '{"message":"🏃‍♂️ Starting action to create an EC2 instance"}' \
        "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"
      curl -X PATCH \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $accessToken" \
        -d '{"link":"'"$CI_PIPELINE_URL"'"}' \
        "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId"
  artifacts:
    reports:
      dotenv: data.env

check-quota:
  stage: prerequisites
  image: registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cloud-deploy/aws-base:latest
  except:
    - pushes
  needs:
    - job: fetch-port-access-token
      artifacts: true
  script:
    - |
      echo "Checking AWS quota for CPU, Memory, and storage..."
      EC2_COUNT=1

      runId=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')

      curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
        -d '{"statusLabel": "Checking Quota", "message":"🔍 Checking AWS quota for CPU, Memory, and storage..."}' \
        "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"

      INSTANCE_TYPE=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.payload.properties.size')
      AMI_ID=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.payload.properties.os')

      # Ensure environment variables are available
      if [[ -z "$INSTANCE_TYPE" || -z "$AMI_ID" ]]; then
        echo "Error: INSTANCE_TYPE and AMI_ID environment variables are required."
        exit 1
      fi

      # Get EC2 instance details
      instance_vcpus=$(aws ec2 describe-instance-types --instance-types $INSTANCE_TYPE --query 'InstanceTypes[].VCpuInfo.DefaultVCpus' --output text)
      instance_memory_gb=$(aws ec2 describe-instance-types --instance-types $INSTANCE_TYPE --query 'InstanceTypes[].MemoryInfo.SizeInMiB' --output text | awk '{print $1 / 1024}')
      
      # Get relevant AMI storage requirements (EBS)
      ami_storage_gb=$(aws ec2 describe-images --image-ids $AMI_ID --query 'Images[].BlockDeviceMappings[?DeviceName == `/dev/sda1`].Ebs.VolumeSize' --output text) 

      # Calculate required resources
      required_vcpus=$((instance_vcpus * EC2_COUNT))
      required_memory_gb=$((instance_memory_gb * EC2_COUNT))
      required_storage_gb=$((ami_storage_gb * EC2_COUNT))

      # print required resources
      echo "Required vCPUs: $required_vcpus"
      echo "Required Memory (GB): $required_memory_gb"
      echo "Required Storage (GB): $required_storage_gb"

      # Get EC2 quota 
      ec2_quota=$(aws service-quotas get-service-quota --service-code ec2 --quota-code $QUOTA_CODE --region $AWS_DEFAULT_REGION)
      current_vcpus=$(echo $ec2_quota | jq -r '.Quota.UsageMetric.CurrentUsage.Value // 0') 
      vcpu_limit=$(echo $ec2_quota | jq -r '.Quota.Value')
      

      # Quota data output
      echo "INSTANCE_TYPE=$INSTANCE_TYPE"  >> data.env 
      echo "AMI_ID=$AMI_ID" >> data.env
      echo "EC2_COUNT=$EC2_COUNT" >> data.env
      echo "REQUIRED_VCPUS=$required_vcpus" >> data.env
      echo "REQUIRED_MEMORY_GB=$required_memory_gb" >> data.env
      echo "REQUIRED_STORAGE_GB=$required_storage_gb" >> data.env

      echo "Current vCPUs in use: $current_vcpus"
      echo "vCPU quota limit: $vcpu_limit"
      # ... add similar output for memory and storage

      # Quota Checks
      if [ $current_vcpus -lt $required_vcpus ] && [ $vcpu_limit -ge $required_vcpus ]; then
        echo "vCPU quota is sufficient."
      else 
        echo "Insufficient vCPU quota." 
        curl -X POST \
          -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
          -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
          -d '{"message":"Insufficient vCPU quota to create EC2 instance"}' \
          "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"
        exit 1 # Fail pipeline if needed
      fi
      
      # Get Instance Type EBS Volume Type
      ebs_volume_type=$(aws ec2 describe-images --image-id $AMI_ID --query 'Images[].BlockDeviceMappings[0].Ebs.VolumeType' --output text)
      
      # Get EBS Volume Quota
      ebs_quota=$(aws service-quotas get-service-quota --service-code ec2 --quota-code 'L-1216C47A' --region $AWS_DEFAULT_REGION)
      current_storage_gb=$(echo $ebs_quota | jq -r '.Quota.UsageMetric.CurrentUsage.Value // 0')
      storage_limit_gb=$(echo $ebs_quota | jq -r '.Quota.Value')

      # Quota data output
      echo "EBS_VOLUME_TYPE=$ebs_volume_type" >> data.env
      echo "CURRENT_STORAGE_GB=$current_storage_gb" >> data.env
      echo "STORAGE_LIMIT_GB=$storage_limit_gb" >> data.env

      echo "Current storage in use: $current_storage_gb"
      echo "Storage quota limit: $storage_limit_gb"

      # Check if storage quota is sufficient
      if [ $current_storage_gb -lt $required_storage_gb ] && [ $storage_limit_gb -ge $required_storage_gb ]; then
        echo "Storage quota is sufficient."
      else 
        echo "Insufficient storage quota." 
        curl -X POST \
          -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
          -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
          -d '{"terminationStatus":"FAILURE", "message":"Insufficient storage quota to create EC2 instance"}' \
          "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"
        exit 1 
      fi

      echo "All quotas are sufficient for deployment." 
  artifacts:
    reports:
      dotenv: data.env

search-role-entities:
  stage: prerequisites
  except:
    - pushes
  before_script:
    - apk update
    - apk add --upgrade curl jq -q
  needs:
    - job: check-quota
      artifacts: true
  script: 
    - |
      echo "Searching for role entities in Port"
      accessToken=$(curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d '{"clientId": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_ID"'", "clientSecret": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_SECRET"'"}' \
        -s 'https://api.getport.io/v1/auth/access_token' | jq -r '.accessToken')

      runId=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')
      roleName=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.payload.properties.role_name')
      blueprint=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.blueprint')

      searchQuery='{
        "combinator": "and",
        "rules": [
          {
            "property": "$blueprint",
            "operator": "=",
            "value": "'$blueprint'"
          },
          {
            "property": "$title",
            "operator": "contains",
            "value": "aws-'$roleName'"
          }
        ]
      }'

      roleEntities=$(curl -X POST \
        'https://api.getport.io/v1/entities/search?exclude_calculated_properties=false&attach_title_to_relation=false' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $accessToken" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d "$searchQuery" | jq -c .)

      echo "ROLE_ENTITIES=$roleEntities" >> data.env

      # Parse the search response to calculate the next available number
      nextNumber=$(echo "$roleEntities" | jq '.entities | length + 1')
      
      # Construct the EC2 machine name
      ec2MachineName="aws-${roleName}-${nextNumber}"
      
      echo "ec2MachineName: $ec2MachineName"
      
      echo "EC2_MACHINE_NAME=$ec2MachineName" >> data.env

      runId=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')

      curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $accessToken" \
        -d '{"statusLabel": "Provisioning", "message":"🏗️ Creating EC2 instance '$ec2MachineName'"}' \
        "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"
  artifacts:
    reports:
      dotenv: data.env

apply:
  stage: terraform
  needs:
    - job: check-quota
      artifacts: true
    - job: search-role-entities
      artifacts: true
  except:
    - pushes
  before_script:
    - apk update
    - apk add --upgrade curl jq -q
    - terraform --version
    - terraform init
    - export TF_VAR_ec2_name=$EC2_MACHINE_NAME
    - export TF_VAR_ec2_instance_type=${SERVICE_NAME:-$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.payload.properties.size')}
    - export TF_VAR_ec2_ami=${AMI_ID:-$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.payload.properties.os')}
    - export TF_VAR_aws_region=${AWS_DEFAULT_REGION}
    - export TF_VAR_port_run_id=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')
  script:
    - terraform validate
    - terraform plan -out="planfile"
    - | 
      terraform apply -input=false "planfile"

      echo "INSTANCE_ID=$(terraform output -raw instance_id)" >> data.env
      echo "INSTANCE_STATE=$(terraform output -raw instance_state)" >> data.env
      echo "INSTANCE_TYPE=$(terraform output -raw instance_type)" >> data.env
      echo "AVAILABILITY_ZONE=$(terraform output -raw availability_zone)" >> data.env
      echo "PUBLIC_DNS=$(terraform output -raw public_dns)" >> data.env
      echo "PUBLIC_IP=$(terraform output -raw public_ip)" >> data.env
      echo "PRIVATE_DNS=$(terraform output -raw private_dns)" >> data.env
      echo "PRIVATE_IP=$(terraform output -raw private_ip)" >> data.env
      echo "MONITORING=$(terraform output -raw monitoring)" >> data.env
      security_group_ids_json=$(terraform output -json security_group_ids | jq -c .)
      echo "SECURITY_GROUP_IDS=$security_group_ids_json" >> data.env
      echo "KEY_NAME=$(terraform output -raw key_name)" >> data.env
      echo "SUBNET_ID=$(terraform output -raw subnet_id)" >> data.env
      tags=$(terraform output -json tags | jq -c .)
      echo "TAGS=$tags" >> data.env

update-run-status:
  stage: port-update
  needs:
    - job: apply
      artifacts: true
  except:
    - pushes
  before_script:
    - apk update
    - apk add --upgrade curl jq -q
  script:
    - |
      echo "Updating Port action run status and final logs"
      accessToken=$(curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d '{"clientId": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_ID"'", "clientSecret": "'"$PORT_CLIENT_SECRET"'"}' \
        -s 'https://api.getport.io/v1/auth/access_token' | jq -r '.accessToken')
      runId=$(cat $TRIGGER_PAYLOAD | jq -r '.context.runId')

      curl -X POST \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $accessToken" \
        -d '{"terminationStatus":"SUCCESS", "message":"✅ Finished creation successfully with 🔗 Instance ID: '$INSTANCE_ID'!"}' \
        "https://api.getport.io/v1/actions/runs/$runId/logs"

Port Configuration

1. Head over to the Builder page to create the following blueprints:
   • Click on the + Blueprint button.
   • Click on the {...} Edit JSON button.
   • Copy and paste the following JSON configuration into the editor.
   • Click Save.

AMI Blueprint

{
  "identifier": "ami",
  "description": "AMIs for creating EC2 instances",
  "title": "Amazon Machine Images",
  "icon": "EC2",
  "schema": {
    "properties": {
      "image_id": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Image ID",
        "pattern": "^ami-[0-9a-f]{8,17}$"
      },
      "description": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Description"
      }
    },
    "required": [
      "image_id",
      "description"
    ]
  },
  "mirrorProperties": {},
  "calculationProperties": {},
  "aggregationProperties": {},
  "relations": {}
}

EC2 Instance Blueprint

{
  "identifier": "ec2Instance",
  "description": "This blueprint represents an AWS EC2 instance in our software catalog.",
  "title": "EC2 Instance",
  "icon": "EC2",
  "schema": {
    "properties": {
      "instance_state": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Instance State",
        "description": "The state of the EC2 instance (e.g., running, stopped).",
        "enum": [
          "pending",
          "running",
          "shutting-down",
          "terminated",
          "stopping",
          "stopped"
        ],
        "enumColors": {
          "pending": "yellow",
          "running": "green",
          "shutting-down": "pink",
          "stopped": "purple",
          "stopping": "orange",
          "terminated": "red"
        }
      },
      "instance_type": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Instance Type",
        "description": "The type of EC2 instance (e.g., t2.micro, m5.large)."
      },
      "availability_zone": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Availability Zone",
        "description": "The Availability Zone where the EC2 instance is deployed."
      },
      "public_dns": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Public DNS",
        "description": "The public DNS name assigned to the EC2 instance."
      },
      "public_ip": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Public IP Address",
        "description": "The public IP address assigned to the EC2 instance."
      },
      "private_dns": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Private DNS",
        "description": "The private DNS name assigned to the EC2 instance within its VPC."
      },
      "private_ip": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Private IP Address",
        "description": "The private IP address assigned to the EC2 instance within its VPC."
      },
      "monitoring": {
        "type": "boolean",
        "title": "Monitoring",
        "description": "Indicates if detailed monitoring is enabled for the EC2 instance."
      },
      "security_group_ids": {
        "type": "array",
        "title": "Security Group IDs",
        "description": "The list of security group IDs assigned to the EC2 instance."
      },
      "key_name": {
        "type": "string",
        "title": "Key Name",
        "description": "The name of the key pair associated with the EC2 instance."
      }
    },
    "required": []
  },
  "mirrorProperties": {},
  "calculationProperties": {},
  "aggregationProperties": {},
  "relations": {
    "operatingSystem": {
      "title": "Operating System",
      "target": "ami",
      "required": false,
      "many": false
    }
  }
}

AMI Entities

Before we continue, add some entities onto the AMI blueprint. The identifier will be the AMI Image ID.

AMI Identifier	AMI Title	Description
ami-0f007bf1d5c770c6e	Amazon Linux 2023	Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023)
ami-0c1c30571d2dae5c9	Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS	Canonical, Ubuntu, 22.04 LTS
ami-08e592fbb0f535224	RHEL 9	Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

2. To create the Port action, go to the self-service page:
   • Click on the + New Action button.
   • Choose the EC2 Instance blueprint and click Next.
   • Click on the {...} Edit JSON button.
   • Copy and paste the following JSON configuration into the editor.

Port Action: Create An EC2 Instance

modification required

• <PROJECT_ID> - your project ID.
• <PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN> - your pipeline trigger token. Learn more.

{
  "identifier": "ec2Instance_create_ec_2_instance_with_git_lab",
  "title": "Create EC2 Instance with GitLab",
  "description": "Trigger instance creation with GitLab and Terraform",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "self-service",
    "operation": "CREATE",
    "userInputs": {
      "properties": {
        "project": {
          "type": "string",
          "title": "Project",
          "description": "AWS Account",
          "default": "851725549828",
          "enum": [
            "851725549828",
            "851745549766"
          ],
          "enumColors": {
            "851725549828": "lightGray",
            "851745549766": "lightGray"
          }
        },
        "size": {
          "icon": "DefaultProperty",
          "title": "Size",
          "type": "string",
          "default": "t2.micro",
          "enum": [
            "t2.micro",
            "t2.small",
            "t2.medium",
            "t2.large"
          ],
          "enumColors": {
            "t2.micro": "lightGray",
            "t2.small": "lightGray",
            "t2.medium": "lightGray",
            "t2.large": "lightGray"
          }
        },
        "role_name": {
          "icon": "DefaultProperty",
          "type": "string",
          "title": "Role Name",
          "minLength": 4,
          "maxLength": 8,
          "pattern": "^[a-z0-9]+$"
        },
        "os": {
          "icon": "EC2",
          "title": "OS",
          "description": "The operating system",
          "type": "string",
          "blueprint": "ami",
          "format": "entity"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "project",
        "role_name",
        "os",
        "size"
      ],
      "order": [
        "project",
        "os",
        "size",
        "role_name"
      ]
    },
    "blueprintIdentifier": "ec2Instance"
  },
  "invocationMethod": {
    "type": "WEBHOOK",
    "url": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/<PROJECT_ID>/ref/main/trigger/pipeline?token=<PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN>",
    "agent": false,
    "synchronized": false,
    "method": "POST",
    "body": {
      "action": "{{ .action.identifier[(\"ec2Instance_\" | length):] }}",
      "resourceType": "run",
      "status": "TRIGGERED",
      "trigger": "{{ .trigger | {by, origin, at} }}",
      "context": {
        "entity": "{{.entity.identifier}}",
        "blueprint": "{{.action.blueprint}}",
        "runId": "{{.run.id}}"
      },
      "payload": {
        "entity": "{{ (if .entity == {} then null else .entity end) }}",
        "action": {
          "invocationMethod": {
            "type": "WEBHOOK",
            "url": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/<PROJECT_ID>/ref/main/trigger/pipeline?token=<PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN>",
            "agent": false,
            "synchronized": false,
            "method": "POST"
          },
          "trigger": "{{.trigger.operation}}"
        },
        "properties": {
          "{{if (.inputs | has(\"project\")) then \"project\" else null end}}": "{{.inputs.\"project\"}}",
          "{{if (.inputs | has(\"size\")) then \"size\" else null end}}": "{{.inputs.\"size\"}}",
          "{{if (.inputs | has(\"role_name\")) then \"role_name\" else null end}}": "{{.inputs.\"role_name\"}}",
          "{{if (.inputs | has(\"os\")) then \"os\" else null end}}": "{{.inputs.\"os\" | if type == \"array\" then map(.identifier) else .identifier end}}"
        },
        "censoredProperties": "{{.action.encryptedProperties}}"
      }
    }
  },
  "requiredApproval": false,
  "publish": true
}

• Fill out the backend form section with your values:
  • For the Endpoint URL you need to add a URL in the following format:
    • To create a pipeline trigger token, follow this guide.

      https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/{PROJECT_ID}/ref/main/trigger/pipeline?token={PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN}
  • Set HTTP method to POST.
  • Set Request type to Async.
  • Set Use self-hosted agent to No.

Let's test it!

1. Head to the Self Service hub
2. Click on the Create An EC2 Instance action
3. Fill the pop-up form with details of the EC2 Instance you wish to create

4. Click on Execute
5. Wait for the EC2 Instance to be created in AWS

Congrats 🎉 You've created an EC2 Instance in Port 🔥

Next Steps

1. Add a disk to the EC2 instance