Three-Tier Application with Docker, Docker Compose, and Nginx

This project demonstrates a simple three-tier architecture deployed using Docker and Docker Compose on an AWS EC2 instance. The architecture consists of:

• Frontend: React application
• Backend: Node.js API
• Database: MySQL

Features

• Dockerized frontend, backend, and database services.
• Deployment using Docker Compose.
• Nginx as a reverse proxy to expose the frontend.

Prerequisites

• AWS account with a free-tier EC2 instance.
• Basic understanding of Docker, Docker Compose, and Nginx.
• SSH access to the EC2 instance.

Project Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd <repository-folder>

2. Frontend

Navigate to the frontend directory and review the React app:

cd frontend

Dockerfile for Frontend:

FROM node:16
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["npm", "start"]

3. Backend

Navigate to the backend directory and review the Node.js server:

cd backend

Dockerfile for Backend:

FROM node:16
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 4000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

4. Database

Uses a standard MySQL image:

db:
  image: mysql:5.7
  environment:
    MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
    MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp

5. Docker Compose

In the project root, the docker-compose.yml file orchestrates the services:

version: '3'
services:
  frontend:
    build: ./frontend
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    depends_on:
      - backend

  backend:
    build: ./backend
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mysql:5.7
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
      MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  db_data:

6. EC2 Setup

1. Launch an EC2 Instance:

   • Use an Ubuntu AMI (free-tier eligible).
   • Ensure the security group allows HTTP (port 80), and SSH (port 22).

2. Install Docker and Docker Compose:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y docker.io
   sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.26.0/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
   sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

3. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install -y nginx

7. Deploy the Application

1. Run docker-compose to deploy all services:

   sudo docker-compose up -d

2. Verify running containers:

   sudo docker ps

8. Nginx Configuration

Edit the default Nginx config:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Set up reverse proxy for the frontend:

server {
    listen 80;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Access the Application

• Frontend: Visit http://<EC2-public-IP>.
• Backend: Verify connectivity from the frontend.
• Database: Pre-configured to store data for the backend.

Conclusion

This project showcases how to deploy a three-tier architecture using Docker, Docker Compose, and Nginx on AWS EC2.

MIT License.

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Feel free to modify this README.md to suit your project.