Master the Fundamentals of Cloud Documentation (Day 1-2)
Before diving into specific documentation tasks, you need to understand why proper documentation is crucial for cloud architectures. Your documentation serves as:
- A single source of truth for your team
- An on-boarding tool for new team members
- A reference for troubleshooting
- A compliance requirement for audits
- A communication tool for stakeholders
Setting Up Your Documentation Environment
-
Choose your documentation stack:
- Version Control: Set up a Git repository dedicated to documentation
- Collaboration Platform: Configure a team wiki (like Confluence) or documentation platform
- Diagramming Tools: Install and configure your preferred tools
- Templates: Create standardized templates for consistency
Establish documentation standards:
# [Project Name] Architecture Documentation
## Version History
| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---------|------|--------|---------|
| 1.0 | DATE | YOU | Initial |
## System Overview
[High-level description goes here]
## Components
[Detailed component descriptions]
Create Your System Overview Diagram (Day 3-4)
Planning Your First Diagram
- List all major components:
Frontend:
- Web applications
- Mobile applications
Backend:
- API servers
- Processing services
Data:
- Databases
- Storage solutions
- Map component relationships:
- Draw initial connections
- Identify data flows
- Mark security boundaries
Implementation Steps
- Start with a blank canvas in your chosen tool
- Add system boundaries:
┌─ Production Environment ─┐
│ ┌─ Application Tier ─┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ └────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────┘
-
Place components using standard symbols:
- 🔷 Databases
- 🔶 Compute resources
- 🔺 External services
- ⬡ Security components
-
Add connections:
- Solid lines for synchronous communications
- Dashed lines for asynchronous
- Dotted lines for optional connections
Document Your Cloud Components (Day 5-7)
Storage Solutions Deep Dive
Object Storage (S3-like services)
Document each bucket or container:
Bucket: user-uploads
Purpose: Store user-submitted content
Lifecycle:
- Transition to IA: 30 days
- Archive to Glacier: 90 days
- Delete: 7 years
Security:
- Server-side encryption: AES-256
- Public access: Blocked
- Versioning: Enabled
Databases
For each database instance:
Database: customer-data
Type: PostgreSQL
Purpose: Primary customer information store
Scaling:
- Current size: 500GB
- Growth rate: ~50GB/month
- Read replicas: 2
Backup:
- Schedule: Daily
- Retention: 30 days
- Point-in-time recovery: Enabled
Computing Resources Documentation
Virtual Machines
Document each instance type:
Instance Group: web-servers
Purpose: Serve main application
Specifications:
- Type: t3.large
- vCPUs: 2
- Memory: 8GB
Scaling:
- Minimum: 2
- Maximum: 10
- Scale-out: CPU > 70%
- Scale-in: CPU < 30%
Design Your Data Flow Documentation (Day 8-10)
Data Flow Template
Create a standardized format for documenting data flows:
## Data Flow: [Name]
### Source
- System: [Source System]
- Format: [Data Format]
- Frequency: [How Often]
### Transformation
1. Step 1: [Description]
- Input: [Format]
- Process: [Details]
- Output: [Format]
2. Step 2: [Description]
...
### Destination
- System: [Target System]
- Storage: [Storage Type]
- Retention: [Period]
Example Data Flow Documentation
## Data Flow: Customer Order Processing
### Source
- System: E-commerce Platform
- Format: JSON
- Frequency: Real-time
### Transformation
1. Order Validation
- Input: Raw order JSON
- Process: Validate items, price, stock
- Output: Validated order object
2. Payment Processing
- Input: Validated order
- Process: Payment gateway integration
- Output: Payment confirmation
### Destination
- System: Order Management
- Storage: PostgreSQL
- Retention: 7 years
Document Your Security Architecture (Day 11-13)
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Document your IAM structure using this template:
Role: backend-service
Description: Access role for backend services
Permissions:
- Service: S3
Actions:
- s3:GetObject
- s3:PutObject
Resources:
- arn:aws:s3:::app-data/*
- Service: DynamoDB
Actions:
- dynamodb:Query
- dynamodb:PutItem
Resources:
- arn:aws:dynamodb:*:*:table/users
Trusted Entities:
- Lambda functions
- EC2 instances
Network Security Documentation
1. Network Zone: Production VPC
Subnets
-
Public Subnet
-
CIDR:
10.0.1.0/24 - Purpose: Load balancers, bastions
-
Route Table:
public-rt
-
CIDR:
-
Private Subnet
-
CIDR:
10.0.2.0/24 - Purpose: Application servers
-
Route Table:
private-rt-1
-
CIDR:
Security Groups
- Load Balancer SG
Name: alb-sg
Inbound:
- Port: 443
Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Purpose: HTTPS
Outbound:
- Port: 8080
Destination: app-sg
Purpose: Application traffic
- Application SG
Name: app-sg
Inbound:
- Port: 8080
Source: alb-sg
Purpose: Application traffic
Outbound:
- Port: 5432
Destination: db-sg
Purpose: Database access
2. Encryption Standards
Data Encryption Standards
Data at Rest
-
S3 Objects
- Algorithm: AES-256
- Key Management: AWS KMS
- Key Rotation: Annual
-
Database
- Algorithm: AES-256
- TDE (Transparent Data Encryption): Enabled
- Backup Encryption: Yes
Data in Transit
-
External Traffic
- Protocol: TLS 1.3
- Certificate Manager: AWS ACM
- Renewal: Automatic
-
Internal Traffic
- Service Mesh: AWS App Mesh
- Protocol: mTLS
- Certificate Authority: Private CA
Master Documentation Tools (Day 14-16)
Draw.io Best Practices
- Create custom symbol libraries:
<mxlibrary>[
{
"xml": "<mxGraphModel><root><mxCell id=\"0\"/><mxCell id=\"1\" parent=\"0\"/><mxCell id=\"2\" value=\"Lambda\" style=\"shape=cloud\" vertex=\"1\"><mxGeometry x=\"0\" y=\"0\" width=\"80\" height=\"60\"/></mxCell></root></mxGraphModel>",
"w": 80,
"h": 60,
"aspect": "fixed",
"title": "Lambda Function"
}
]</mxlibrary>
- Set up document templates:
// Template configuration
{
"pageFormat": {
"width": 850,
"height": 1100,
"orientation": "portrait"
},
"styles": [
{
"name": "production",
"stroke": "#00ff00",
"fillColor": "#ffffff"
},
{
"name": "staging",
"stroke": "#ffaa00",
"fillColor": "#ffffff"
}
]
}
Markdown Documentation Examples
Create consistent documentation patterns:
# Service Documentation Template
## Service: [Name]
### Quick Reference
- **Owner**: [Team Name]
- **Slack**: #channel
- **Repository**: github.com/org/repo
### Architecture
### Dependencies
- Upstream Services:
- Service A (Critical)
- Service B (Non-critical)
- Downstream Services:
- Service C (Critical)
- Service D (Non-critical)
### Configuration
\```
yaml
service:
name: user-service
port: 8080
health_check:
endpoint: /health
interval: 30s
\
Deployment
- Pre-requisites
- Configuration Steps
- Verification Steps
Monitoring
- Metrics
- Alerts
- Dashboards
Disaster Recovery
- Backup Procedures
- Recovery Steps
- Contact Information ```
Implement Best Practices (Day 17-19)
Version Control Strategy
# Directory Structure
docs/
├── architecture/
│ ├── diagrams/
│ │ ├── high-level.drawio
│ │ └── component-level/
│ ├── components/
│ └── security/
├── runbooks/
└── README.md
# Git Workflow
git checkout -b doc/update-network-diagram
git add docs/architecture/diagrams/network.drawio
git commit -m "docs: update network diagram with new VPC peering"
git push origin doc/update-network-diagram
Documentation Reviews
Create a review checklist:
## Documentation Review Checklist
### Technical Accuracy
- [ ] All component names match deployment
- [ ] Security groups are current
- [ ] IAM roles reflect actual permissions
- [ ] Network flows are accurate
### Readability
- [ ] Diagrams follow style guide
- [ ] Technical terms are explained
- [ ] Abbreviations are defined
- [ ] Examples are provided
### Completeness
- [ ] All major components documented
- [ ] Dependencies listed
- [ ] Security controls described
- [ ] Recovery procedures included
Maintain and Update Documentation (Day 20+)
Regular Review Schedule
## Documentation Maintenance Schedule
### Weekly Reviews
- [ ] Check for broken links
- [ ] Update metrics and capacities
- [ ] Review access patterns
### Monthly Reviews
- [ ] Full architecture review
- [ ] Security compliance check
- [ ] Cost optimization review
### Quarterly Reviews
- [ ] Complete system audit
- [ ] Update all diagrams
- [ ] Refresh examples
- [ ] Update dependencies
Change Management Process
Document updates using a structured format:
Change:
title: "Update Authentication Flow"
date: "2025-01-14"
author: "Your Name"
type: "Architecture Update"
components:
- Auth Service
- User Database
changes:
- "Added OAuth2 flow diagram"
- "Updated IAM roles"
- "Modified network paths"
verification:
- "Reviewed by security team"
- "Tested in staging"
- "Approved by architecture board"
related_tickets:
- ARCH-123
- SEC-456
Real-World Example: E-Commerce Platform
Let's put it all together with a complete example of an e-commerce platform documentation:
# E-Commerce Platform Architecture
## System Overview
[check the architecture diagram below showing all components]
## Key Components
### Customer-Facing Services
1. Web Application
- React.js frontend
- CloudFront distribution
- Route53 DNS configuration
2. Mobile API
- API Gateway endpoints
- Lambda authorizers
- Request/response models
### Backend Services
1. Order Processing
- Event-driven architecture
- SQS queues
- DynamoDB tables
2. Payment Integration
- Payment gateway
- Encryption standards
- Compliance requirements
### Monitoring and Alerts
1. CloudWatch Dashboards
2. SNS Topics
3. PagerDuty Integration
## Disaster Recovery Plan
### Backup Procedures
1. Database backups
2. Configuration backups
3. Data archive strategy
### Recovery Steps
1. DNS failover
2. Database restoration
3. Service verification
### Contact Information
[Emergency contacts and escalation procedures]
Set Up Comprehensive Monitoring (Day 21-23)
Monitoring Infrastructure
Document your monitoring setup using this template:
Component: Order Processing Service
Metrics:
Performance:
- Name: order_processing_time
Description: Time to process single order
Threshold: < 2 seconds
Alert: > 5 seconds
- Name: order_queue_length
Description: Number of orders waiting
Threshold: < 100
Alert: > 500
Reliability:
- Name: error_rate
Description: Percentage of failed orders
Threshold: < 1%
Alert: > 5%
- Name: service_availability
Description: Service uptime
Threshold: > 99.9%
Alert: < 99.5%
Dashboards:
Main:
- Order Processing Overview
- Error Rates
- Queue Status
Detailed:
- Transaction Traces
- Database Performance
- Cache Hit Rates
Alert Configuration Examples
// CloudWatch Alert Configuration
const alerts = {
highErrorRate: {
metricName: 'ErrorRate',
namespace: 'OrderService',
statistic: 'Average',
period: 300, // 5 minutes
evaluationPeriods: 2,
threshold: 5,
comparisonOperator: 'GreaterThanThreshold',
alarmActions: ['arn:aws:sns:region:account:alert-topic']
},
databaseConnections: {
metricName: 'DatabaseConnections',
namespace: 'RDS',
statistic: 'Maximum',
period: 60,
evaluationPeriods: 3,
threshold: 80,
comparisonOperator: 'GreaterThanThreshold',
alarmActions: ['arn:aws:sns:region:account:urgent-topic']
}
};
Log Management
## Log Management Strategy
### Log Categories
1. Application Logs
- Format: JSON
- Fields:
```
json
{
"timestamp": "2025-01-14T12:00:00Z",
"level": "ERROR",
"service": "order-processor",
"trace_id": "abc123",
"message": "Failed to process order",
"context": {
"order_id": "ORD123",
"error": "Timeout"
}
}
```
- Retention: 30 days
2. Security Logs
- Format: CEF
- Fields: Timestamp, Source, Action, Status
- Retention: 1 year
3. Performance Logs
- Format: Metrics
- Collection: Every 1 minute
- Aggregation: 5-minute windows
Implement Deployment Documentation (Day 24-26)
Infrastructure as Code Examples
# Example Terraform Configuration
resource "aws_ecs_cluster" "main" {
name = "production-cluster"
setting {
name = "containerInsights"
value = "enabled"
}
tags = {
Environment = "production"
Managed = "terraform"
}
}
resource "aws_ecs_task_definition" "app" {
family = "app"
requires_compatibilities = ["FARGATE"]
network_mode = "awsvpc"
cpu = 256
memory = 512
container_definitions = jsonencode([
{
name = "app"
image = "${var.ecr_repository_url}:${var.image_tag}"
portMappings = [
{
containerPort = 8080
hostPort = 8080
protocol = "tcp"
}
]
environment = [
{
name = "NODE_ENV"
value = "production"
}
]
logConfiguration = {
logDriver = "awslogs"
options = {
awslogs-group = "/ecs/app"
awslogs-region = var.aws_region
awslogs-stream-prefix = "ecs"
}
}
}
])
}
Deployment Pipeline Documentation
# GitHub Actions Workflow Example
name: Deploy to Production
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, tag, and push image to ECR
env:
ECR_REGISTRY: ${{ steps.login-ecr.outputs.registry }}
ECR_REPOSITORY: app
IMAGE_TAG: ${{ github.sha }}
run: |
docker build -t $ECR_REGISTRY/$ECR_REPOSITORY:$IMAGE_TAG .
docker push $ECR_REGISTRY/$ECR_REPOSITORY:$IMAGE_TAG
- name: Update ECS service
run: |
aws ecs update-service --cluster production-cluster \
--service app-service \
--force-new-deployment
Create Troubleshooting Guides (Day 27-30)
1. High Latency Issues
Symptoms:
- API response times > 2 seconds
- Increasing error rates
- Queue backing up
Investigation Steps:
- Check CloudWatch Metrics Monitor the latency of your API Gateway in AWS using CloudWatch:
aws cloudwatch get-metric-statistics \
--namespace AWS/ApiGateway \
--metric-name Latency \
--dimensions Name=ApiName,Value=OrderAPI \
--start-time $(date -u -v-1H +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
--end-time $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
--period 300 \
--statistics Average
-
Review Database Performance
- Check connection pool usage.
- Review slow query logs.
- Examine index usage to ensure queries are optimized.
Analyze Cache Hit Rates
Check Redis cache hit rates:
redis-cli INFO stats | grep hit_rate
Resolution Steps:
- Scale Application Tier Increase the number of ECS tasks to handle higher traffic:
aws ecs update-service --cluster main --service api \
--desired-count 4
- Optimize Database Run database optimizations to ensure efficient indexing:
ANALYZE orders;
REINDEX INDEX order_status_idx;
- Clear Problematic Cache Entries Clear any problematic cache entries in Redis:
redis-cli SCAN 0 MATCH "order:*" COUNT 100
2. Failed Deployments
Symptoms:
- ECS tasks failing to start
- Health checks failing
- 5xx errors in ALB logs
Investigation Steps:
- Check ECS Task Status Review the status of ECS tasks:
aws ecs describe-tasks \
--cluster production-cluster \
--tasks $(aws ecs list-tasks \
--cluster production-cluster \
--service-name app-service \
--query 'taskArns[]' \
--output text)
- Review Container Logs Check the logs of the containers for errors:
aws logs get-log-events \
--log-group-name /ecs/app \
--log-stream-name ecs/app/latest
- Verify Security Groups Ensure that your security groups are properly configured:
aws ec2 describe-security-groups \
--group-ids sg-1234567
Resolution Steps:
- Roll Back Deployment Roll back to a previous version of the app:
aws ecs update-service \
--cluster production-cluster \
--service app-service \
--task-definition app:previous \
--force-new-deployment
- Scale Down/Up Service Scale down the service to drain existing tasks, then scale up again:
aws ecs update-service \
--cluster production-cluster \
--service app-service \
--desired-count 0
# Wait for tasks to drain
sleep 30
aws ecs update-service \
--cluster production-cluster \
--service app-service \
--desired-count 2
3. Security Incident Response
Detection:
- Unusual API Patterns Search API Gateway logs for unusual patterns:
aws logs filter-log-events \
--log-group-name API-Gateway-Execution-Logs \
--filter-pattern "[timestamp, requestId, httpMethod, resourcePath, status >= 400]"
- Unauthorized Access Attempts Check CloudTrail for unauthorized API calls:
aws cloudtrail lookup-events \
--lookup-attributes AttributeKey=EventName,AttributeValue=ConsoleLogin
Response Steps:
- Isolate Affected Resources Update security groups to block access:
aws ec2 update-security-group-rule-descriptions-ingress \
--group-id sg-1234567 \
--ip-permissions '[{"IpProtocol": "-1", "FromPort": -1, "ToPort": -1, "IpRanges": [{"CidrIp": "0.0.0.0/0"}]}]'
- Rotate Credentials Rotate the compromised user’s credentials:
# Create new access key for affected user
aws iam create-access-key --user-name affected-user
# Delete the compromised access key
aws iam delete-access-key \
--access-key-id AKIA1234567890 \
--user-name affected-user
Always update your troubleshooting guides as new issues arise and new solutions are discovered. It helps ensure that your team can respond effectively to any issue that may emerge in your production environment.
Documentation is a living artifact that should evolve with your system. Regular updates and reviews are crucial for maintaining its value to the team.
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