Deploying a Simple Node.js App on AWS EKS

A Beginner-Friendly and Cost-Effective Guide

This project demonstrates how to deploy a simple Node.js application on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) — without overspending.
The goal is to help beginners and developers learn EKS deployment while keeping costs under $2 using minimal AWS resources.

🧠 Introduction

Most tutorials on Kubernetes jump straight into complex setups and assume deep prior knowledge.
But in the real world, cost matters — especially for learners, small teams, and startups.

This guide shows how to:

• Deploy a simple Node.js app with a /health endpoint
• Configure EKS efficiently without overspending
• Test, scale, and clean up resources after use

By the end, you’ll not only know how to deploy to AWS EKS but also learn how to think like a cost-conscious cloud engineer.

---

🧰 Prerequisites

You’ll need the following tools:

• AWS Account: To create and manage cloud resources (EKS, EC2, etc.)
• AWS CLI: Command-line interface to manage AWS services
• kubectl: Tool to manage Kubernetes clusters and deployments
• eksctl: Simplifies EKS cluster creation and management
• Docker: To containerize your Node.js app
• Node.js & npm: Required to build and run the sample app
• VS Code (or any IDE): To write and edit your code
• (Optional) Docker Hub account: To store your Docker images

---

🚀 Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Build the Node App

Clone this github repository

git clone https://github.com/iamDayoDev/nodejs-app-aws-eks.git
cd nodejs-app-aws-eks

Then install dependencies and run the app:

npm install
npm start server.js

You should see the app running at http://localhost:3000.

Step 2: Dockerize the App

Build the Docker image with the Dockerfile

docker build -t nodejs-eks-app .
docker run -p 3000:3000 -d  nodejs-eks-app

Step 3: Push Image to DockerHub

Tag and push the image to DockerHub (replace <your-dockerhub-username> with your actual username):

docker tag nodejs-eks-app <your-dockerhub-username>/nodejs-eks-app:latest
docker push <your-dockerhub-username>/nodejs-eks-app:latest

Step 4: Create EKS Cluster

Create a minimal EKS cluster using eksctl:

eksctl create cluster -f cluster-config-yaml

This configuration uses the smallest instance type (t3.micro) to keep costs low.

Step 5: Deploy the App to EKS

Apply the Kubernetes manifests to deploy the app:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

kubectl apply -f service.yaml

Step 6: Access the App

Get the service URL:

kubectl get svc

Use the external IP to access your app in the browser or via curl:

curl http://<EXTERNAL-IP>:3000/health

Step 7: Manual Scaling

Scale the deployment manually:

kubectl scale deployment nodejs-eks-app --replicas=5

kubectl get pods

Scale Down the Deployment

kubectl scale deployment nodejs-eks-app --replicas=1

Step 8: Clean Up Resources

Delete the EKS cluster to avoid ongoing charges:

eksctl delete cluster -f cluster-config-yaml

Future Upgrade

For a more advanced setup, consider implementing:

• CI/CD Pipelines: Automate deployments with GitHub Actions or Jenkins
• Monitoring & Logging: Integrate Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring
• Auto-scaling: Configure Horizontal Pod Autoscaler for dynamic scaling
• Security Best Practices: Implement IAM roles, security groups, and network policies
• Cost Monitoring: Use AWS Cost Explorer to track and optimize expenses