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The whitepaper outlines the steps taken by TrackIt to deploy a secure, reliable, and scalable Chainlink environment on AWS using Terraform. Chainlink is a decentralized blockchain oracle network that facilitates the transfer of tamper-proof data from off-chain sources to on-chain smart contracts. The paper discusses the different deployment methods available for Chainlink on AWS, including Amazon EC2, Amazon ECS, and Amazon EKS, with the deployment choice made for this environment being EKS. The article provides readers with an overview of how to set up their first Chainlink node using Terraform modules furnished by the AWS community. While the steps outlined are not intended for a production environment, they offer a helpful guide for deploying a Chainlink environment on AWS.

About Chainlink 

Chainlink is a completely decentralized blockchain oracle network that operates on the Ethereum blockchain, facilitating the transfer of tamper-proof data from off-chain sources to on-chain smart contracts. The network relies on multiple nodes to collect the data necessary for smart contracts. These nodes extract data and information from off-blockchain sources and send it to on-chain smart contracts via data feeds known as oracles. 

Chainlink nodes are linked together through a peer-to-peer network, allowing them to work collaboratively to acquire the necessary data. Once the data is obtained, the nodes provide the median calculated data to the Ethereum blockchain, which can then be accessed by smart contracts. By using only one node to save data to the blockchain, the system saves on gas fees that are necessary to carry out transactions on the network. Smart contracts can then use the data to make informed decisions – such as using a stop-loss mechanism to automatically execute a contract when the price of a coin falls below a specific value.

Deployment Methods

There are several methods available for deploying Chainlink on AWS. One option is to deploy Chainlink using Amazon EC2, as demonstrated by the AWS Chainlink Quickstart. It is also possible to deploy it on Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS. The deployment choice made for the Chainlink environment discussed in this article is EKS for reasons provided in the section titled ‘Step #3 -Creating EKS Cluster’. 

Deploying Chainlink on EKS using Terraform

Terraform is a popular open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) tool used for managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure resources. It enables developers and operations teams to define, provision, and manage infrastructure resources such as virtual machines, storage, networking, and databases across multiple cloud providers and platforms in a consistent, repeatable, and automated manner.

This article outlines the steps taken by TrackIt to deploy a secure, reliable, and scalable Chainlink environment on AWS. An assortment of Terraform modules furnished by the AWS community was utilized to deploy the AWS infrastructure. It should be noted that the steps outlined in this article are not meant for a production environment; they will, however, guide the reader in setting up their first Chainlink node.

Solution Architecture

Solution Architecture for Chainlink on AWS

Conclusion

AWS has become the leading provider for customers who want to deploy their blockchain and ledger technology workloads on the cloud. The AWS cloud currently provides extensive support for all major blockchain protocols, including Sawtooth, DAML, Hyperledger, Ethereum, Corda, Blockstack, and more, through over 70 validated blockchain solutions from partners. This article provides readers with a resource to deploy secure, reliable, and scalable Chainlink environments on AWS.

About TrackIt

TrackIt is an Amazon Web Services Advanced Tier Services Partner specializing in cloud management, consulting, and software development solutions based in Marina del Rey, CA. 

TrackIt specializes in Modern SoftwareDevelopment, DevOps, Infrastructure-As-Code, Serverless, CI/CD, and Containerization with specialized expertise in Media & Entertainment workflows, High-Performance Computing environments, and data storage.

In addition to providing cloud management, consulting, and modern software development services, TrackIt also provides an open-source AWS cost management tool that allows users to optimize their costs and resources on AWS.