Deploy HailBytes ASM on AWS

Overview

This tutorial guides you through deploying HailBytes ASM on AWS using our pre-configured CloudFormation template. The deployment includes EC2 instance, RDS PostgreSQL database, ElastiCache Redis for Celery task queue, and docker-compose orchestration for all reconnaissance services. The same template is supported in AWS GovCloud (US) for federal customers and pen-test firms working under government contracts.

AWS Deployment Architecture - What you'll build in this tutorial

Step 1: Access AWS CloudFormation

Log into your AWS Console and navigate to the CloudFormation service. Select a region with good performance for your location (us-east-1, us-west-2, or eu-west-1 recommended). For federal workloads, use us-gov-west-1 or us-gov-east-1 via your GovCloud account.

Step 2: Upload HailBytes Template

Download our CloudFormation template and upload it to AWS:

# Download template
curl -O https://hailbytes.com/templates/hailbytes-asm-cloudformation.yaml

# Or use AWS CLI
aws cloudformation create-stack \
  --stack-name hailbytes-asm-production \
  --template-url https://hailbytes.com/templates/hailbytes-asm-cloudformation.yaml \
  --parameters \
    ParameterKey=InstanceType,ParameterValue=t3.large \
    ParameterKey=DBInstanceClass,ParameterValue=db.t3.medium \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM

Upload the file in the CloudFormation console and click "Next".

Step 3: Configure Stack Parameters

Set the following parameters for your HailBytes ASM deployment:

Step 4: Review and Deploy

Review your configuration and launch the stack. Deployment typically takes 5-8 minutes.

Step 5: Access Your HailBytes ASM Dashboard

Once deployment completes, access your HailBytes ASM instance using the provided URLs.

# Get outputs from CloudFormation
aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
  --stack-name hailbytes-asm-production \
  --query 'Stacks[0].Outputs'

# Outputs:
# - WebURL: https://asm.yourcompany.com
# - AdminURL: https://asm.yourcompany.com:8000/admin
# - DatabaseEndpoint: hailbytes-asm-db.abc123.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com
# - RedisEndpoint: hailbytes-asm-redis.abc123.cache.amazonaws.com
# - DefaultUsername: admin
# - DefaultPassword: (check CloudFormation outputs or EC2 user data)

Navigate to the Web URL in your browser and log in with the default credentials. You'll be prompted to change your password on first login.

Understanding the Architecture

HailBytes ASM uses a containerized architecture managed by docker-compose:

# SSH into your instance to view running containers
ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@

# View docker-compose services
cd /opt/hailbytes-asm
docker-compose ps

# Expected output:
NAME                         STATUS              PORTS
hailbytes-asm-web-1          Up 5 minutes
hailbytes-asm-celery-1       Up 5 minutes
hailbytes-asm-celery-beat-1  Up 5 minutes
hailbytes-asm-redis-1        Up 5 minutes
hailbytes-asm-proxy-1        Up 5 minutes        0.0.0.0:8082->8082/tcp, 0.0.0.0:443->443/tcp

Post-Deployment Configuration

Complete these steps to secure and optimize your deployment:

Configure SSL with Let's Encrypt

Set up free SSL certificates for your HailBytes ASM instance:

# SSH into EC2 instance
ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@

# Update domain in NGINX configuration
sudo nano /opt/hailbytes-asm/docker/proxy/config/hailbytes_asm.conf

# Update server_name directive
server_name asm.yourcompany.com;

# Install certbot
sudo yum install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

# Generate certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d asm.yourcompany.com

# Follow prompts to complete setup
# Certbot will automatically configure NGINX and set up auto-renewal

Ensure your domain's DNS A record points to your Elastic IP before running certbot.

Troubleshooting

Cost Estimation

Monthly AWS costs for typical HailBytes ASM deployment:

Next Steps