Cetmix Tower AWS

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: TECHNICAL MODULE

This module integrates Boto3 library, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Software Development Kit (SDK) for Python, into the Cetmix Tower.

This is a technical module intended for system administrators or DevOps professionals. It may involve server configuration, infrastructure management, or advanced setup outside the standard Odoo interface. Not intended for direct use by end users.

Table of contents

Use Cases / Context

Although Amazon Web Services (AWS) allows API calls without using an SDK, we found that integrating the Amazon SDK into Cetmix Tower makes provisioning, configuring, and maintaining AWS instances more convenient for the end user. However, not all Cetmix Tower users require this functionality, so to avoid overloading the system, we have included it in a separate module.

Configuration

Prerequisites

The module has boto3 defined in its external dependencies, which means, you should install the Python boto3 package manually if you don’t have automatic package installation configured in your Odoo environment. Run pip install boto3 to install it.

Setting up AWS Access

Create AWS Access Keys

To use the AWS integration with Cetmix Tower, you need to create AWS access keys:
- Follow the official AWS documentation (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/security-creds.html) for creating IAM access keys
- It’s recommended to create a dedicated IAM user with appropriate permissions for Cetmix Tower
- Store your access key ID and secret access key securely - you’ll need them in the next step
Configure AWS Secrets in Cetmix Tower

Create two secrets in Cetmix Tower to store your AWS credentials:
- Navigate to Cetmix Tower > Settings > Keys and Secrets
- Create a new Secret with:
  - Name: AWS Access Key
  - Reference: aws_access_key
  - Key Type: Secret
- Enter your AWS access key ID in the Secret Value tab
- Similarly, create another Secret with:
  - Name: AWS Secret Access Key
  - Reference: aws_secret_access_key
  - Key Type: Secret
- Enter your AWS secret access key in the Secret Value tab
Note: These secrets will be accessible as #!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!# and #!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!# in your commands.
Configure AWS Region

Create a variable to define your AWS region:
- Navigate to Cetmix Tower > Settings > Variables
- Create a new Variable with:
  - Name: AWS Region Name
  - Reference: aws_region_name
  - Type: String
- Set your AWS region (e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1) as the value

Usage

Please check the official Boto3 Documentation (https://boto3.amazonaws.com/v1/documentation/api/latest/index.html) for the detailed information about the services and methods provided by the Boto3 library.

Disclaimer: The following example demonstrates one of many possible commands you can create and run with this module. The boto3 library provides access to the full range of AWS services and methods - this is just a starting point to help you get familiar with the integration.

Example of Cetmix Tower Python Command to List EC2 Instances

Navigate to Command Creation

Go to Cetmix Tower > Commands > Commands
Click the Create button

Configure Command Settings

Set a descriptive Name (e.g., “List AWS EC2 Instances”)
Leave Reference blank to generate automatically (or set a custom reference)
Select Action: “Execute Python code”
Set Access Level: Choose appropriate level (e.g., “Manager”)
Optional: Set Default Path if needed
Optional: Add Tags (e.g., “aws”, “ec2”) for better organization

Add Required Variables

In the Variables tab, add the previously configured variable:
- aws_region_name

Add Required Secrets

In the Secrets field, add the previously configured secrets:
- aws_access_key
- aws_secret_access_key

Write Python Code

Go to the Code tab

Enter the following Python code:

# List EC2 instances using boto3
result = {"exit_code": 0, "message": None}

session = boto3.Session(
    aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
    aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#,
    region_name={{ aws_region_name }}
)
ec2 = session.client('ec2')
instances = ec2.describe_instances()

instance_details = []
for reservation in instances['Reservations']:
    for instance in reservation['Instances']:
        instance_detail = "Instance ID: " + instance['InstanceId']
        instance_detail += ", Type: " + instance.get('InstanceType', 'Unknown')
        instance_detail += ", State: " + instance.get('State', {}).get('Name', 'Unknown')
        instance_details.append(instance_detail)

if instance_details:
    result["message"] = "Found " + str(len(instance_details)) + " EC2 instances:\n" + "\n".join(instance_details)
else:
    result["message"] = "No EC2 instances found"

Save the Command

Click the Save button to create the command

Running the AWS EC2 Command

Navigate to Server

Go to Cetmix Tower > Servers > Servers
Open the server where you want to run the command

Execute Command from Server

Click the Command button at the top of the server form
In the popup dialog:
- Select your AWS EC2 command from the dropdown
- Verify the variable values (if any need adjustment)
- Click Run to execute

View Command Results

After execution, the command log will display showing:
- The command executed
- Execution status
- Output message containing EC2 instance details if successful

Example Output

For a successful execution with EC2 instances:

Found 3 EC2 instances:
Instance ID: i-0abc123def456789, Type: t2.micro, State: running
Instance ID: i-0def456abc789123, Type: t3.medium, State: stopped
Instance ID: i-0789abc123def456, Type: m5.large, State: running

For a successful execution with no EC2 instances:

No EC2 instances found

Creating Additional AWS Commands

The cetmix_tower_aws module provides access to the boto3 Python library for AWS service integration. Here are some common services you can use:

# Standard client initialization pattern
client = boto3.client(
    'service_name',  # Replace with: ec2, s3, rds, cloudwatch, etc.
    region_name={{ aws_region_name }},
    aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
    aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#
)

# Or use resource interface for object-oriented access
resource = boto3.resource(
    'service_name',  # Replace with: ec2, s3, etc.
    region_name={{ aws_region_name }},
    aws_access_key_id=#!cxtower.secret.aws_access_key!#,
    aws_secret_access_key=#!cxtower.secret.aws_secret_access_key!#
)

Popular AWS services include: EC2 (compute), S3 (storage), RDS (databases), and CloudWatch (monitoring).

For more details, see the AWS Boto3 Documentation.

Changelog

Bug Tracker

Bugs are tracked on GitHub Issues. In case of trouble, please check there if your issue has already been reported. If you spotted it first, help us to smash it by providing a detailed and welcomed feedback.

Do not contact contributors directly about support or help with technical issues.

Credits

Authors

Cetmix

Maintainers

This module is part of the cetmix/cetmix-tower project on GitHub.

You are welcome to contribute.