Terms (what they mean)

Term Meaning
AWS Amazon’s cloud. Holds everything below
IAM AWS user accounts / logins (mine: anika2317)
EC2 The actual servers (computers) in AWS
Domain opencodingsociety.com. The main root web address we own for the organization
Subdomain A specific slice of the main domain given to one team (e.g. prc.opencodingsociety.com = Poway Recovery Center frontend, mgb-api.opencodingsociety.com = Rashi’s backend)
DNS AWS Route 53. The dashboard where I log in as anika2317 and make CNAME and A records to point subdomains to GitHub Pages or the AWS server
Route 53 Phone book. Makes web addresses (name.opencodingsociety.com)
Hosted zone Folder of addresses for one domain (use opencodingsociety.com)
Record One address in the phone book
CNAME Address → another name (frontend → org.github.io)
A record Address → IP number (backend → server)
Public IP 3.129.109.200. The exact public address of our AWS EC2 server. Anyone on the internet can reach it
Private IP / Port Inside the server, Docker puts each team’s backend in its own private box (e.g. port 8450 for PRC, 8451 for MGB). The internet can’t reach 8450 directly; nginx answers the public door and passes traffic privately to that port
Cockpit Website to open the server’s terminal
Terminal Where you type commands on the server
Docker Runs each team’s backend in its own box (container)
Port The backend’s door number on the server (e.g. 8450). Each team needs its own
nginx Receptionist. Sends name-api.opencodingsociety.com → the right port
Certbot Adds HTTPS (the lock icon)
HTTP vs HTTPS HTTP = normal, unencrypted. HTTPS = encrypted and secure. GitHub Pages forces frontends (like poway-recovery-center.github.io) to use HTTPS, so backends must use HTTPS too or the browser blocks the connection
Certificate The digital ID made when you run sudo certbot --nginx in the Cockpit terminal. It’s what gives prc-api.opencodingsociety.com its HTTPS lock icon
Frontend The website (GitHub Pages)
Backend The Flask API (runs on the server)

Two different logins

  AWS console Cockpit
Link nighthawkcodingsociety.signin.aws.amazon.com/console cockpit.stu.opencodingsociety.com
Login anika2317 ubuntu
Used for Route 53 records (admin only = me) Server terminal (deploying backends)

Big picture

Frontend:  name.opencodingsociety.com
           → Route 53 (CNAME) → GitHub Pages

Backend:   name-api.opencodingsociety.com
           → Route 53 (A) → server → nginx → port → Docker/Flask

Important info

  • Server IP (every backend A record): 3.129.109.200
  • Example to copy: PRC → prc (CNAME → poway-recovery-center.github.io), prc-api (A → 3.129.109.200), port 8450
  • Avoid port 8587 (starter-code default, everyone has it)
  • Avoid 8500 for sockets (taken)
  • Image names flask_open / socket_open are taken → rename to flask_teamname etc.

Task: Route 53 records

  1. AWS console → search Route 53 → Hosted zones → click opencodingsociety.com
  2. Click Create record
  3. Frontend record
    • Record name: teamname
    • Type: CNAME
    • Value: githuborg.github.io
    • TTL: 300, Routing: Simple
  4. Click Create records → green “successfully created” ✅
  5. Create record again → Backend record
    • Record name: teamname-api
    • Type: A
    • Value: 3.129.109.200
    • TTL: 300, Routing: Simple
  6. Click Create records → green ✅

Rules: only ever Create. Never edit or delete other teams’ records. Leave name blank = WRONG (that’s the main site).

Looking around the server (safe, read-only)

Command What it does
ls List folders (each = a team’s backend)
cd foldername Go into a folder
cat filename Show a file
docker ps Show running backends + their ports
cat /etc/nginx/sites-available/pcr-api Show PRC’s nginx file

Picking a port

  1. Run docker ps
  2. Look at PORTS column (number before ->)
  3. Pick any 8xxx number not in the list

What teams do (after I make records)

Their files (GitHub):

  • docker-compose.yml: "8587:8587" → "NEWPORT:NEWPORT", rename images (flask_open → flask_teamname)
  • If socket: "8500:8500" → "FREEPORT:8500" (only left number changes)
  • Dockerfile: --bind=0.0.0.0:8587 → NEWPORT, EXPOSE 8587 → EXPOSE NEWPORT
  • Test on laptop: docker-compose up → open localhost:NEWPORT

Server (Cockpit terminal):

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/ORG/REPO.git teamname_backend
cd teamname_backend
nano .env                      # their settings, save: Ctrl+X → Y → Enter
docker-compose up -d --build   # start it
curl localhost:NEWPORT         # test it

nginx:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/teamname-api

Paste (change 2 lines):

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name teamname-api.opencodingsociety.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:NEWPORT;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/teamname-api /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
sudo nginx -t                  # MUST say "ok" + "successful"
sudo systemctl reload nginx    # only if test passed
sudo certbot --nginx           # pick ONLY their number

Frontend (GitHub):

  • Repo → Settings → Pages → source GitHub Actions → Custom domain teamname.opencodingsociety.com
  • _config.yml: baseurl: "/portfolio" → baseurl: "" (if site looks broken)
  • Change backend URL in their code → https://teamname-api.opencodingsociety.com

Golden rules

  1. Every team = own port (check docker ps)
  2. Always sudo nginx -t before reload
  3. In Route 53: only Create, never edit/delete others

Done so far

Team Frontend Backend Port Server Frontend setup
PRC ✅ prc ✅ prc-api 8450 ✅ ✅
MGB (Rashi) ✅ mgb → apcspt1.github.io ✅ mgb-api → 3.129.109.200 8451 (socket 8452) ⏳ ⏳