E-Commerce Three-Tier App on EKS with Helm

Level:Advanced

Time:30-60 min

Cost:high

Works locally:No

Cloud creds:Yes

Cleanup:No

Reviewed:2026-05-30

Validation:test -f README.md

EKS Helm Three Tier App AWS

Overview

README-focused EKS/Helm architecture walkthrough.

What You Will Build

Outcome Architecture notes plus validation output

Tools used EKS, Helm, Three Tier App, AWS

Best fit Advanced - 30-60 min

Architecture Diagram

Student workstation Repository files Lab steps AWS account Validation proof

Prerequisites

• Install or review: EKS, Helm, Three Tier App, AWS.
• Use your own cloud account credentials and keep them out of commits.
• This project expects cloud resources, so verify budget alerts and cleanup first.
• Open the safety guide before running commands that create infrastructure.

Credentials And Cost Warning

Cost and credential stance

Cost risk is high. Cloud target: AWS. Cloud credentials needed: Yes. Always use your own account, never commit secrets, and confirm cleanup before creating paid infrastructure.

Step-By-Step Lab

Use this flow before you run commands:

1. Read the cost and credential warning above.
2. Review the validation, troubleshooting, cleanup, and portfolio proof sections below.
3. Follow the original project guide preserved near the bottom of this page.
4. Return to the validation and cleanup checks before you capture portfolio evidence.

Validation Checks

Run the project validation command before and after meaningful changes:

test -f README.md

Troubleshooting

• Run test -f README.md first so local tooling issues are visible early.
• If a command fails, check tool versions, working directory, and required environment variables.
• For cloud failures, confirm account identity, region, quotas, and least-privilege IAM.

Cleanup

No dedicated cleanup command was detected in the project README. Treat this as a warning: before provisioning anything, write down the exact delete, destroy, or rollback steps for your environment.

Portfolio Proof

• Validation command output: test -f README.md
• Screenshot or terminal proof: Architecture notes plus validation output
• Notes explaining what changed, what failed, and how you fixed it
• Cleanup evidence, especially for cloud or Kubernetes resources

Original Project Guide

The original README content is preserved here for lab-specific commands and context. Headings are intentionally demoted so the page outline stays focused on the standard lab flow.

External image reference Source image

Introduction:

In the dynamic landscape of software development, architects and developers constantly seek robust design patterns that ensure scalability, maintainability, and efficient resource utilization. One such time-tested approach is the 3-tier architecture, a well-structured model that divides an application into three interconnected layers. This architectural style has been a cornerstone for building scalable and resilient applications for decades.

Understanding the Basics:

The 3-tier architecture is composed of three primary layers, each with distinct responsibilities:

1. Presentation Layer:

• Also known as the user interface layer, this tier is responsible for interacting with end-users.

• It encompasses the user interface components, such as web pages, mobile apps, or any other interface through which users interact with the application.

• The goal is to provide a seamless and intuitive user experience while keeping the presentation logic separate from the business logic.

2. Application (or Business Logic) Layer:

• Positioned between the presentation and data layers, the application layer contains the business logic that processes and manages user requests.

• It acts as the brain of the application, handling tasks such as data validation, business rules implementation, and decision-making.

• Separating the business logic from the presentation layer promotes code reusability, maintainability, and adaptability to changes.

3. Data Layer:

• The data layer is responsible for managing and storing the application’s data.

• It includes databases, data warehouses, or any other data storage solutions.

• This layer ensures data integrity, security, and efficient data retrieval for the application.

• By isolating data-related operations, developers can optimize data access and storage mechanisms independently of the rest of the application.

Benefits of 3-Tier Architecture:

1. Scalability:

• The modular nature of 3-tier architecture allows for independent scaling of each layer.

• This enables efficient resource allocation, ensuring that specific components can be scaled based on demand without affecting the entire application.

2. Maintainability:

• With clear separation of concerns, developers can make changes to one layer without impacting others.

• This facilitates easier debugging, updates, and maintenance, as modifications can be confined to the relevant layer.

3. Flexibility and Adaptability:

• The architecture accommodates technology changes and updates without disrupting the entire system.

• New technologies can be integrated into specific layers, allowing the application to evolve over time.

Prerequisites:

1. kubectl — A command line tool for working with Kubernetes clusters. For more information, see Installing or updating kubectl. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/install-kubectl.html

2. eksctl — A command line tool for working with EKS clusters that automates many individual tasks. For more information, see Installing or updating. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/eksctl.html

3. AWS CLI — A command line tool for working with AWS services, including Amazon EKS. For more information, see Installing, updating, and uninstalling the AWS CLI https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-chap-install.html in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide.

4. After installing the AWS CLI, I recommend that you also configure it. For more information, see Quick configuration with aws configure in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-configure-quickstart.html#cli-configure-quickstart-config

Steps:

Step-1: Create an EKS Cluster

eksctl create cluster \
  --name your-cluster-name \
  --region your-region \
  --nodegroup-name your-nodegroup-name \
  --node-type t3.small \
  --nodes 2 \
  --nodes-min 1 \
  --nodes-max 3

This will create an EKS Cluster along with the node-group

External image reference Source image

Step-2: Configure IAM OIDC provider

1. Export Cluster Name and assign oidc_id

export cluster_name=<CLUSTER-NAME>
oidc_id=$(aws eks describe-cluster --name $cluster_name --query "cluster.identity.oidc.issuer" --output text | cut -d '/' -f 5)

2. Check if there is an IAM OIDC provider configured already

aws iam list-open-id-connect-providers | grep $oidc_id | cut -d "/" -f4

3. If not, run the below command.

eksctl utils associate-iam-oidc-provider --cluster $cluster_name --approve

Step-3: Setup ALB Add-On

1. Download IAM policy.

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes-sigs/aws-load-balancer-controller/v2.5.4/docs/install/iam_policy.json

2. Create IAM Policy.

aws iam create-policy \
    --policy-name AWSLoadBalancerControllerIAMPolicy \
    --policy-document file://iam_policy.json

External image reference Source image

3. Create IAM Role.

eksctl create iamserviceaccount \
  --cluster=<your-cluster-name> \
  --namespace=kube-system \
  --name=aws-load-balancer-controller \
  --role-name AmazonEKSLoadBalancerControllerRole \
  --attach-policy-arn=arn:aws:iam::<your-aws-account-id>:policy/AWSLoadBalancerControllerIAMPolicy \
  --approve

External image reference Source image

Step-4: Deploy ALB controller

1. Add helm repo.

helm repo add eks https://aws.github.io/eks-charts

2. Update the repo.

helm repo update eks

External image reference Source image

3. Install the chart.

helm install aws-load-balancer-controller eks/aws-load-balancer-controller -n kube-system --set clusterName=<your-cluster-name> \--set serviceAccount.create=false --set serviceAccount.name=aws-load-balancer-controller --set region=<region> --set vpcId=<your-vpc-id>

4. Verify that the deployments are running.

kubectl get deployment -n kube-system aws-load-balancer-controller

External image reference Source image

Step-5: EBS CSI Plugin configuration.

1. The Amazon EBS CSI plugin requires IAM permissions to make calls to AWS APIs on your behalf.

2. Create an IAM role and attach a policy. AWS maintains an AWS managed policy or you can create your own custom policy. You can create an IAM role and attach the AWS managed policy with the following command. Replace my-cluster with the name of your cluster. The command deploys an AWS CloudFormation stack that creates an IAM role and attaches the IAM policy to it.

eksctl create iamserviceaccount \
    --name ebs-csi-controller-sa \
    --namespace kube-system \
    --cluster <YOUR-CLUSTER-NAME> \
    --role-name AmazonEKS_EBS_CSI_DriverRole \
    --role-only \
    --attach-policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AmazonEBSCSIDriverPolicy \
    --approve

External image reference Source image

3. Run the following command. Replace with the name of your cluster, with your account ID.

eksctl create addon --name aws-ebs-csi-driver --cluster <YOUR-CLUSTER-NAME> --service-account-role-arn arn:aws:iam::<AWS-ACCOUNT-ID>:role/AmazonEKS_EBS_CSI_DriverRole --force

External image reference Source image

Step-6: Install the Helm Chart:

1. Initially Clone the GitHub Repo:

• GitHub URL : RobotShop-Project

git clone https://github.com/uniquesreedhar/RobotShop-Project.git

2. Then Navigate to the path where chart.yaml exists

cd RobotShop-Project/EKS/helm

3. Create a namespace and then install the helm chart.

kubectl create ns robot-shop
helm install robot-shop --namespace robot-shop .

External image reference Source image

4. Ensure all the pods are running if not troubleshoot the issues.

External image reference Source image

Step 7: Create Ingress

cd /RobotShop-Project/EKS/helm
 kubectl apply -f ingress.yaml

This will create a Load Balancer on the AWS console.

External image reference Source image

Paste the DNS-name on your favourite browser and access the application.

External image reference Source image

Get Register and login into the application.

External image reference Source image

Rate the Artificial Intelligence.

External image reference Source image

Add to cart the robots.

External image reference Source image

Checkout them.

External image reference Source image

Select your Location and then calculate the price and confirm the order.

External image reference Source image

Then place the Order.

External image reference Source image

And pay the amount .

External image reference Source image

Congratulations… Your Order has been Successfully placed.. :)

Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to work on this tutorial/labs. Let me know what you thought!

Author by DevCloud Ninjas

Ensure to follow me on GitHub. Please star/share this repository

External image reference Source image

Source Files On GitHub

Use the guide first.

The full learning flow stays on this page. Open GitHub only when a step asks you to inspect code, fork the lab, or download source assets.

Read safety guide Open project source