Benchmarking - NGINX on Intel TDX

Creating a NGINX microservice-based application to run on Intel TDX, benchmarking it, and automating the entire infrastructure and benchmarking process involves several steps. Here is a detailed plan:

1. Set up the infrastructure:

   • Set up Intel TDX environment.

   • Deploy NGINX within the TDX environment.

2. Create a simple NGINX microservice:

   • Develop a simple microservice to serve HTTP requests using NGINX.

3. Benchmark the NGINX microservice:

   • Use benchmarking tools like wrk or ab (Apache Benchmark) to test performance.

4. Automate the infrastructure and benchmarking:

   • Use infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible.

   • Create scripts to automate the benchmarking process.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Set Up the Infrastructure

Prerequisites:

• Intel TDX-enabled hardware.

• A compatible OS with Intel TDX support.

Install and Configure Intel TDX: Refer to Intel's official documentation to install and configure TDX on your system.

2. Create a Simple NGINX Microservice

Install NGINX:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y nginx

Configure NGINX: Create a simple configuration for NGINX.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Add the following content:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name localhost;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000; # Assuming your application runs on port 5000
        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;
    }
}

Restart NGINX:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Create a Simple Flask Application: Install Flask and create a simple app.

sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip
pip3 install flask

Create app.py:

nano app.py

Add the following content:

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
    return "Hello from Flask behind NGINX!"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)

Run the Flask app:

python3 app.py

3. Benchmark the NGINX Microservice

Install benchmarking tools:

sudo apt-get install -y wrk

Run the benchmark:

wrk -t12 -c400 -d30s http://localhost/

4. Automate the Infrastructure and Benchmarking

Automate with Terraform and Ansible:

Create Terraform Configuration: Create main.tf:

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-west-2"
}

resource "aws_instance" "nginx" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0" # Replace with your TDX compatible AMI
  instance_type = "t2.micro"

  tags = {
    Name = "nginx-tdx"
  }
}

Apply Terraform Configuration:

terraform init
terraform apply

Create Ansible Playbook: Create playbook.yml:

- hosts: nginx
  become: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Update apt and install nginx
      apt:
        update_cache: yes
        name: nginx
        state: present

    - name: Copy NGINX config file
      copy:
        src: ./nginx.conf
        dest: /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

    - name: Restart NGINX
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: restarted

    - name: Install Python and Flask
      apt:
        name: "{{ item }}"
        state: present
      loop:
        - python3-pip
    - name: Install Flask
      pip:
        name: flask

    - name: Copy Flask app
      copy:
        src: ./app.py
        dest: /home/ubuntu/app.py

    - name: Run Flask app
      command: nohup python3 /home/ubuntu/app.py &

Run Ansible Playbook:

ansible-playbook -i hosts playbook.yml

Automate Benchmarking with a Script: Create benchmark.sh:

#!/bin/bash

# Run wrk benchmark
wrk -t12 -c400 -d30s http://<INSTANCE_IP>/

Make the script executable:

chmod +x benchmark.sh

Run the benchmark script:

./benchmark.sh

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a NGINX microservice running in an Intel TDX environment, benchmark its performance, and automate the entire infrastructure setup and benchmarking process. This setup ensures secure and efficient deployment of your microservice while maintaining the highest performance standards.