tools-only Alibaba Cloud
Core Capabilities
Provides expert guidance across Alibaba Cloud ecosystem:
- Compute Services - ECS instances, Auto Scaling, Container Service (ACK), Function Compute
- Storage & Database - OSS object storage, ApsaraDB (RDS, Redis, MongoDB), NAS, Block Storage
- Networking - VPC, SLB (Server Load Balancer), VPN Gateway, CEN, NAT Gateway
- Security & Identity - RAM (Resource Access Management), Security Center, WAF, Anti-DDoS
- Application Services - API Gateway, Message Service (MNS/MQ), DirectMail, SMS
- DevOps & Monitoring - CloudMonitor, Log Service, ARMS, Container Registry
- CDN & Edge - Alibaba Cloud CDN, DCDN, Global Accelerator
- Data & Analytics - DataWorks, MaxCompute, AnalyticDB, E-MapReduce
Best Practices
Architecture
- Deploy across multiple zones for high availability
- Use SLB for load balancing with health checks
- Implement Auto Scaling for dynamic capacity
- Configure CloudMonitor with actionable alerts
Security
- Enable RAM with least privilege access control
- Use Security Groups and Network ACLs for filtering
- Enable encryption at rest and in transit
- Implement WAF and Anti-DDoS for protection
- Enable ActionTrail for audit logging
Cost Optimization
- Use Reserved Instances for predictable workloads (up to 70% savings)
- Leverage Preemptible Instances for batch jobs
- Configure Auto Scaling to match demand
- Use OSS lifecycle policies for cold data
- Monitor with Cost Management dashboards
Performance
- Choose appropriate instance families and sizes
- Implement Redis/Memcache for caching
- Use CDN for static content delivery
- Configure read replicas for databases
- Enable ESSD disks for high IOPS workloads
Infrastructure as Code
Terraform for Alibaba Cloud
terraform {
required_providers {
alicloud = {
source = "aliyun/alicloud"
version = "~> 1.200"
}
}
}
provider "alicloud" {
region = "cn-hangzhou"
}
# VPC with multi-zone deployment
resource "alicloud_vpc" "main" {
vpc_name = "production-vpc"
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
}
resource "alicloud_vswitch" "app" {
vpc_id = alicloud_vpc.main.id
cidr_block = "10.0.1.0/24"
zone_id = "cn-hangzhou-h"
}
resource "alicloud_security_group" "app" {
vpc_id = alicloud_vpc.main.id
name = "application-sg"
}
resource "alicloud_instance" "app" {
instance_name = "app-server"
instance_type = "ecs.g6.large"
image_id = "ubuntu_20_04_x64"
vswitch_id = alicloud_vswitch.app.id
security_groups = [alicloud_security_group.app.id]
internet_max_bandwidth_out = 10
}
ROS (Resource Orchestration Service)
ROSTemplateFormatVersion: '2015-09-01'
Description: High availability web application
Parameters:
InstanceType:
Type: String
Default: ecs.g6.large
Resources:
VPC:
Type: ALIYUN::ECS::VPC
Properties:
VpcName: ha-vpc
CidrBlock: 10.0.0.0/16
VSwitch:
Type: ALIYUN::ECS::VSwitch
Properties:
VpcId: {Ref: VPC}
CidrBlock: 10.0.1.0/24
ZoneId: cn-hangzhou-h
SLB:
Type: ALIYUN::SLB::LoadBalancer
Properties:
LoadBalancerName: web-lb
AddressType: internet
VpcId: {Ref: VPC}
VSwitchId: {Ref: VSwitch}
China-Specific Considerations
ICP Filing
- Required for websites hosted in mainland China
- Obtain before pointing domain to Alibaba Cloud
- Allow 20-30 business days for approval
- Different requirements for personal vs corporate
Data Residency & Compliance
- Data localization laws require China region storage
- Use: cn-hangzhou, cn-shanghai, cn-beijing, cn-shenzhen
- Understand Cybersecurity Law and Data Security Law
- Cross-border transfer requires security assessment
Network & Performance
- Great Wall Firewall impacts international connectivity
- Use China CDN for domestic users
- Use Global Accelerator for cross-border access
- Test from within China for accurate results
Migration to Alibaba Cloud
Assessment
- Inventory infrastructure, applications, and dependencies
- Analyze regulatory requirements (ICP, data residency)
- Map services to Alibaba Cloud equivalents
- Estimate costs with pricing calculator
- Plan connectivity (VPN Gateway, Express Connect)
Strategies
- Rehost - Lift and shift with minimal changes
- Replatform - Optimize with managed services (RDS, OSS, Redis)
- Refactor - Rebuild with cloud-native services (Function Compute, ACK)
- Hybrid - Partial migration with on-premises connectivity
Execution
- Set up account and configure RAM
- Establish network connectivity
- Create VPC, VSwitches, security groups
- Migrate data to OSS/RDS
- Deploy applications to ECS/ACK
- Configure SLB and DNS
- Set up CloudMonitor and Log Service
- Test and execute cutover
See cloud-migration.md for detailed procedures
Reference Files
Load detailed documentation when needed:
Compute Services: See compute-services.md for ECS instance families, specifications, custom images, Auto Scaling configuration, and optimization techniques
Storage Solutions: See storage-solutions.md for OSS bucket policies, encryption, lifecycle rules, NAS setup, and storage optimization strategies
Database Services: See database-services.md for ApsaraDB RDS, PolarDB, Redis, MongoDB configuration, tuning, backup, and high availability setup
Infrastructure as Code: See infrastructure-as-code.md for Terraform modules, ROS templates, multi-environment patterns, and deployment automation
Cloud Migration: See cloud-migration.md for migration assessment, service mapping, data transfer tools, and cutover procedures