Cloud Deployment

Deploy Ethereum nodes on AWS, GCP, or Azure. Learn about instance selection, storage optimization, and cost management.

Cloud Providers

AWS

Most popular choice with extensive blockchain-optimized instances.

Recommended Instance Types

InstanceCPURAMStorageEst. Cost
r6i.2xlarge8 vCPU64 GBEBS gp3~$300/mo
r6i.4xlarge16 vCPU128 GBEBS io2~$600/mo
i3en.2xlarge8 vCPU64 GB2x 2.5TB NVMe~$500/mo

Tips

  • Use gp3 EBS volumes (minimum 16,000 IOPS for full sync)
  • Consider i3en instances with local NVMe for best performance
  • Use Reserved Instances for 30-60% savings
  • Place nodes in regions close to your users

GCP

Excellent network performance and persistent disk options.

Recommended Instance Types

InstanceCPURAMStorageEst. Cost
n2-highmem-88 vCPU64 GBSSD PD~$280/mo
n2-highmem-1616 vCPU128 GBSSD PD~$560/mo
c2d-highmem-88 vCPU64 GBLocal SSD~$350/mo

Tips

  • Use SSD Persistent Disks with high IOPS
  • Consider Committed Use Discounts (1 or 3 year)
  • Use c2d instances for compute-intensive workloads
  • GCP has excellent network egress pricing

Azure

Strong enterprise features and hybrid cloud capabilities.

Recommended Instance Types

InstanceCPURAMStorageEst. Cost
E8as_v58 vCPU64 GBPremium SSD~$290/mo
E16as_v516 vCPU128 GBPremium SSD~$580/mo
L8s_v38 vCPU64 GB1.92TB NVMe~$450/mo

Tips

  • Use Premium SSD v2 for best performance
  • L-series VMs have local NVMe storage
  • Consider Azure Reserved VM Instances
  • Use Availability Zones for high availability

Storage Recommendations

Full Node

  • Minimum Size1 TB
  • Recommended2 TB NVMe
  • IOPS Required16,000+
  • Throughput500+ MB/s

Archive Node

  • Minimum Size14 TB
  • Recommended16+ TB NVMe
  • IOPS Required32,000+
  • Throughput1000+ MB/s

Storage Performance is Critical

Slow storage is the #1 cause of sync issues. Always use NVMe or high-IOPS SSD. Never use standard HDD or magnetic storage.

Infrastructure as Code (AWS)

main.tf
# Ethereum Node on AWS
provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}

# VPC and Security Group
resource "aws_security_group" "ethereum_node" {
  name        = "ethereum-node"
  description = "Security group for Ethereum node"

  ingress {
    description = "P2P TCP"
    from_port   = 30303
    to_port     = 30303
    protocol    = "tcp"
    cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
  }

  ingress {
    description = "P2P UDP"
    from_port   = 30303
    to_port     = 30303
    protocol    = "udp"
    cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
  }

  ingress {
    description = "RPC (restrict in production)"
    from_port   = 8545
    to_port     = 8545
    protocol    = "tcp"
    cidr_blocks = ["10.0.0.0/8"]  # Internal only
  }

  egress {
    from_port   = 0
    to_port     = 0
    protocol    = "-1"
    cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
  }
}

# EC2 Instance
resource "aws_instance" "ethereum_node" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"  # Ubuntu 22.04
  instance_type = "r6i.2xlarge"

  root_block_device {
    volume_size = 50
    volume_type = "gp3"
  }

  security_groups = [aws_security_group.ethereum_node.name]

  tags = {
    Name = "ethereum-node"
  }
}

# EBS Volume for Blockchain Data
resource "aws_ebs_volume" "blockchain_data" {
  availability_zone = aws_instance.ethereum_node.availability_zone
  size              = 2000  # 2 TB
  type              = "gp3"
  iops              = 16000
  throughput        = 500

  tags = {
    Name = "ethereum-data"
  }
}

resource "aws_volume_attachment" "blockchain_data" {
  device_name = "/dev/xvdf"
  volume_id   = aws_ebs_volume.blockchain_data.id
  instance_id = aws_instance.ethereum_node.id
}

Cost Optimization

Typical Cost Breakdown

Compute50%

VM instances, Reserved capacity

Storage30%

SSD/NVMe volumes, Snapshots, Backups

Network15%

Data transfer, Load balancers, IPs

Other5%

Monitoring, Logging, DNS

Cost Saving Tips

  • Reserved Instances

    Save 30-60% with 1-3 year commitments

  • Spot Instances for Non-Critical

    Use spot for read replicas, up to 90% savings

  • Right-Size Storage

    Provision only what you need, expand later

  • Snapshot Management

    Keep snapshots in cheaper storage tiers

Estimated Monthly Costs

$200-300

Single Full Node

$500-800

HA Setup (3 nodes)

$800-1200

Archive Node

Security Best Practices

Network Security

  • • Place nodes in private subnets
  • • Use VPN or bastion for SSH access
  • • Restrict RPC to internal networks only
  • • Use security groups/firewall rules

Data Protection

  • • Encrypt EBS volumes at rest
  • • Use TLS for RPC connections
  • • Regular automated backups
  • • Rotate JWT secrets periodically

Access Control

  • • Use IAM roles, not access keys
  • • Implement least-privilege access
  • • Enable CloudTrail/audit logging
  • • Use MFA for all admin access

Monitoring

  • • Set up CloudWatch/Stackdriver alerts
  • • Monitor for unusual API patterns
  • • Track failed authentication attempts
  • • Enable DDoS protection (Shield/Armor)