Elitewash: AWS Setup and Migration to Microsoft Azure

Challenge

Elitewash had its application code ready but no structured cloud environment to run it. There was nowhere to test releases safely, no automated way to deploy, no secure way to reach the database, and no view of whether the app's APIs were healthy. Once the AWS setup was running, the business also wanted to move to Microsoft Azure to lower its ongoing cloud cost, without disrupting the live app.

What we did

The infrastructure was defined in Terraform, so environments could be created the same way every time. On AWS, separate virtual machines run testing (UAT), production and a dedicated MongoDB database server, inside a private network with security groups. A Jenkins server builds the app and deploys it to UAT, and validated releases go to production through the same pipeline. An open-source VPN server gives the team controlled access to internal resources, including the database, and open-source API monitoring shows when endpoints slow down or fail. The same environment was then rebuilt on Azure with virtual machines, a virtual network and network security groups, validated before the switch, and the app was moved across with a planned cutover. After the move, Azure resources were reviewed against real usage: oversized machines were right-sized and unneeded resources removed. Runbooks were handed over to the Elitewash team.

Results

• UAT → Production

  Every release is tested before it reaches customers

• AWS → Azure

  The full environment rebuilt on Azure with a planned cutover

• Right-sized

  Azure resources matched to real usage to keep running costs down

Stack

• AWS
• Microsoft Azure
• Terraform
• Jenkins
• MongoDB
• Open-source VPN
• Open-source API monitoring