NexusAI Deployer - User Guide¶
Welcome to the NexusAI Deployer! This comprehensive guide will help you deploy NexusAI business capabilities to your AWS environment using our desktop application.
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Table of Contents¶
- Getting Started
- Home Screen Overview
- Deployment Wizard Walkthrough
- Step 1: Capability Selection
- Step 2: Architecture Selection
- Step 3: Environment Configuration
- Step 4: AWS Configuration
- Step 5: Permission Verification
- Step 6: Deployment Execution
- Step 7: Post Verification
- Step 8: Deployment Results
- Installation History
- Additional Resources
- Support
Getting Started¶
The NexusAI Deployer is a desktop application that enables you to deploy NexusAI capabilities directly into your own AWS environment. Before you begin, ensure you have:
- An AWS account with administrative access or appropriate IAM permissions
- AWS credentials (IAM Role ARN, Access Keys, CLI Profile, or ADFS)
- Network access to AWS APIs from your workstation
Quick Start Summary¶
- Launch the application and click "Get Started"
- Select a capability to deploy
- Choose your architecture (frontend and backend options)
- Configure your environment settings
- Enter and validate your AWS credentials
- Verify permissions and prerequisites
- Deploy and monitor progress in real-time
- Access your deployed application
Home Screen Overview¶
When you launch the NexusAI Deployer, you are greeted with the Welcome screen.
The home screen provides:
- Hero Illustration: A visual representation of the deployment concept showing how capabilities are deployed to your cloud infrastructure
- Platform Icons: Indicators showing supported cloud providers (AWS currently supported, with Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and On-Premise coming soon)
- Get Started Button: Click this to begin the deployment wizard
- View Installation History: Access your past deployments and their status
To begin deploying a capability, click the Get Started button.
Deployment Wizard Walkthrough¶
The deployment wizard guides you through a step-by-step process to deploy capabilities to your AWS environment. Each step is designed to collect the necessary information while providing clear guidance.
Step 1: Capability Selection¶
The first step presents you with available capabilities to deploy.
This screen is divided into two sections:
Installed Capabilities (shown with green border) - Displays capabilities already deployed to your environment - Shows deployment status, environment, and region - Provides Update and Delete actions for each installed capability
Available Capabilities (shown with blue border) - Lists capabilities ready for installation - Displays name, version, description, and estimated deployment time - Click Install to begin deploying a capability
Actions Available: | Action | Description | |--------|-------------| | Install | Deploy a new capability to your environment | | Update | Update an existing deployment to a newer version | | Delete | Remove a deployed capability from your environment | | Refresh | Reload the capability and deployment status |
Select the capability you wish to deploy and click Install to proceed.
Step 2: Architecture Selection¶
Choose your preferred deployment architecture for both frontend and backend components.
Frontend Options:
| Option | Description | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|
| CloudFront + S3 | Static hosting with global CDN | Most deployments (recommended) |
| AWS Amplify | Managed hosting with CI/CD | Teams needing built-in CI/CD |
| Skip Frontend | Deploy backend only | API-only deployments |
Backend Options:
| Option | Description | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|
| ECS Fargate | Serverless containers with auto-scaling | Quick setup, serverless (recommended) |
| EKS (Kubernetes) | Kubernetes Operator-based deployment | Teams with K8s expertise, cloud-native |
| EC2 Instances | Traditional virtual machines | Legacy compatibility |
| Skip Backend | Deploy frontend only | Static site deployments |
EKS (Kubernetes) Deployment - NEW¶
When you select EKS (Kubernetes) as your backend option, the Nexus Kubernetes Operator handles the deployment:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Operator Pattern | Uses custom NexusAICapability resources for declarative deployments |
| Auto-Provisioning | Automatically creates DynamoDB, S3, Glue, and IAM resources |
| IRSA Integration | Secure IAM Roles for Service Accounts |
| LoadBalancer Services | Automatic service exposure via AWS Load Balancers |
| Lifecycle Management | Handles updates and deletions with proper cleanup |
Requirements for EKS: - Existing EKS cluster (v1.23+) with OIDC provider configured - kubectl access to the cluster - Node groups with EC2 instances or Fargate profiles
Tip: Choose CloudFront + S3 for frontend and ECS Fargate for backend for the quickest setup. Choose EKS (Kubernetes) if you already have an EKS cluster and prefer Kubernetes-native operations.
See Kubernetes Deployment Guide for detailed EKS deployment instructions.
Select your preferred options and click Next to continue.
Step 3: Environment Configuration¶
Configure your deployment environment settings including domain, region, and environment type.
Environment Selection:
| Environment | Purpose | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| dev | Development and testing | Lower resources, faster iteration |
| staging | Pre-production validation | Production-like configuration |
| prod | Production workloads | Full resources, high availability |
Domain Configuration:
| Field | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Base Domain | example.com |
Your registered domain name |
| Frontend Subdomain | app |
Creates app.example.com |
| Backend Subdomain | api |
Creates api.example.com |
| Route53 Hosted Zone ID | Z1234567890ABC |
Your Route53 hosted zone identifier |
AWS Region Selection:
Choose your deployment region based on: - Latency: Select the region closest to your users - Compliance: Some data must remain in specific regions - Cost: Pricing varies by region - Service Availability: Some services have regional limitations
Complete all required fields and click Next to proceed.
Step 4: AWS Configuration¶
Enter and validate your AWS credentials to authorize the deployment.
The installer supports multiple authentication methods:
1. IAM Role ARN (Recommended)
- Best for cross-account deployments and security best practices
- Enter the Role ARN: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/DeploymentRole
- Select source credentials to assume the role
2. AWS Access Keys - Direct authentication using IAM user credentials - Enter Access Key ID and Secret Access Key - Suitable for quick setup and development environments
3. AWS CLI Profile
- Use credentials from your existing AWS CLI configuration
- Select a profile from ~/.aws/credentials
- Ideal for developers with existing AWS CLI setup
4. ADFS/SAML Authentication - Enterprise SSO authentication - Enter ADFS URL and credentials - Select from available AWS roles
Validation:
Click Test Credentials to validate your credentials before proceeding. The system verifies: - ✅ AWS account access - ✅ STS identity verification - ✅ Account ID confirmation
Security Best Practices: - Use IAM Role ARN for production deployments - Never share or commit access keys to source control - Rotate credentials regularly - Enable MFA when possible
Step 5: Permission Verification¶
The installer verifies that all prerequisites are met before deployment begins.
Verification Checks:
| Check | Description |
|---|---|
| AWS Account Access | Verifies STS identity and account access |
| IAM Permissions | Tests required AWS service permissions |
| Frontend Artifact | Confirms S3 artifact availability |
| Backend Image | Verifies ECR container image exists |
| Network Resources | Checks availability zones and VPCs |
| Service Limits | Validates ECS capacity and quotas |
Status Indicators:
| Icon | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ⏳ | Checking | Verification in progress |
| ✅ | Passed | Check completed successfully |
| ❌ | Failed | Check failed - see details for resolution |
| ⚠️ | Warning | Non-blocking issue detected |
If a check fails: 1. Review the error message displayed 2. Click "View Details" for more information 3. Resolve the issue in AWS Console 4. Click Re-verify to check again
All checks must pass before you can proceed to deployment.
Step 6: Deployment Execution¶
Monitor your deployment progress in real-time.
Pre-Deployment Summary:
Before deployment begins, review: - Capability name and version - Target environment and region - AWS account ID - Estimated deployment time
Progress Tracking:
The deployment screen provides:
- Progress Bar: Shows overall completion percentage with color indicators (blue = in progress, green = success, red = error)
- Current Stage: Displays the active deployment stage
- Live Logs: Terminal-style log viewer with timestamped entries
Deployment Stages:
5% - Initialization
15% - Starting Deployment
30% - Frontend Global (CloudFront, S3, ACM, WAF)
45% - Frontend Cognito (User Pool, Auth)
60% - Frontend Regional (Route53, Regional)
70% - Frontend Upload (Artifacts, Cache)
40% - Backend Foundation (VPC, IAM, Certs)
55% - Backend Storage (ECR, DynamoDB, S3)
70% - Backend Network (ALB, Security Groups)
85% - Backend Service (ECS, Auto-scaling)
95% - Verification (Health Checks)
100% - Complete!
Available Actions During Deployment:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Refresh | Manually refresh the log display |
| Restart Polling | Restart automatic log refresh |
| Copy Logs | Copy deployment logs to clipboard |
| Download Logs | Save logs to a local file |
| Cancel | Cancel deployment (requires confirmation) |
Important: Do not close the application during deployment. Typical deployment time is 15-30 minutes.
Step 7: Post Verification¶
After deployment completes, the installer verifies that all services are healthy.
Health Checks Performed:
| Service | Verification |
|---|---|
| Frontend Availability | Application loads correctly |
| Authentication Service | Cognito responds to requests |
| Backend API | API health endpoint responds |
| Database Connectivity | DynamoDB is accessible |
| SSL Certificates | HTTPS is working correctly |
Status Indicators:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ✅ Healthy | Service is fully operational |
| ⚠️ Degraded | Service has minor issues |
| ❌ Unhealthy | Service is not responding |
Tips: - All services should show healthy status - DNS propagation may take a few minutes - SSL certificates may take up to 30 minutes to fully validate
If any service shows unhealthy, click Re-verify after a few minutes or check the troubleshooting guide.
Step 8: Deployment Results¶
Upon successful deployment, you receive all the information needed to access your application.
Deployment Outputs:
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
| Frontend URL | Your application's web address |
| Backend API URL | API endpoint for backend services |
| Cognito User Pool ID | Authentication pool identifier |
| AWS Region | Region where resources are deployed |
Admin Credentials:
For first-time login:
- Admin Email: admin@capability-name.local
- Temporary Password: Displayed on screen
Important: Change your password immediately upon first login!
Next Steps:
- Access Application: Open the frontend URL in your browser
- Login: Use the admin credentials provided
- Change Password: Set a new secure password on first login
- Create Users: Add additional users through Cognito
Available Actions:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| View Dashboard | Open the management dashboard |
| New Deployment | Start another deployment |
| Copy | Copy values to clipboard |
Installation History¶
Access your deployment history to view, manage, and track all past deployments.
The Installation History screen displays:
- Capability Name: The deployed capability
- Version: Deployed version number
- Environment: Target environment (dev/staging/prod)
- Region: AWS region
- Deployment Date: When the deployment occurred
- Status: Current deployment status
Available Actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Update | Update the deployment to a newer version |
| Delete | Remove the deployment from your environment |
| View Details | See detailed deployment information |
Tip: Use the Installation History to quickly manage multiple deployments across different environments.
Additional Resources¶
For more detailed information, refer to these additional guides:
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Detailed prerequisites and overview |
| Installation | Application installation instructions |
| Deployment Wizard | Complete wizard walkthrough |
| AWS Configuration | AWS setup and IAM permissions |
| Managing Deployments | Update, delete, and monitor deployments |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and solutions |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions |
| Kubernetes Deployment | EKS deployment with Kubernetes Operator |
Supported Platforms¶
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| AWS (ECS Fargate) | ✅ Fully Supported |
| AWS (EKS/Kubernetes) | ✅ Fully Supported |
| Azure | 🔜 Coming Soon |
| GCP | 🔜 Coming Soon |
| On-Premise | 🔜 Coming Soon |
New in v1.1: Kubernetes deployment is now fully supported via the Nexus Kubernetes Operator. Choose EKS (Kubernetes) in the Architecture Selection step to deploy using the operator pattern.
System Requirements¶
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+) |
| Memory | 4GB RAM minimum |
| Disk Space | 500MB for application |
| Network | Internet connection for AWS API access |
| AWS Account | With appropriate IAM permissions |
Support¶
If you need assistance:
| Resource | Details |
|---|---|
| Documentation | This user guide and linked resources |
| Support Portal | support.nexus.ai |
| support@nexus.ai |
When contacting support, please provide: - Deployment ID (from the installer) - Error messages or screenshots - Deployment logs (downloadable from the installer) - Application version and operating system
Version 1.1.0 | Last Updated: February 2026