Deployment Guide

May 1, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide covers detailed deployment options for the Live Event Framework.

Deployment Options Overview

The Live Event Framework supports two deployment approaches:

Option A: Deploy All - Single command deployment (recommended for quick start)
Option B: Step-by-Step - Manual control over each stack deployment

Option A: Deploy All (Single Command)

Basic Deployment

Deploy all three stacks with default names:

cdk deploy --all \
  --context userEmail=YOUR_EMAIL \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-all.json

Custom Stack Names

Deploy with custom stack names:

cdk deploy --all \
  --context foundationStackName=MyFoundation \
  --context eventGroupStackName=MyEventGroup \
  --context eventStackName=MyEvent \
  --context userEmail=YOUR_EMAIL \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-all.json

Custom Configuration Files

Use custom configuration files:

cdk deploy --all \
  --context foundationConfigFile=../../config/custom/foundationConfiguration.ts \
  --context eventGroupConfigFile=../../config/custom/eventGroupConfiguration.ts \
  --context eventConfigFile=../../config/custom/eventConfiguration.ts \
  --context userEmail=YOUR_EMAIL \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-all.json

What Happens During Deploy All

Foundation Stack deploys first with shared resources
SNS subscription email is sent to your email address
Event Group Stack deploys with MediaPackage and CloudFront resources
Event Stack deploys with MediaLive channel
Deployment completes without waiting for email confirmation

Important: You must confirm the SNS subscription email after deployment for notifications to work.

You can add further channels into your environment by deploying additional event stacks as described in Multiple Events.

Option B: Step-by-Step Deployment

For more advanced controls, you can deploy each stack seperately.

Prerequisites Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/aws-samples/aws-cdk-mediaservices-refarch
cd aws-cdk-mediaservices-refarch/LEF

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```

Stack Dependencies

Understanding the dependency chain:

Foundation Stack
    ↓
Event Group Stack(s)
    ↓
Event Stack(s)

Foundation must be deployed first
Event Groups depend on Foundation
Events depend on their Event Group
Multiple Event Groups can share one Foundation
Multiple Events can share one Event Group

Step 1: Deploy Foundation Stack

npx cdk deploy LefFoundationStack \
  --context foundationStackName=LefFoundation1 \
  --context userEmail=YOUR_EMAIL \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-foundation.json

Custom Configuration:

npx cdk deploy LefFoundationStack \
  --context foundationStackName=LefFoundation1 \
  --context foundationConfigFile=path/to/your/foundationConfiguration.ts \
  --context userEmail=YOUR_EMAIL \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-foundation.json

Step 2: Confirm Email Subscription

⚠️ CRITICAL: Before proceeding, you must confirm the SNS subscription email sent to your address. The Event Group deployment will fail if the email subscription is not confirmed.

Check your email (including spam folder)
Click "Confirm subscription" in the email
Wait for confirmation page to load

Step 3: Deploy Event Group Stack

npx cdk deploy LefEventGroupStack \
  --context eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --context foundationStackName=LefFoundation1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event-group.json

Custom Configuration:

npx cdk deploy LefEventGroupStack \
  --context eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --context foundationStackName=LefFoundation1 \
  --context eventGroupConfigFile=path/to/your/eventGroupConfiguration.ts \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event-group.json

Step 4: Deploy Event Stack

Standard Configuration (Event Group MediaTailor):

npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context eventStackName=LefGroup1Event1 \
  --context eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event.json

Advanced Configuration (Event-Specific MediaTailor):

npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context eventStackName=LefGroup1Event1 \
  --context eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --context eventConfigFile=../../config/default/eventAdvancedConfiguration.ts \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event.json

Custom Configuration:

npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context stackName=LefGroup1Event1 \
  --context eventConfigFile=path/to/your/eventConfiguration.ts \
  --parameters eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event.json

Multiple Events and Event Groups

Deploying Multiple Events in Same Event Group

Deploy additional events in the same event group:

# Second event
npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context stackName=LefGroup1Event2 \
  --parameters eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event2.json

# Third event
npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context stackName=LefGroup1Event3 \
  --parameters eventGroupStackName=LefGroup1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event3.json

Deploying Multiple Event Groups

Deploy additional event groups using the same foundation:

# Second event group
npx cdk deploy LefEventGroupStack \
  --context stackName=LefGroup2 \
  --parameters foundationStackName=LefFoundation1 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event-group2.json

# Event in second group
npx cdk deploy LefEventStack \
  --context stackName=LefGroup2Event1 \
  --parameters eventGroupStackName=LefGroup2 \
  --outputs-file ./cdk-exports-event-group2-event1.json

Configuration Files

Default Configuration Locations

Foundation: config/default/foundationConfiguration.ts
Event Group: config/default/eventGroupConfiguration.ts
Event: config/default/eventConfiguration.ts
Event Advanced: config/default/eventAdvancedConfiguration.ts

Low-Latency Configurations

Use pre-configured low-latency settings:

--context eventGroupConfigFile=../../config/low-latency/eventGroupConfiguration.ts
--context eventConfigFile=../../config/low-latency/eventConfiguration.ts

Creating Custom Configurations

Copy a default configuration file
Modify parameters as needed
Reference in deployment command using --context parameters

Deployment Validation

Verify Successful Deployment

Check CloudFormation Console: All stacks should show CREATE_COMPLETE
Verify Resources: MediaLive channel, MediaPackage channel group/channel, CloudFront distribution
Test Email: Confirm SNS subscription is active
Start Channel: Use ./tools/start_channel.sh to verify channel starts successfully

Common Deployment Issues

Email not confirmed: Event Group deployment fails
Stack name conflicts: Use unique stack names
Service limits: Check AWS quotas for MediaLive/MediaPackage
CDK bootstrap: Ensure CDK is bootstrapped in target region

Cleanup and Deletion

Deletion Order

Stacks must be deleted in reverse dependency order:

Stop MediaLive Channel: ./tools/stop_channel.sh
Delete Event Stacks: cdk destroy LefEventStack --context stackName=...
Delete Event Group Stacks: cdk destroy LefEventGroupStack --context stackName=...
Delete Foundation Stack: cdk destroy LefFoundationStack --context stackName=...

Deletion Protection

The framework includes automatic deletion protection:

Foundation stacks cannot be deleted while Event Group stacks depend on them
Event Group stacks cannot be deleted while Event stacks depend on them
Deletion attempts will fail with clear error messages listing dependent stacks

Advanced Deployment Scenarios

Cross-Region Deployments

Deploy foundation and event groups in different regions by setting CDK region context or using different AWS profiles.

Multi-Account Deployments

Deploy foundation in shared services account and event groups in application accounts using cross-account IAM roles.

CI/CD Integration

Integrate deployments into CI/CD pipelines using CDK CLI commands with appropriate IAM permissions and environment variables.

Troubleshooting

For deployment issues, see the Troubleshooting Guide.