Automated Flutter app deployment

A simplified guide for setting up automated Flutter app deployment to Raspberry Pi devices using AWS services.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Repository Setup
3. AWS Authentication
4. Infrastructure Setup
5. Raspberry Pi Configuration
   
   

Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements 🔧

Component	Specification
Raspberry Pi	Zero or newer
Storage	MicroSD card (16GB+ recommended)
Power	Compatible power supply
Display	Raspberry Pi compatible display

Software Requirements 💻

Software	Version/Details
AWS Account	Active account with admin access
GitHub Account	Active account with repository access
Flutter SDK	≥3.0.3
Git	Latest version
AWS CLI	Installed and configured
Raspberry Pi OS	Lite (64-bit recommended)

Repository Setup

• Create Project Directory

  mkdir flutter-app

  cd flutter-app

• Clone Infrastructure Repository

  git clone https://github.com/[original-owner]/infra.git

• Repository Configuration

  • Create Repositories

    • Create a new empty repository for infrastructure
    • Create/use existing Flutter application repository

  • Configure Infrastructure Repository:

    cd infra

    git remote remove origin

    git remote add origin https://github.com/[your-username]/infra.git

    git push -u origin main

• Setup CI/CD Workflow

  • Create workflows directory in Flutter app

    mkdir -p /path/to/your/flutter/app/.github/workflows

  • Copy workflow configuration

    cp infra/.github/workflows/flutter-build.yml /path/to/your/flutter/app/.github/workflows/
    
    

AWS Authentication Setup

Choose your preferred authentication method (OpenID Connect, AWS Access Keys, or AWS SSO) and configure it according to your organization’s security requirements and best practices. Make sure to:

• Set up the chosen authentication method in AWS
• Configure the necessary secrets in your GitHub repositories
• Update your workflow files to use the selected authentication method
  
  

Infrastructure Configuration and Deployment

• Configure Infrastructure

  • Navigate to infrastructure repository

  • Update config/config.toml:

    version = 0.1

    [default.deploy.parameters]

    stack_name = "your-stack-name" # Choose unique name

    region = "us-east-1" # Your AWS region

    capabilities = "CAPABILITY_IAM CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND"

    resolve_s3 = true

    s3_prefix = "your-prefix" # Choose unique prefix

    disable_rollback = false

• Deploy Infrastructure

  • Push Changes

    git add .

    git commit -m "Update infrastructure configuration"

    git push origin main

  • Monitor Deployment:

    • GitHub Actions progress
    • CloudFormation stack creation
    • CloudWatch logs
      
      

  • Verify Resources:

    • CloudFormation stack complete
    • S3 bucket created
    • IAM roles/policies configured
    • SSM documents available
      
      

Raspberry Pi Setup and AWS SSM Configuration

• Initial Raspberry Pi Setup

  • Download Raspberry Pi Imager from official website
  • Launch Raspberry Pi Imager
  • Select your device (e.g., Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W)
  • Choose Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
  • Select your microSD card
  • Configure OS Settings in Raspberry Pi Imager
  • Enable SSH
  • Write the OS to SD card and insert it into your Raspberry Pi
  

• Initial System Configuration

  • Connect to Raspberry Pi via SSH

    ssh username@hostname

    Example: ssh pi@raspberrypi

• AWS Systems Manager Setup

  • Create Hybrid Activation:
    • Go to AWS Console → Systems Manager
    • Navigate to Node Management → Hybrid Activations
    • Click “Create activation”
    • Fill in required information
    • Save the Activation Code and Activation ID

• Install SSM Agent on Raspberry Pi:

  Set your variables

  export REGION=us-east-1 # Replace with your AWS region

  export ACTIVATION_CODE=your_activation_code

  export ACTIVATION_ID=your_activation_id

  Create temporary directory

  mkdir /tmp/ssm

  Download SSM setup CLI

  curl https://amazon-ssm-${REGION}\ s3.${REGION}.amazonaws.com/latest/debian_arm/ssm-setup-cli\ -o /tmp/ssm/ssm-setup-cli

  Make it executable

  sudo chmod +x /tmp/ssm/ssm-setup-cli

  Register the device

  sudo /tmp/ssm/ssm-setup-cli -register \

  -activation-code $ACTIVATION_CODE \

  -activation-id $ACTIVATION_ID \

  -region $REGION

• Verify Registration:

  • Go to AWS Systems Manager → Fleet Manager
  • Your Raspberry Pi should appear in the managed instances list
    

Conclusion

This simplified guide provides the essential steps to set up Flutter application deployment to Raspberry Pi devices using AWS services. The solution offers:

• Automated device management
• Secure infrastructure
• Streamlined deployment process
• Easy scalability
• Basic monitoring capabilities
• Automatic updates: Every push to your Flutter app repository triggers the workflow, automatically updating the application on all connected Raspberry Pi devices

For more advanced configurations or detailed information about specific components, refer to the complete documentation or AWS documentation.