Monitor & Auto-Heal AWS EC2 Instances with Multi-Channel Alerts

This n8n workflow automates the monitoring, health assessment, and self-healing of AWS EC2 instances in production environments. It runs periodic checks, identifies unhealthy instances based on status and metrics, restarts them automatically, and notifies teams via multi-channel alerts while logging data for auditing and reporting.

Key Features Triggers health checks every 5 minutes to proactively monitor EC2 fleet status. Fetches and loops through all production EC2 instances for individualized analysis. Evaluates instance health using AWS metrics and custom thresholds to detect issues like high CPU or stopped states. Performs automatic restarts on unhealthy instances to minimize downtime. Sends instant WhatsApp notifications for urgent alerts, detailed email reports for team review, and logs metrics to Google Sheets for long-term tracking. Includes sticky notes for quick reference on configuration, self-healing logic, and alert setup.

Workflow Process The Schedule Trigger node runs the workflow every 5 minutes, ensuring frequent health monitoring without overwhelming AWS APIs. The Get EC2 Instances node fetches all production-tagged EC2 instances from AWS, filtering by environment (e.g., tag: Environment=Production). The Loop Over Instances node iterates through each fetched instance individually, allowing parallel processing for scalability. The Check Instance Status node retrieves detailed health metrics for the current instance via AWS API (e.g., status checks, CPU utilization, and state). The Health Status Check node evaluates the instance's status against predefined thresholds (e.g., failed system checks or high load); if healthy, it skips to logging. The Analyze Health Data node assesses metrics in depth to determine action (e.g., restart if CPU > 90% for 5+ minutes) and prepares alert payloads. The Restart Instance node automatically initiates a reboot on unhealthy instances using AWS EC2 API, with optional dry-run mode for testing. The WhatsApp Notification node (part of Multi-Channel Alerts) sends instant alerts via Twilio WhatsApp API, including instance ID, issue summary, and restart status. The Email Report node generates and sends a detailed HTML report to the team via SMTP, summarizing checked instances, actions taken, and metrics trends. The Google Sheets Logging node appends health data, timestamps, and outcomes to a specified spreadsheet for historical analysis and dashboards. The Sticky Notes nodes provide inline documentation: one for AWS credential setup, one explaining self-healing thresholds, and one for alert channel configurations.

Setup Instructions Import the workflow into n8n and activate the Schedule Trigger with a 5-minute cron expression (e.g., */5 * * * *). Configure AWS credentials in the Get EC2 Instances, Check Instance Status, and Restart Instance nodes using IAM roles with EC2 read/restart permissions. Set up Twilio credentials in the WhatsApp Notification node, including your Twilio SID, auth token, and WhatsApp-enabled phone numbers for sender/receiver. Add SMTP credentials (e.g., Gmail or AWS SES) in the Email Report node, and update sender/receiver email addresses in the node parameters. Link Google Sheets in the Google Sheets Logging node by providing the spreadsheet ID, sheet name, and OAuth credentials for write access. Customize health thresholds in Health Status Check and Analyze Health Data (e.g., via expressions for CPU/memory limits). Test the workflow by manually executing it on a small set of instances and verifying alerts/logging before enabling production scheduling. Review sticky notes within n8n for quick tips, and monitor executions in the dashboard to fine-tune intervals or error handling.

Prerequisites AWS account with EC2 access and IAM user/role for DescribeInstances, DescribeInstanceStatus, and RebootInstances actions. Twilio account with WhatsApp sandbox or approved number for notifications. SMTP email service (e.g., Gmail, Outlook) with app-specific passwords enabled. Google Workspace or personal Google account for Sheets integration. n8n instance with AWS, Twilio, SMTP, and Google Sheets nodes installed (cloud or self-hosted). Production EC2 instances tagged consistently (e.g., Environment=Production) for filtering.

Modification Options Adjust the Schedule Trigger interval to hourly for less frequent checks or integrate with AWS CloudWatch Events for dynamic triggering. Expand Analyze Health Data to include advanced metrics (e.g., disk I/O via CloudWatch) or ML-based anomaly detection. Add more alert channels in Multi-Channel Alerts, such as Slack webhooks or PagerDuty integrations, by duplicating the WhatsApp/Email branches. Enhance Google Sheets Logging with charts or conditional formatting via Google Apps Script for visual dashboards. Implement approval gates in Restart Instance (e.g., via email confirmation) to prevent auto-restarts in sensitive environments.

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