Advice Sought: AWS Architecture for Canvas LMS – Feedback on Scalability & Structure
Andrew C
Hi everyone,
I’m in the process of reviewing an AWS server setup proposed by our current administrators to host Canvas LMS, and I’d really appreciate any advice or feedback you can offer — particularly around scalability, performance, and security.
Here’s a quick summary of the proposed setup (in Asia Pacific – Sydney region):
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4 x EC2 Instances (r6g.medium and r6gd.medium via 1yr Savings Plan)
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Web servers, background workers, and DB separated
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Elastic Load Balancer (1x Application Load Balancer)
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ElastiCache (Redis): 1x cache.t4g.small reserved instance
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Amazon EBS: 30 GB with twice-daily snapshots
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Estimated Cost:
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Upfront: $796 USD
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Monthly: ~$96 USD
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12-Month Total: ~$1,953 USD
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The architecture is designed to:
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Host both our website and Canvas LMS using a shared database instance
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Use 2 web nodes behind a load balancer to support up to 30–50 concurrent users (suggested by current admin - but I would have thought that it could host more?)
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Allow for simple scaling by adding more web nodes as usage grows
This all sounds reasonable to me, but I’m not 100% confident whether this is a well-structured and future-proof approach, or if there are obvious limitations or better alternatives. I’ve read through several helpful posts here, including this one on scalability, but still feel a bit out of my depth.
I’d be very grateful for any thoughts — even a quick comment or red flag — especially from those who’ve scaled Canvas before or hosted in a similar way.
Thanks so much for your time and generosity!
Cheers,
- A
Andrew C
E.g. Are their issues with ARM processors with Canvas?
Stephen Oduor
Hi Andrew,
If you can confirm that scalability and HA are business-critical, and your expected load is likely to exceed 100+ concurrent users, Kubernetes would be a solid,
future-ready foundation.
I did part 2 Explanation on High Availability for Canvas LMS Using Kubernetes
Part 1 : High Availability for Canvas LMS Using Kubernetes
Part 2: Architecting High Availability for Canvas LMS, Part 2: The Technical Deep Dive
However, for lighter workloads and simpler operations, your current EC2-based setup or ECS/Fargate may be more efficient in the short term — with room to migrate later.
Stephen Oduor
in...@qsoftwares.org
QSOFTWARES LTD
Nicolas Lopez
* Their infrastructure is designed to serve over 6,000,000 concurrent users.
* They provide updates every three weeks, ensuring you always have the latest features and fixes.
* You'll gain access to their mobile applications.
* They offer dedicated technical support.
* The SaaS version includes many features not available in the open-source version, such as various LTI integrations, AI capabilities, and enhanced video support. Plus the optional modules like Catalog, Studio and Credentials (the free tier of Credentials will be no longer available from 2026).
While self-hosting Canvas can be tempting, it's important to factor in the significant human resources and costs associated with maintaining and upgrading the system, in addition to missing out on some valuable features. I can say it based on my own experience. At the very least, I suggest contacting a local Instructure partner to get an estimated cost for your specific needs. They offer a couple of licensing options tailored to different student and course characteristics.
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