Akamai Getting Started

[Brian Bezdicek]

Thereare various restrictions and limitations to EdgeWorkers to keep in mind when running Full Stack feature flags and experiments. Refer to the official Akamai documentation for the most recent product limits and specific resource tier limitations. Also, review the known issues with EdgeWorkers.

The Optimizely starter kit for Akamai's Edge Workers embeds and extends our Javascript Node SDK to provide a starting point for you to implement experimentation and feature flagging for your experiences at the edge. For a guide to getting started with our platform more generally, this can be combined with the steps outlined in our Javascript Quickstart.

Out of the box, Optimizely's Full Stack SDKs require a user-provided identifier to be passed in at runtime to drive experiment and feature flag decisions. This example generates a unique ID, stores it in a cookie and reuses it to make the decisions sticky. Alternatively, you can use an existing unique identifier available within your application and pass it in as the value for the OPTIMIZELY_USER_ID cookie.

WORKER_ID: Unique ID for your EdgeWorker. This can be obtained from the Akamai control center.

ENVIRONMENT: The environment the EdgeWorker is being deployed on.

EDGEWORKER_VERSION: The custom version of the EdgeWorker as mentioned in bundle.json. This should be updated on every new deployment.

Akamai, the global leader in content delivery network and cloud services, has recently acquired Linode, one of the oldest and most trusted cloud server providers in the market. Linode has been offering simple, affordable, and accessible cloud computing solutions to millions of customers since 2003.

The Nanode plan is the most budget-friendly option, including 1 GB Memory, 1 CPU Core, 25 GB Storage, and 1 TB Transfer for only $5/month. The Standard plan is the most versatile option, which will allow you to run a wide range of cloud applications, from personal projects to enterprise applications. This plan starts from $12 / month for 2 GB RAM, 1 CPU Core, 50 GB Storage, and 2 TB Transfer.

To integrate your Akamai cloud account with RunCloud, you need to generate an API key from your Akamai dashboard. To create this API token, click on your profile picture in the top right part of your Akamai dashboard, and select API Tokens.

Once you scroll down, you will be asked to select between native Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, and Containerized servers. If you are just looking to deploy a WordPress website, you can pick any of them. If you have something specific in mind, read our comparison of Nginx vs OpenLiteSpeed servers and our in-depth explanation of Containerized Servers on RunCloud to make an informed decision.

On the next screen, select the version of the operating system that you want to use (usually the latest version is the best one), and pick your server type and location from the list shown on your screen. It is usually recommended to pick a location that is closest to the vast majority of your customers.

Next, you need to select your server size. If you are just getting started, you can pick the smallest server and gradually increase it as your website grows. If you need more help, you can refer to our previous article on how to pick the right server size.

Once you do this, RunCloud will create a new server in your Akamai account on your behalf and automatically install all the necessary software required to deploy websites. The whole process usually takes no more than 5-10 minutes.

RunCloud provides lots of cookie-cutter templates for launching a new server with just a few clicks. However, if you want more freedom to configure your server then you can choose the manual installation method.

In your Akamai dashboard, select the latest Ubuntu LTS version under the operating system section, and specify the region for your server. Next, pick your server type from the given list depending upon your requirements.

In the label section, you can either provide a descriptive name for your server or leave it as it is. Next, you need to provide the root password for your server. This is the password that you will use when connecting via SSH, so make sure you pick a strong and memorable password. Optionally, you can also configure the SSH keys for additional security.

Alternatively, if you are using SSH keys to log in to your server, then you can manually run the installation script. To do this, log in to your server with super user privileges (root) and run the provided command. Installation will take 5-10 minutes to complete, and once the server is connected you can close the terminal.

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