Alibaba Cloud Configuration
Overview
Alibaba Cloud integration enables comprehensive asset discovery and management for your cloud infrastructure. Casibase automatically scans resources across your Alibaba Cloud account, collecting detailed configuration information.
Prerequisites
Before configuring the Alibaba Cloud provider, you need:
- An Alibaba Cloud account
- Access Key ID and Access Key Secret with appropriate permissions
- Access to at least one region where resources are deployed
Required Permissions
The Access Key should have permissions to call:
resourcecenter:SearchResources- For resource discoveryecs:DescribeInstances- For ECS instance detailsecs:DescribeDisks- For disk detailsvpc:DescribeVpcs- For VPC details
Configuration Steps
Create Access Key
- Log in to Alibaba Cloud console
- Navigate to AccessKey Management
- Create a new Access Key pair
- Save both the Access Key ID and Access Key Secret securely
Add Provider in Casibase
- Open Casibase and navigate to Providers
- Click the
Addbutton - Fill in the configuration:
- Name: A descriptive name for this provider
- Type: Select "Aliyun" (this is the internal identifier for Alibaba Cloud)
- Category: Select "Public Cloud"
- Client ID: Paste your Access Key ID
- Client Secret: Paste your Access Key Secret
- Region: Enter the target region (e.g., cn-hangzhou, cn-beijing)
- Click
Save & Exit
Asset Discovery
Once configured, Casibase performs two-level asset discovery:
Level 1: Resource Discovery
Uses the SearchResources API to scan all resource types in the specified region. This provides basic information about each resource including ID, type, region, and tags.
Level 2: Detailed Enrichment
For specific resource types, Casibase makes additional API calls to gather comprehensive details:
ECS Instances
- Instance specifications (CPU cores, memory size)
- Operating system information
- Public and private IP addresses
- Billing method and instance status
Disks
- Disk category (cloud, cloud_efficiency, cloud_ssd)
- Size and attachment status
- Associated instance information
VPCs
- CIDR block configuration
- Associated VSwitches
- Routing table information
Resource Properties
Each discovered asset includes standard fields plus resource-specific properties. The properties are stored as key-value pairs and displayed in the asset detail view.
Common properties include instance types, network configurations, storage specifications, and billing information.
Scanning Multiple Regions
To scan resources in multiple regions, create separate providers for each region. This approach allows granular control over which regions are scanned and monitored.
Troubleshooting
No resources found: Verify the Access Key has correct permissions and the specified region contains resources.
Authentication errors: Check that the Access Key ID and Secret are correctly entered and the key is active.
Missing details: Ensure the Access Key has permissions for the detailed API calls (DescribeInstances, DescribeDisks, DescribeVpcs).