cloud-init-decoder

README

Cloud Startup Data Decoder

Description

Cloud Startup Data Decoder decodes cloud instance startup data. It works with AWS and handles both cloud-init and plain text formats. Useful for developers, sysadmins, and cybersecurity roles. Azure and GCP support are on the roadmap.

Installation

Download the precompiled binaries for your respective operating system from the Releases section.

• Windows
• Linux
• macOS

Usage

1. Navigate to your working directory where you want the decoded files to be saved.

2. Run the application

Usages:
  cloud-startup-data-decoder [OPTIONS]             : Specify options for data provider and output directory.
  cloud-startup-data-decoder [CONTENT_TO_DECODE]   : Specify the content to decode as the first argument.

Options:
  -o, --output-dir: Specify the output directory within your working directory. (default "output")
  -p, --provider:   Specify the data provider (e.g., aws).

Options

• -o, --output-dir : (Optional) Specify the output directory within your working directory.
• -p, --provider : (Optional) Specify a cloud provider to get startup data from instances

Example:

./cloud-startup-data-decoder $(cat test_data/gzip_base64_userdata.txt) 

OR

./cloud-startup-data-decoder --provider aws

Features

Current Features

• AWS User Data Support: Decode and analyze user data in Amazon EC2 instances.
• Cloud-Init Support: Decode cloud-init formatted user data, widely used for cloud instance initialization.
• Plain User Data: Decode plain-text user data that doesn't follow the cloud-init format.

Upcoming Features (TODO)

• Azure Support: Extend decoding capabilities to Azure's Custom Script Extension and user data.
• GCP Support: Extend decoding capabilities to include Google Cloud Platform's startup scripts and metadata.

Usage Scenarios

• Cloud Migration: Easily understand startup configurations when migrating across cloud platforms.
• Security Auditing: Utilize this tool to audit startup scripts for any security vulnerabilities.
• Debugging: Decode and analyze startup data to debug instance initialization issues.

How it works

• Decode userdata into readable files in the output directory
• Save decoded files relative to the working directory for easy access
• Cross-platform support: Windows, Linux, macOS

Requirements

• Go runtime for running from source, or
• Precompiled binaries for Windows, Linux, and macOS

Installation from source

From Source

1. Clone the repository

git clone git@github.com:reaandrew/cloud-startup-data-decoder.git

1. Navigate to the project directory

cd cloud-startup-data-decoder

1. Build the project

go build

Contribution

Feel free to open issues or PRs if you find any problems or have suggestions for improvements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.

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