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AWS CloudFront MCP Server

Create a powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Amazon CloudFront in minutes with our AI Gateway. This guide walks you through setting up seamless CloudFront integration with enterprise-grade security and AWS Signature v4 authentication.

About AWS CloudFront API​

Amazon CloudFront is a fast content delivery network (CDN) service that securely delivers data, videos, applications, and APIs globally with low latency and high transfer speeds. The CloudFront API enables programmatic access to:

  • Distribution Management: Create and configure CDN distributions
  • Cache Control: Manage caching behaviors and invalidations
  • Origin Configuration: Connect to S3, ALB, or custom origins
  • Security Features: SSL/TLS, signed URLs, and field-level encryption
  • Edge Functions: Lambda@Edge and CloudFront Functions
  • Real-time Analytics: Monitor performance and usage
  • Access Control: Geographic restrictions and signed cookies
  • Streaming: Support for live and on-demand video

Key Features​

  • 450+ Edge Locations: Global presence for low latency
  • Origin Shield: Additional caching layer for origin protection
  • HTTP/3 Support: Latest protocol for better performance
  • WebSocket Support: Real-time bidirectional communication
  • Compression: Automatic Gzip and Brotli compression
  • Custom Error Pages: Branded error experiences
  • Origin Failover: Automatic failover for high availability
  • Real-time Logs: Detailed logs within seconds

What You Can Do with CloudFront MCP Server​

The MCP server transforms CloudFront's API into a natural language interface, enabling AI agents to:

Distribution Management​

  • Distribution Operations

    • "Create CDN distribution for website.example.com"
    • "List all active CloudFront distributions"
    • "Update distribution to add new origin"
    • "Enable IPv6 for production distribution"

  • Origin Configuration

    • "Add S3 bucket as origin for static assets"
    • "Configure custom origin for API backend"
    • "Set up origin failover for high availability"
    • "Add custom headers to origin requests"

Performance Optimization​

  • Cache Behaviors

    • "Create cache behavior for /api/* with no caching"
    • "Set 1-year cache for static assets"
    • "Configure different TTLs by file type"
    • "Enable query string forwarding for dynamic content"

  • Compression & Optimization

    • "Enable Gzip compression for text files"
    • "Configure Brotli for modern browsers"
    • "Set up automatic image optimization"
    • "Enable HTTP/2 and HTTP/3"

Cache Management​

  • Invalidations

    • "Invalidate all cached content"
    • "Clear cache for /images/* path"
    • "Invalidate specific files after update"
    • "Check invalidation status and history"

  • Cache Policies

    • "Create custom cache policy for API responses"
    • "Use managed cache policy for static content"
    • "Configure cache based on headers"
    • "Set up device-based caching"

Security Configuration​

  • Access Control

    • "Enable signed URLs for premium content"
    • "Set up geographic restrictions for compliance"
    • "Configure WAF rules for DDoS protection"
    • "Implement field-level encryption"

  • SSL/TLS Management

    • "Use AWS Certificate Manager SSL certificate"
    • "Configure SNI for custom domain"
    • "Set minimum TLS version to 1.2"
    • "Enable HSTS headers"

Edge Computing​

  • Lambda@Edge

    • "Deploy function for A/B testing"
    • "Add security headers at edge"
    • "Implement request routing logic"
    • "Personalize content by location"

  • CloudFront Functions

    • "Add cache key normalization"
    • "Implement URL redirects"
    • "Validate request tokens"
    • "Modify response headers"

Monitoring & Analytics​

  • Real-time Metrics

    • "Show current request rate"
    • "Monitor cache hit ratio"
    • "Track bandwidth usage by distribution"
    • "Alert on origin error rate"

  • Usage Reports

    • "Generate monthly bandwidth report"
    • "Show top referrers and user agents"
    • "Analyze geographic distribution"
    • "Track popular objects"

Quick Start Guide​

1. Prerequisites​

  • AWS Account with CloudFront access
  • Authentication method (choose one):
    • AWS IAM credentials (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key)
    • OAuth2 via AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO)
    • SAML 2.0 federation
  • Domain name (for custom domains)
  • AI Gateway account

2. Authentication Options​

Option A: AWS IAM Credentials (Traditional)​

Use AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key with the required IAM permissions below.

Option B: OAuth2 via AWS IAM Identity Center​

AWS supports OAuth2 through IAM Identity Center for programmatic access:

  1. Enable IAM Identity Center:

    • Navigate to IAM Identity Center in AWS Console
    • Enable Identity Center in your preferred region
    • Configure identity source

  2. Register OAuth Application:

    aws sso-admin register-client \
      --client-name "AI-Gateway-CloudFront-MCP" \
      --client-type "public" \
      --scopes "cloudfront:*"

  3. Configure OAuth Settings:

    • Authorization URL: https://[your-sso-url].awsapps.com/start/authorize
    • Token URL: https://[your-sso-url].awsapps.com/start/token
    • Redirect URI: https://auth.aigateway.cequence.ai/v1/outbound/oauth/callback
    • Scopes: Configure based on CloudFront operations needed

  4. Permission Sets: Create permission set in IAM Identity Center with CloudFront policies attached.

3. Required IAM Permissions​

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "cloudfront:CreateDistribution",
        "cloudfront:GetDistribution",
        "cloudfront:UpdateDistribution",
        "cloudfront:DeleteDistribution",
        "cloudfront:ListDistributions",
        "cloudfront:CreateInvalidation",
        "cloudfront:GetInvalidation",
        "cloudfront:ListInvalidations",
        "cloudfront:CreateOriginAccessControl",
        "cloudfront:GetOriginAccessControl",
        "cloudfront:UpdateOriginAccessControl",
        "cloudfront:DeleteOriginAccessControl",
        "cloudfront:CreateCachePolicy",
        "cloudfront:GetCachePolicy",
        "cloudfront:UpdateCachePolicy",
        "cloudfront:DeleteCachePolicy",
        "cloudfront:ListCachePolicies",
        "cloudfront:CreateResponseHeadersPolicy",
        "cloudfront:GetResponseHeadersPolicy",
        "cloudfront:UpdateResponseHeadersPolicy",
        "cloudfront:DeleteResponseHeadersPolicy"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

4. MCP Server Configuration​

For IAM Credentials:​

  1. Navigate to the AI Gateway dashboard
  2. Click "Create New MCP Server"
  3. Select "AWS CloudFront" from the available integrations
  4. Choose "AWS IAM" authentication
  5. Configure credentials:
    • Enter AWS Access Key ID
    • Enter AWS Secret Access Key
    • Configure default behaviors
    • Set up monitoring preferences

For OAuth2 (IAM Identity Center):​

  1. Navigate to the AI Gateway dashboard
  2. Click "Create New MCP Server"
  3. Select "AWS CloudFront" from the available integrations
  4. Choose "OAuth 2.0" authentication
  5. Configure OAuth settings:
    • Authorization URL: Your IAM Identity Center authorize endpoint
    • Token URL: Your IAM Identity Center token endpoint
    • Client ID: From registered application
    • Client Secret: From registered application (if confidential client)
    • Scopes: Select required CloudFront permissions
    • AWS Region: Global (CloudFront is a global service)

5. Test Your Connection​

Try these commands to verify your setup:

  • "List all CloudFront distributions"
  • "Create a test distribution"
  • "Check cache statistics"

OAuth2 Scopes for CloudFront Operations​

When using OAuth2 via IAM Identity Center, configure permission sets with these CloudFront actions:

Distribution Management​

  • cloudfront:CreateDistribution - Create new distributions
  • cloudfront:GetDistribution - View distribution details
  • cloudfront:UpdateDistribution - Modify distributions
  • cloudfront:DeleteDistribution - Remove distributions
  • cloudfront:ListDistributions - List all distributions

Cache Operations​

  • cloudfront:CreateInvalidation - Clear cached content
  • cloudfront:GetInvalidation - Check invalidation status
  • cloudfront:ListInvalidations - View invalidation history

Security & Access​

  • cloudfront:CreateOriginAccessControl - Secure origin access
  • cloudfront:UpdateOriginAccessControl - Modify access controls
  • cloudfront:CreateKeyGroup - Manage signed URLs
  • cloudfront:CreatePublicKey - Add public keys

Policies & Configuration​

  • cloudfront:CreateCachePolicy - Define cache behaviors
  • cloudfront:CreateOriginRequestPolicy - Configure origin requests
  • cloudfront:CreateResponseHeadersPolicy - Set response headers
  • cloudfront:TagResource - Add resource tags

Configure permission sets in IAM Identity Center to match your CDN management needs.

Common Use Cases​

Static Website Hosting​

Deliver static websites globally:

"Create distribution for S3 static website"
"Configure index.html as default root object"
"Set up custom error pages"
"Enable compression for all text files"

API Acceleration​

Speed up API responses:

"Create distribution for REST API"
"Configure caching by API version header"
"Set up origin request policy"
"Enable CORS headers"

Media Streaming​

Deliver video content efficiently:

"Set up distribution for video streaming"
"Configure byte-range requests"
"Enable origin shield for popular content"
"Set up signed URLs for premium videos"

Dynamic Content​

Optimize dynamic applications:

"Configure cache based on user cookies"
"Forward query strings to origin"
"Set up device detection"
"Implement geo-targeting"

Advanced Features​

Origin Groups​

Set up high availability:

"Create origin group with primary and failover"
"Configure health checks for automatic failover"
"Set up multi-region origins"
"Test failover scenarios"

Security Headers​

Enhance application security:

"Add Content-Security-Policy header"
"Enable X-Frame-Options for clickjacking protection"
"Set Strict-Transport-Security"
"Configure Referrer-Policy"

Custom Behaviors​

Fine-tune content delivery:

"Create behavior for mobile users"
"Set up path-based routing"
"Configure method-based caching"
"Implement content negotiation"

Real-time Logs​

Monitor in real-time:

"Enable real-time logs to Kinesis"
"Set up log filtering"
"Configure sampling rate"
"Monitor specific distributions"

Best Practices​

Distribution Design​

  • Use separate distributions for different content types
  • Implement proper cache key design
  • Configure appropriate TTLs
  • Use Origin Shield for high-traffic content

Performance​

  • Enable compression for text content
  • Use HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
  • Optimize cache behaviors
  • Implement connection pooling

Security​

  • Always use HTTPS
  • Implement proper access controls
  • Use AWS WAF for protection
  • Enable AWS Shield for DDoS protection

Cost Optimization​

  • Monitor data transfer costs
  • Use Origin Shield strategically
  • Implement efficient cache policies
  • Regular usage analysis

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  • 504 Gateway Timeout: Increase origin timeout settings
  • Cache Misses: Review cache behaviors and headers
  • SSL Errors: Verify certificate configuration
  • Access Denied: Check S3 bucket policies and OAC

Performance Debugging​

  • Use CloudFront reports for insights
  • Monitor cache hit ratios
  • Analyze origin response times
  • Check compression effectiveness

Integration Examples​

With AWS Services​

"Use S3 as origin for static content"
"Integrate with ALB for dynamic content"
"Trigger Lambda@Edge for processing"
"Send logs to CloudWatch"

With AI Gateway Tools​

"Invalidate cache when content updates in CMS"
"Generate CDN usage reports in Google Sheets"
"Alert on high origin errors via Slack"
"Track CDN costs in billing dashboard"

Edge Computing​

Lambda@Edge Use Cases​

  • Viewer Request: Authenticate users, URL rewrites
  • Origin Request: Modify headers, route requests
  • Origin Response: Add security headers, compress
  • Viewer Response: Modify content, A/B testing

CloudFront Functions​

  • Lightweight processing at edge
  • Sub-millisecond execution
  • Ideal for simple transformations
  • Cost-effective for high-volume

Monitoring and Analytics​

Key Metrics​

"Show cache hit ratio trends"
"Monitor 4xx and 5xx error rates"
"Track bandwidth by geography"
"Analyze request patterns"

Cost Analysis​

"Calculate data transfer costs by region"
"Show HTTP vs HTTPS request ratio"
"Track invalidation costs"
"Optimize for cost efficiency"

Security Features​

Access Control Methods​

  • Signed URLs: Time-limited access
  • Signed Cookies: Session-based access
  • Origin Access Control: Secure S3 access
  • AWS WAF: Application firewall rules

Compliance Features​

  • Field-Level Encryption: Protect sensitive data
  • Geographic Restrictions: Comply with regulations
  • Access Logging: Audit trail
  • AWS Shield: DDoS protection

Pricing Considerations​

Cost Components​

  • Data Transfer Out: Varies by geography
  • HTTP/HTTPS Requests: Per 10,000 requests
  • Invalidation Requests: First 1,000 paths free
  • Field-Level Encryption: Additional per request
  • Origin Shield: Optional caching layer
  • Real-time Logs: Based on log volume

Cost Optimization Tips​

  • Use Origin Shield for popular content
  • Implement efficient caching strategies
  • Monitor and optimize TTLs
  • Use CloudFront's free tier effectively

Ready to accelerate your content delivery? Start creating your CloudFront MCP server today and enable AI-powered CDN management!