SK Infovision Web Hosting How to Deploy a Website on AWS EC2: A Beginner’s Guide

How to Deploy a Website on AWS EC2: A Beginner’s Guide

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How to Deploy a Website on AWS EC2: A Beginner's Guide

Deploying a website has never been easier, thanks to the rise of cloud computing platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a versatile service that provides scalable computing capacity in the cloud. This article is designed for beginners and intermediate users who want to learn how to deploy a website on AWS EC2. By the end of this guide, you will know how to set up an EC2 instance, configure your server, and host your website in no time!

Table of Contents

What is AWS EC2?

AWS EC2 is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It is designed to make web-scale cloud computing easier for developers. Here are some key features:

  • Scalability: You can quickly scale your resources up or down based on demand.
  • Pay-as-you-go: You pay only for what you use.
  • Flexible configuration: Choose different instance types tailored for various workloads.

Signing Up for AWS

Before you can deploy your website on AWS, you need an AWS account. Here’s how to sign up:

  1. Visit the AWS website.
  2. Click on Sign In to the Console.
  3. Choose Create a New AWS Account.
  4. Enter your account information and follow the prompts to complete registration.
  5. Provide payment information (note that AWS offers a free tier for the first year).

Creating an EC2 Instance

Once you've signed up, you can start creating your EC2 instance:

  1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
  2. In the services menu, click on EC2.
  3. Click Launch Instance.
  4. Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI):
    • Choose a Linux-based AMI (e.g., Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu).
    • For beginner setups, the free tier options are ideal.
  5. Select an Instance Type:
    • For simple websites, t2.micro is often sufficient.
  6. Configure Instance Details and Network Settings:
    • Leave default settings for new users.
  7. Select Add Storage (default is fine for starters).
  8. Add Tags to identify your instance.
  9. Configure Security Group:
    • Add rules to allow HTTP (port 80) and SSH (port 22).
  10. Finally, click on Launch and create or choose a key pair for SSH access.

Configuring Your Instance

Once your EC2 instance is launched, you need to configure it:

  1. Use an SSH client (like PuTTY for Windows or Terminal for Mac) to connect to your instance.
  2. Update your package manager:
    • For Ubuntu: sudo apt-get update
    • For Amazon Linux: sudo yum update
  3. Install a web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx):
    • For Apache: sudo apt-get install apache2 (Ubuntu)
    • For Apache: sudo yum install httpd (Amazon Linux)
  4. Start your web server:
    • For Apache: sudo systemctl start apache2 (Ubuntu)
    • For Apache: sudo systemctl start httpd (Amazon Linux)

Uploading Your Website

With your server up and running, it’s time to upload your website files. Here are a couple of options:

  • Using SCP (Secure Copy Protocol):
    • Use SCP to copy files from your local machine to the EC2 instance:
      scp -i /path/to/key.pem localfile.html ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip:/var/www/html/
  • Using FTP:
    • Install an FTP server (e.g., vsftpd on Ubuntu).
    • Use an FTP client like FileZilla to transfer files.

Setting Up DNS

To make your website accessible from anywhere, you need to configure a Domain Name System (DNS):

  • Purchase a domain from a registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap).
  • Log in to the registrar’s dashboard.
  • Point your domain to the EC2 instance:
    • Find the public IP of your EC2 instance.
    • Add an A record in your DNS settings with your EC2 IP.
  • Wait for DNS propagation (this can take from a few minutes to 48 hours).

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

As you deploy your website, you may encounter some common issues:

  • SSH Connection Timeout:
    • Check your security group settings and ensure port 22 is open.
  • Website Not Loading:
    • Verify that your web server is running and configured correctly.
    • Check that your domain DNS settings are correct and propagated.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully deployed a website on AWS EC2 from scratch. In this guide, you learned about:

  • How to create and configure an EC2 instance.
  • The process of uploading your website files and setting up DNS.
  • Troubleshooting common issues you might encounter.

Start experimenting with your new skills by deploying different types of websites or applications! For more in-depth tutorials and resources on AWS, ensure to subscribe to our blog for the latest updates.

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