AWS  

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

Introduction

If you’re new to web development and wondering how to take your project online using AWS, you’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ll walk you through every step of hosting different types of web projects on an AWS EC2 instance, including Node.js, React apps, and static HTML/CSS sites. We’ll go from launching the instance to accessing your project live on the internet.

What We’ll Cover

  • What is AWS EC2?
  • Creating and Configuring an EC2 Instance
  • Connecting to Your EC2 Instance
  • Installing Required Software (Node.js, NGINX, PM2, etc.)
  • Uploading & Organizing Projects
  • Running Projects on Different Ports
  • Using PM2 for Process Management
  • Auto-Starting Projects After Reboot
  • Accessing Projects via IP Address

What is AWS EC2?

Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) provides scalable virtual servers in the cloud. You can use it to host websites, applications, or anything that needs computing power.

Why EC2 for Beginners?

  • Free tier available for 12 months (750 hours/month)
  • Customizable
  • Secure

AWS Home Page

Creating and configuring an EC2 Instance

Steps

  • Go to the EC2 Console.
  • Click Launch Instance.
  • Choose an OS (select Ubuntu 22.04).
    Instance Image
  • Choose instance type (use t2.micro for the free tier).
  • Add storage (default 8 GB is fine).
  • Configure security group:
    1. Allow SSH (port 22)
    2. Allow HTTP (port 80)
    3. Add Custom TCP Rules: 3003 (As per Requirement)
      Security Group
  • Create/download key pair (.pem) and launch instance.
    Create Key Pair

Connecting to Your EC2 Instance

Use SSH to connect:

ssh -i baibhav.online.pem ubuntu@your-ec2-ip

Connect AWS

Installing Required Software

Once connected, run these:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install nodejs npm nginx git -y
sudo npm install -g pm2 serve

Installing Required Software

Uploading & Organizing Projects

Cloning Your Project from GitHub

If your code is hosted on GitHub, you can directly clone it into your EC2 instance using git clone.

  1. Go to your project directory on GitHub.
  2. Copy the HTTPS or SSH clone URL.
  3. Run the following command in your EC2 terminal:
# Example using HTTPS
git clone https://github.com/itsbaibhavkr/HFIS-Website.git hfiswebsite

# OR using SSH (only if you've set up SSH keys)
git clone [email protected]:itsbaibhavkr/HFIS-Website.git hfiswebsite

This will create a folder with your project name in the current directory.

Running Projects on Different Ports

#HFISWebsite
cd ~/hfiswebsite
pm2 start npx --name hfiswebsite -- serve -s . -l 3003

Output

Hfis Website

Using PM2 for Process Management

PM2 keeps your apps running even after the terminal closes:

pm2 save
pm2 startup

Output

PM2 Save Run

Copy the command PM2 gives and run it.

Auto-Starting Projects After Reboot

PM2 needs to be saved and registered as a system service:

pm2 save
sudo env PATH=$PATH:/home/ubuntu/.nvm/versions/node/v18.0.0/bin pm2 startup systemd -u ubuntu --hp /home/ubuntu

Output

PM2

Accessing Projects via IP Address

Let’s say your EC2 IP is 52.66.86.110, access them like this:

  • http://52.66.86.110:3003 → HFISWebsite

The website is live now.

Live Website image

Conclusion

Hosting your projects on AWS might look technical, but with this guide, it becomes beginner-friendly. Whether it’s a Node app, a React frontend, or a simple static site, you now know how to:

  • Launch a server
  • Install the tools
  • Upload and run projects
  • Keep them alive using PM2

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