How to Deploy a Website on AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers flexible and scalable infrastructure for hosting any website, from simple static pages to complex dynamic applications. Choosing the right service depends on your site’s needs, but the deployment process is straightforward once you understand your options.

This tutorial breaks down the three most practical approaches: S3 for static sites, EC2 for full control, and Lightsail for simplicity. Each method is covered step by step so you can get your website live quickly.

Deploy a Static Website with S3

• Create an S3 bucket and enable static website hosting.
• Upload your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
• Add a bucket policy to make objects publicly readable.
• Access your site via the generated S3 endpoint URL.

Host a Dynamic Site on EC2

• Launch an Amazon Linux EC2 instance and connect via SSH.
• Install a web server like Apache or Nginx.
• Upload your application code using SCP or Git.
• Configure security groups to allow traffic on ports 80 and 443.

Use Lightsail for a Simpler Setup

• Create a Lightsail instance from a preconfigured template.
• Deploy with the built-in WordPress or LAMP stack.
• Assign a static IP and enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt.

Connect a Domain and Enable SSL

• Point your domain to AWS using Route 53 DNS records.
• Request an SSL certificate from AWS Certificate Manager.
• Attach the certificate to CloudFront or your load balancer.

Wrapping Up

Deploying on AWS is easier than it seems. Start small with the free tier, choose the service that matches your skill level, and scale up as traffic grows.