This tutorial shows you the basic steps on how to launch an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Linux instance using AWS.
Just a quick clarification, this tutorial does not cover on how to connect to your instance. It is only for launching it.
Note: This tutorial is from 2018. The AWS console has a new look now. But the processes and steps may still remain the same.
Step One
Go to https://aws.amazon.com/ and sign in to your AWS Management Console by clicking the “My Account” tab.
Step Two
After that, you will see your management console which looks something like the figure below. Click on “Services”.
Step Three
A page with a list of services will appear where it shows the available services AWS provides. For now, we will use the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service. So, click on ‘EC2’ under ‘Compute’.
Step Four
You will be presented with the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) dashboard.
This page gives you an overview and information on currently running instances and other features of EC2. On the dashboard below ‘Create Instance’ section, click ‘Launch Instance’.
Step Five
For this tutorial we will launch an Ubuntu Instance. So, scroll down and you should see the Ubuntu Server 16.04. Select that.
Step Six
The next page shows the type of server computer and its configurations for you instance.
You should see that it is already set to ‘t2.micro’. Depending on the server and computing power that you might need for your work, there are other options available too. But, for this tutorial, you should leave this part as it is.
Choosing a different instance type might cost you unnecessary charges. The ‘t2.micro’ already falls under free tier usage.
We are not ready to launch our Amazon Elastic Compute Coud (EC2) instance yet until we go over all the different configurations.
So, on the bottom right of your screen click ‘Next: Configure Instance Details’.
Step Seven
If you are familiar with IP addressing and subletting then AWS gives you the option to edit and modify these configurations.
Other features, like how many instances you would like to launch of the same Ubuntu Server 16.04 can also be configured.
As a default, it is set to ‘1’.
In addition, you can also set up VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) and launch this instance on your VPC server.
We won’t do much on this page now as AWS has already set default configurations for your instance details.
Click ‘Next: Add Storage’ on the bottom right of the screen.
Step Eight
This page allows you to configure your instance’s storage settings. For example, you can add new storage volumes and define its type and size.
You can also increase the size and set the default volume type. On the right side of the dashboard, you will see that it says “Delete On Termination”.
It tells AWS to delete the volume when you terminate or delete the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud instance itself.
If you ever decide to keep and save a certain volume for future use, then leave this part unchecked. Otherwise, keep it as it is now.
Remember, changing storage configuration may also affect your overall charges.
For now it is best to go with the default settings. Then, click ‘Next: Add Tags’.
Step Nine
We are not assigning any tags on this tutorial. So click ‘Next: Configure Security Group’.
Step Ten
Configuring the security group for your instance is one of the crucial steps to protect your instance from attacks and threats from other networks.
A security group controls the flow of traffic from and to your Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance.
You can configure a security group by adding rules on how your instance can be accessed and through which port.
Select ‘Create a new security group’. Choose a name for your new security group. You can also describe your security group to make it easy for yourself for later reference.
The default rule is set to allow traffic from anywhere through port 22 using SSH connection to your instance.
But I don’t recommend it as it is most likely to be dangerous for a real production environment.
After configuring the security group it’s settings , click ‘Review and Launch’.
Step Eleven
This page reviews the configurations we set for our Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance.
If you think you need to change any configuration, then you can always go back and set up things according to your requirement(s).
After that, click ‘Launch.’
Step Twelve
Launching the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud instance for the first time will require you set up a key pair.
A key pair is basically a pair of public key and private keys which allow you to connect to your instance securely.
The public key is stored by AWS, while the private key has to be downloaded and stored by you.
Also, keep in mind that, AWS allows you to download the private key for once.
You won’t be able to download it again if you somehow lose it. As stated by AWS, it is recommended to store the private key in a secure place that you can easily remember.
If you don’t have an essential pair set already, then select ‘Create a new pair’ and give a name to it. Then download the key pair and store it in your computer. You will require to use the key pair to connect it to the instance later on.
After that, click ‘Launch Instances’.
Step Thirteen
Congratulation on launching your first Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance. You should be seeing under the ‘Instance State’ that your instance is running.
Step Fourteen
Remember to shut down your instance after you are done with this tutorial. You should be okay to test and experiment at no cost with the free tier eligibility.
Know that every AWS free tier account holder gets to run Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance for 750 hours per month at no cost.
AWS will charge you If you exceed that limit.
To stop your instance, click the ‘Actions’ tab and go to ‘Instance State’. From there select ‘Stop’
This should stop your instance from running and you will see under the ‘Instate State’ that it is not running anymore.
Conclusion
This tutorial only covered on how to launch the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance.
I will also put up the tutorial on connecting to your instance from a Linux or Windows
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions.