How to run Python in the Cloud

To do this, I’m going to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create a virtual machine and run the Python script on it!

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Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

1. Login to AWS Console:

• Go to the AWS Management Console.
• Select EC2.

2. Launch a New EC2 Instance:

• Click Launch Instance.
• Choose an Amazon Machine Image → Ubuntu Server.
• Select the instance type, e.g., t2.micro (for free tier).
• Configure all the settings (accept defaults or customize).
• Under Key Pair, either create a new key pair or select an existing one. Download the .pem file (important for accessing later!).
• Launch the instance.

3. Get Public DNS of the Instance:

• In the EC2 Dashboard, go to Instances.
• Select your instance and find the Public DNS (IPv4) address.
  • Should look like this: ec2-XX-XX-XXX-XXX.compute-1.amazonaws.com.

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Step 2: Connect to EC2 Instance

1. Open Terminal on Your Local Machine:

• Navigate to your AWS folder:

  cd C:\Users\Path\to\AWS

Your key.pem file and other related files should be here.

2. SSH into EC2 Instance:

• Use the public DNS or IP address from your EC2 instance:

  ssh -i key.pem [e-mail]

• When asked if you trust the connection, type yes to continue.

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Step 3: Install Dependencies

1. Update Package Lists:

• Run the following to ensure your package lists are up to date:

  sudo apt update

2. Install Python and Pip on EC2 Instance:

• Install Python 3 and the necessary packages:

  sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

3. Install Other Packages (Optional):

• If you want to install other packages or use a virtual environment, you can do that now.

Installing Selenium:

pip install selenium

Installing Chromium and ChromeDriver (for Selenium):

sudo apt install chromium-browser
sudo apt install chromedriver

• Create a symlink to make ChromeDriver accessible globally:

  sudo ln -s /usr/lib/chromium-browser/chromedriver /usr/bin/chromedriver

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Step 4: Transfer Files from Local Machine to EC2

Use SCP to Transfer Files:

• On your local machine, navigate to the directory where your main.py or code is located.
• Use scp (SecureCopy) to copy files to your EC2 instance:

  scp -i key.pem main.py ec2-XX-XX-XXX-XXX.compute-1.amazonaws.com:/home/ubuntu/your_project/

• Ensure that you are in the correct directory where your files are located (see step 2.1).

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Step 5: Run the Script on EC2

1. SSH Into Your EC2 Instance (if not already connected):

ssh -i key.pem [e-mail]

2. Navigate to the Project Directory:

cd /home/ubuntu/your_project

3. Run the Python Script:

python3 main.py

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Step 6: Stop EC2 Instance

Once you’re done with your EC2 instance, stop it to avoid unnecessary charges:

1. Go to EC2 Dashboard in AWS.
2. Select your instance.
3. Click Actions → Instance State → Terminate Instance.