Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance and Configuring Server

1. Launch an EC2 Instance

Steps:

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard and click Launch Instance.
3. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI):
   • Select Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS.
4. Choose an Instance Type:
   • Use the t2.micro for free-tier eligibility or a size that fits your needs.
5. Configure Instance Details:
   • Keep defaults for basic setup.
6. Add Storage:
   • Set storage size (e.g., 30GB).
7. Configure Security Group:
   • Allow the following ports:
     • SSH (Port 22)
     • HTTP (Port 80)
     • HTTPS (Port 443)
     • MySQL/Aurora (Port 3306) [if needed for remote database access].
8. Launch the instance and download the key pair for SSH access.

2. Connect to the Instance

Steps:

1. Open your terminal or SSH client (e.g., PuTTY on Windows).

2. Connect using the following command:
   

   ssh -i /path/to/key.pem ubuntu@your-instance-ip
   
   

3. Update the Server

Commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

---

4. Install NVM and Node.js

Steps:

1. Install NVM:
   

   curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.3/install.sh | bash
   source ~/.bashrc
   
   

2. Install Node.js:
   

   nvm install 18.17.0
   nvm use 18.17.0
   
   

3. Verify installation:
   

   node -v
   npm -v
   
   

---

5. Install and Configure PM2

Steps:

1. Install PM2 globally:
   

   npm install -g pm2
   
   

2. Verify installation:
   

   pm2 -v
   
   

3. Set up PM2 to start on reboot:
   

   pm2 startup
   
   

4. Save the PM2 process list:
   

   pm2 save
   
   

---

6. Install and Configure NGINX

Steps:

1. Install NGINX:
   

   sudo apt install nginx -y
   
   

2. Start and enable NGINX:
   

   sudo systemctl start nginx
   sudo systemctl enable nginx
   
   

3. Configure NGINX for your application:

   • Create a configuration file (e.g., myapp):
     

     sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp
     
     

- Add the following configuration:

    ```
    server {
        listen 80;
        server_name your-domain.com;

        location / {
            proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
            proxy_http_version 1.1;
            proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
            proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
            proxy_set_header Host $host;
            proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        }
    }

    ```

- Enable the site:

    ```bash
    sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
    sudo nginx -t
    sudo systemctl restart nginx

    ```

---

7. Install MySQL

Steps:

1. Install MySQL:
   

   sudo apt install mysql-server -y
   
   

2. Secure MySQL installation:
   

   sudo mysql_secure_installation
   
   

- Set a strong root password.
- Configure validation levels as required.

1. Allow remote access (optional):

   • Edit MySQL configuration:
     

     sudo nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf
     
     

- Set `bind-address = 0.0.0.0`.
- Restart MySQL:

    ```bash
    sudo systemctl restart mysql

    ```

- Grant privileges:

    ```sql
    GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'your_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
    FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

    ```

---

8. Clone Project and Set Up

Steps:

1. Install Git:
   

   sudo apt install git -y
   
   

2. Clone your project:
   

   git clone https://github.com/your-repo.git /var/www/myapp
   
   

3. Navigate to the project directory:
   

   cd /var/www/myapp
   
   

4. Install dependencies:
   

   npm install
   
   

5. Create and configure the .env file:
   

   nano .env
   
   

---

9. Start Application with PM2

Steps:

1. Start your application:
   

   pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
   
   

- If you don’t have an ecosystem file:

    ```bash
    pm2 start npm --name "myapp" -- run start

    ```

1. Save the PM2 process list:
   

   pm2 save
   
   

2. Check logs:
   

   pm2 logs
   
   

---

10. Configure SSL with Certbot

Steps:

1. Install Certbot:
   

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
   
   

2. Obtain and configure SSL certificates:
   

   sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com
   
   

3. Verify renewal:
   

   sudo certbot renew --dry-run
   
   

---

11. Final Steps

1. Test your application:
   

   curl http://localhost
   curl http://your-domain.com
   
   

2. Ensure all services are running:
   

   sudo systemctl status nginx
   pm2 list
   
   

---

12. Optional: GitHub Actions for CI/CD

1. Set up a .github/workflows/deploy.yml file.
2. Use SSH or FTP to automate deployments.
3. Store secrets in GitHub and trigger workflows on push events.

---

This comprehensive guide ensures your server and application are set up, secured, and running effectively.