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

Divyanshu — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:24:07 +0000

1. Launch an EC2 Instance

Steps:

Log in to your AWS Management Console.
Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard and click Launch Instance.
Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI):
- Select Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS.
Choose an Instance Type:
- Use the t2.micro for free-tier eligibility or a size that fits your needs.
Configure Instance Details:
- Keep defaults for basic setup.
Add Storage:
- Set storage size (e.g., 30GB).
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].
Launch the instance and download the key pair for SSH access.

2. Connect to the Instance

Steps:

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

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:

Install NVM:

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

Install Node.js:
```
nvm install 18.17.0
nvm use 18.17.0
```
Verify installation:
```
node -v
npm -v
```

5. Install and Configure PM2

Steps:

Install PM2 globally:
```
npm install -g pm2
```
Verify installation:
```
pm2 -v
```
Set up PM2 to start on reboot:
```
pm2 startup
```
Save the PM2 process list:
```
pm2 save
```

6. Install and Configure NGINX

Steps:

Install NGINX:
```
sudo apt install nginx -y
```

Start and enable NGINX:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

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:

Install MySQL:
```
sudo apt install mysql-server -y
```
Secure MySQL installation:
```
sudo mysql_secure_installation
```

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

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:

Install Git:
```
sudo apt install git -y
```

Clone your project:

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

Navigate to the project directory:
```
cd /var/www/myapp
```
Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Create and configure the .env file:
```
nano .env
```

9. Start Application with PM2

Steps:

Start your application:
```
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
```

- If you don’t have an ecosystem file:

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

    ```

Save the PM2 process list:
```
pm2 save
```
Check logs:
```
pm2 logs
```

10. Configure SSL with Certbot

Steps:

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Obtain and configure SSL certificates:

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

Verify renewal:
```
sudo certbot renew --dry-run
```

11. Final Steps

Test your application:

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

Ensure all services are running:
```
sudo systemctl status nginx
pm2 list
```

12. Optional: GitHub Actions for CI/CD

Set up a .github/workflows/deploy.yml file.
Use SSH or FTP to automate deployments.
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.

DEV Community: Divyanshu

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

1. Launch an EC2 Instance

Steps:

2. Connect to the Instance

Steps:

3. Update the Server

Commands:

4. Install NVM and Node.js

Steps:

5. Install and Configure PM2

Steps:

6. Install and Configure NGINX

Steps:

7. Install MySQL

Steps:

8. Clone Project and Set Up

Steps:

9. Start Application with PM2

Steps:

10. Configure SSL with Certbot

Steps:

11. Final Steps

12. Optional: GitHub Actions for CI/CD