🚀 Securely Connecting to Private EC2 Instances with EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint
Amazon EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint enables secure, keyless SSH access to private EC2 instances without public IPs, bastion hosts, or VPNs. This feature simplifies remote access management by leveraging AWS-managed networking and IAM-based authentication.
🔗 Key Benefits of EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint
- No Public IPs Required - Connect to instances inside private subnets.
- No SSH Key Management - Eliminates the need for manually managing SSH key pairs.
- Secure IAM-Based Access - Grants temporary SSH access via AWS IAM permissions.
- No Need for Bastion Hosts - Reduces complexity and security risks.
-
AWS Console & CLI Integration - Connect directly from AWS Console or via
aws ec2-instance-connect ssh
.
📝 Prerequisites
Before using EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint, ensure you have:
- An EC2 instance running a supported OS (Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu 20.04/22.04, Amazon Linux 2023 with manual setup).
- AWS CLI installed (Setup Guide).
- Security group rules allowing inbound SSH (port 22) from the EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint.
📝 Supported Operating Systems
EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint is natively supported on:
- Amazon Linux 2
- Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04
- Amazon Linux 2023 requires manual installation of EC2 Instance Connect but has been tested successfully.
Other operating systems may work with additional configuration.
🌐 How EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint Works
When a user initiates an SSH session via AWS Console or CLI, AWS injects a temporary SSH key into the instance. This key is used for authentication and is valid only for the duration of the session.
🚀 EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint for Private Subnets
AWS introduced EC2 Instance Connect Endpoints to enable access to EC2 instances inside private subnets without requiring public IPs, bastion hosts, or VPNs.
🛠 How It Works
- Deploy an EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint inside the same subnet as the instance.
- Assign a Security Group to control access.
- Ensure the instance has EC2 Instance Connect Agent installed and running.
- Use the AWS CLI or Console to initiate a connection.
📚 Terraform Sample Repository
For a working Terraform example demonstrating EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint, check out:
👉 GitHub Repository: EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint Terraform Demo
⚠️ Common Pitfalls in Terraform Configuration
1️⃣ Security Groups Must Allow SSH Traffic
- The EC2 Instance Security Group must allow SSH (port 22) from the EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint Security Group.
- If using an EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint, allow traffic only from the endpoint's security group.
2️⃣ Amazon Linux 2023 Requires Manual EC2 Instance Connect Installation
- Install EC2 Instance Connect manually:
sudo yum install -y ec2-instance-connect
- Ensure the service is running:
systemctl enable --now ec2-instance-connect
🔍 Troubleshooting EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint Issues
❌ Cannot Connect via EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint
✅ Ensure the EC2 instance security group allows SSH (port 22) from the EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint security group.
✅ Instance must be in the same subnet as the EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint.
✅ Use the correct AWS CLI command with aws ec2-instance-connect ssh --instance-id
.
❌ "Instance is Not Reachable" Error
✅ Confirm that EC2 Instance Connect Agent is installed and running (systemctl status ec2-instance-connect
on Amazon Linux 2023).
✅ The instance must have outbound internet connectivity (NAT Gateway or AWS PrivateLink required for package updates).
📈 Summary
EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint provides secure, keyless SSH access to private EC2 instances, eliminating the need for public IPs, bastion hosts, or VPNs.
Want to try it out? Deploy your own EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint setup using Terraform!
👉 GitHub Repository: EC2 Instance Connect Endpoint Terraform Demo
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