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Mayank Tamrkar
Mayank Tamrkar

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Launch an AWS EC2 Instance

#aws #ec2 #linux #docker

🚀 Launch an AWS EC2 Instance and Serve NGINX Using Docker (Beginner Friendly)

If you are new to AWS and DevOps, setting up an EC2 instance and exposing it to the internet can feel confusing.

In this guide, we will go step by step — from launching an EC2 instance to seeing the NGINX welcome page in your browser using Docker.

No prior DevOps experience required 👍

🧠 What We’ll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you will have:

  • A running AWS EC2 instance
  • SSH access configured
  • Docker installed
  • NGINX running inside a Docker container
  • Public access via browser

🛠 Prerequisites

  • AWS account
  • Basic terminal knowledge
  • SSH installed on your local machine
  • Internet connection

🟢 Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

ec2 setup

  1. Go to AWS Console → EC2 → Launch Instance
  2. Choose Amazon Linux 2023 AMI
  3. Select instance type: t2.micro (Free tier)
  4. Create a imagekey pair:
    • Name: my-ec2-key
    • Type: RSA
    • Format: .pem
  5. Network settings:
    • Auto-assign Public IP: Enabled
  6. Create a Security Group with these inbound rules:
Type Port Source
SSH 22 My IP
HTTP 80 0.0.0.0/0
  1. Click Launch Instance

create rsa key

Wait until the instance state becomes Running.

🔐 Step 2: Connect to EC2 Using SSH

Open the folder where this file exists and fix file permissions 

chmod 400 my-ec2-key.pem
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Click on the Connect instance button using connection setup , just copy the SSH URL in example

click instance button

connection setup

sudo ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-ec2-key.pem ec2-user@<PUBLIC_IP>
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rsa login image

After login you will see the the screen like this way

login screen

🔄 Step 3: Update the System 

sudo yum update -y
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This ensures your system packages are up to date.

🐳 Step 4: Install Docker 

sudo yum install docker -y
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Docker will allow us to run NGINX without installing it directly on EC2.

ec2 screen

▶️ Step 5: Start Docker Service 

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl status docker
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running docker image

👤 Step 6: Allow Non-Root Docker Access 

sudo usermod -aG docker ec2-user
exit
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🔁 Log in again for the changes to apply:

ssh -i your_pem_file_name ec2-user@<PUBLIC_IP>
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✅ Step 7: Verify Docker Installation 

docker --version
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If Docker is installed correctly, you’ll see the version output.

🌐 Step 8: Run NGINX Using Docker 

docker run -d --name nginx-test -p 80:80 nginx
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This command:

  • Runs NGINX in detached mode
  • Exposes port 80 publicly

🔍 Step 9: Verify Running Container 

docker ps
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working nginx image

You should see something like:

0.0.0.0:80->80/tcp
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🌍 Step 10: Access NGINX from Browser

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://<PUBLIC_IP>
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🎉 You should now see:

nginx image

Welcome to nginx!

This confirms your EC2 instance is publicly accessible and serving content.

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