Deploying a simple HTML on Nginx using AWS

#webdev

This blog post documents my experience setting up a web server using Nginx, from spinning up an EC2 instance to configuring the server to serve a custom HTML page. It details the process, the challenges I faced, and the valuable lessons I learned.

EC2 and Nginx Installation:

I began by launching an Amazon EC2 instance. I chose an Amazon Linux 2 AMI, as it's a stable and readily available option. I selected a t2.micro instance for this simple setup, as it fits within the free tier. Once the instance was running, I connected to it via SSH.

The next step was installing Nginx. Since I was using Amazon Linux 2, I used the yum package manager:

sudo yum update -y  
sudo yum install nginx -y 
sudo systemctl start nginx 
sudo systemctl enable nginx

After installation, I verified that Nginx was running by accessing the instance's public IP address in my browser. The default Nginx welcome page confirmed a successful installation.

Creating the Custom Web Page:

With Nginx up and running, it was time to create the custom HTML page. I created a directory to hold my website's files:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html

Then, I created the index.html file within this directory:

sudo nano /var/www/html/index.html

Inside index.html, I added the following content, my name:


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Welcome</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to DevOps Stage 0 - [Your Name]/[SlackName]</h1>
</body>
</html>

Challenges and Learning Opportunities:

While the process was relatively straightforward, I encountered a challenge

Firewall Configuration: Initially, I couldn't access my webpage even after Nginx was running. I realized that the EC2 instance's security group (firewall) wasn't configured to allow inbound traffic on port 80 (HTTP). This taught me the importance of properly configuring security groups to allow access to the necessary ports. I learned how to add a rule to the security group to open port 80.

Setting up a web server with Nginx on EC2 was a valuable learning experience. I gained practical knowledge of EC2 instances, Nginx installation, and basic web server configuration. The challenges I faced reinforced the importance of understanding these fundamental concepts. I am excited to continue exploring more advanced DevOps tools and skills.

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