How to Host a Static Website on Amazon S3

Using Amazon S3 to host a static website is revolutionary. Imagine being able to launch your website at a reasonable cost without having to worry about server management. Your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other static files may be served straight from the cloud with S3. I'll walk you through the entire process of hosting your static website on S3 in this post, and I'll also explain why it's such a wise decision.

How does Web Hosting work?

Web hosting is an online service that allows you to publish your website files onto the internet. So, anyone who has access to the internet has access to your website.

What Does Hosting a Static Website on S3 Mean?

Your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files are examples of fixed material that makes up static websites. These don't need backend processing as dynamic websites (like WordPress) do. Amazon Simple Storage Service, or S3, is a storage solution offered by AWS that works well for hosting these sorts of websites. Using S3 for website hosting effectively transforms your storage bucket into a web server that visitors may access using a URL on your website.

A Thorough Overview to S3 Website Hosting

Create an S3 Bucket

• Log into your AWS Management Console and head to the S3 section.

• Select the AWS Region closest to you. You can find this at the top right corner of your AWS Management console, right next to your name!

• Click Create Bucket and give it a unique name (bucket names must be globally unique across AWS).

If you plan to use a custom domain (e.g., www.yoursite.com), name your bucket exactly as your domain.

For Object Ownership, we have both ACLs enabled and ACLs disabled

What Are ACLs?

Think of ACLs as the bouncers of your AWS network - deciding who gets in and who stays out. They're network-level security checkpoints monitoring traffic at subnet and network interface levels.

When to Enable:

• Strict compliance requirements

• Multi-layered security strategy

• Need for detailed traffic management

• Protecting sensitive infrastructure

When to Disable:

• Simplified network architecture

• Reduced administrative complexity

• Using advanced alternative security mechanisms

• Performance optimization needs

ACLs provide an essential, customizable security layer in your AWS environment. Please choose the option that best aligns with your preference or your organization's requirements.

For Block Public Access settings for this bucket, clear the check box for Block all public access. This is what we want to host a public website!

• Check the box that says “I acknowledge that the current settings might result in this bucket and the objects within becoming public.”

For Bucket Versioning, choose Enable. And just like that, your very own S3 Bucket is ready!

Upload Your Website Files

• Return to the Amazon S3 console with your bucket page open. Choose the Objects tab.

• Choose Upload.

• Add all your website files, like your index.html, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Keep your files organized—just like you would in a local project folder.

When you see the green "Upload succeeded" banner, select Close. It should display your HTML file and the folder of image assets.

Let's now set up static website hosting so that your website may be accessed online!

• Go to the Properties tab of your bucket and scroll to the Static website hosting section.

• Edit and Enable the option

• Set your Index Document (e.g., index.html).

• If you have a custom 404 page (e.g., error.html), specify it as the Error Document.

Select "Save changes."
Click on the URL under Bucket website endpoint in the Static website hosting panel.

It should give an error! That is because there is one more step to complete this process. You see by default the objects in your bucket are set to be private. This default configuration helps protect the data in your account🔐. To solve this error, we need to set the permission of the objects to public.

• Head to the Objects tab.

• Tick the checkboxes next to your index.html file and the folder of website assets.

• Select "Make public using ACL" from the Actions dropdown menu.

Select Close when the green flag appears.

You should now be able to visit your Bucket website endpoint by returning to the Properties tab.

You have just hosted your very own static website on Amazon S3🎉.

Hosting a website on Amazon S3 is one of the easiest ways to get your content online. It’s cost-effective, reliable, and requires no server maintenance. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, the process is straightforward and perfect for static sites.

Have you tried hosting a website on S3? If you have questions or want to share your experience, let me know in the comments✨!