How to Add a Domain with AWS Backend: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Domain on GoDaddy

1. Create a GoDaddy Account: If you don’t already have one, sign up for a GoDaddy account.

2. Purchase a Domain: Buy the domain you want to use for your application.

3. Edit Nameservers:

   • Go to your GoDaddy dashboard and navigate to the "My Domains" section.

   • Select the domain you want to configure and click on "Manage DNS."

   • Update the nameservers to point to AWS Route 53.

---

Step 2: Configure AWS Route 53

1. Create a Hosted Zone:

   • Log in to your AWS Management Console.

   • Navigate to Route 53 and click on "Create Hosted Zone."

   • Enter your domain name and set the type to Public Hosted Zone.

   • Click "Create."

2. Update Nameservers in GoDaddy:

   • After creating the hosted zone, AWS will provide you with four nameservers.

   • Go back to your GoDaddy DNS settings and replace the existing nameservers with the ones provided by AWS.

---

Step 3: Deploy Your Application on AWS EC2

1. Launch an EC2 Instance:

   • In the AWS Management Console, navigate to EC2 and launch a new instance.

   • Choose an appropriate Amazon Machine Image (AMI) and configure the instance settings.

   • Deploy your Node.js application on the EC2 instance.

2. Note the Public IP:

   • Once the instance is running, note down the public IP address assigned to it.

---

Step 4: Configure Nginx on Your EC2 Instance

1. Connect to Your EC2 Instance via SSH:

   • Use an SSH client to connect to your EC2 instance.

   • Example: ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@your-ec2-public-ip

2. Navigate to the Nginx Configuration Directory:

   • Run the following command to access the Nginx configuration files:

       cd /etc/nginx/sites-available
     

3. Edit the Default Nginx Configuration File:

   • Open the default file using a text editor like nano:

       sudo nano default
     

   • If you encounter a permission error, grant the necessary permissions:

       sudo chmod 777 -R /etc/nginx/sites-available
     

   • Update the server_name field with your domain name and add the public IP of your EC2 instance.

   • Example:

       server {
           listen 80;
           server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
           location / {
               proxy_pass http://your-ec2-public-ip:3000;
               proxy_set_header Host $host;
               proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
               proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
           }
       }
     

   • Save and close the file.

4. Restart Nginx:

   • Restart the Nginx server to apply the changes:

       sudo systemctl restart nginx
     

---

Step 5: Enable HTTPS with AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)

1. Request a Certificate:

   • Navigate to AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) in the AWS Management Console.

   • Click on "Request a Certificate" and select "Public Certificate."

   • Enter your domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com).

   • Complete the domain validation process by adding the required DNS records in Route 53.

2. Update Nginx Configuration for HTTPS:

   • Modify your Nginx configuration file to include the SSL certificate:

       server {
           listen 443 ssl;
           server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
           ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/yourdomain.crt;
           ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/yourdomain.key;
           location / {
               proxy_pass http://your-ec2-public-ip:3000;
               proxy_set_header Host $host;
               proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
               proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
           }
       }
     

   • Save and close the file, then restart Nginx:

       sudo systemctl restart nginx
     

---

Step 6: Verify Your Setup

1. Test Your Domain:

   • Open a web browser and navigate to your domain (e.g., http://yourdomain.com).

   • Ensure that your application loads correctly.

2. Check HTTPS:

   • Navigate to https://yourdomain.com to verify that your site is securely served over HTTPS.

---

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully added a domain with an AWS backend, configured Nginx to serve your application, and enabled HTTPS using AWS Certificate Manager. This setup ensures your application is secure, professional, and accessible via a custom domain.