Launch Your First AWS EC2 Instance

Introduction

Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is a cloud service that provides resizable virtual servers (instances) for running applications. Developers and Operations teams use it to deploy and scale workloads with flexible cost and power.

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EC2 Kick Starter Points 🚀

• Instances: Virtual machines with customizable CPU, memory, storage, and OS options (Linux, Windows, macOS, Raspberry Pi OS).

• Scalability: Spin up or spin down instances on demand, or use auto-scaling based on traffic, CPU, memory, or custom metrics.

• Pricing: Flexible pricing options — Pay-as-you-go (On-Demand), Spot Instances, Reserved Instances, and Savings Plans.

• Use Cases: Hosting web apps, running databases, batch data processing, machine learning training, and more.

• Integrations: Manage instances using the AWS CLI, SDKs (Python, Java, Go, etc.), Terraform, and AWS CloudFormation.

• Networking: Instances launch within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) for isolated networking and better security.

• Storage: Attach persistent EBS volumes for long-term storage, or use ephemeral storage tied to the instance lifecycle.

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🎯 Bonus Tips for Beginners

SSH Key Permissions:
If you're connecting from Linux or macOS, you must run chmod 400 your-key.pem before using SSH. This secures your private key and prevents SSH connection errors.

Elastic IPs (EIP):
If you stop and start your instance, your public IP address may change. To keep a static public IP, allocate and associate an Elastic IP.

Instance Termination Reminder:
Always terminate unused instances when you're done to avoid unexpected AWS charges.

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🛠️ Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• An AWS account (Free Tier eligible works great!)

• Access to a terminal or command line (Linux, macOS, or Windows)

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How to Launch EC2 Instance from the AWS Console

1. Log into AWS Management Console

   • Go to https://aws.amazon.com/console/

2. Navigate to EC2 Service

   • In the "Find Services" bar, search for EC2 and click it.

   • Tip:
     Check the AWS Region at the top right of the Console. Choose a region close to you for better performance and lower latency.

3. Click "Launch Instance"

   • Under the EC2 Dashboard, click the Launch Instance button.

4. Name your instance

   • Provide a simple name like: my-first-instance (this is optional but recommended).

5. Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

   • Choose Amazon Linux 2 AMI (Free Tier eligible).

6. Choose an Instance Type

   • Choose t2.micro (Free Tier eligible). If t2.micro is unavailable in your region, select t3.micro instead.

7. Create or Select a Key Pair

   • If you don't have one:

     • Click Create new key pair.

     • Key pair type: RSA.

     • Private key format: .pem (for Linux/macOS) or .ppk (for Windows).

     • Download the .pem file and store it securely.

   • If you already have one, just select it.

   • Important:
     Always create or use a Key Pair. If you proceed without a Key Pair, you won't be able to connect to your instance using SSH.

8. Configure Network Settings

   • Create a new Security Group.

   • Allow SSH (port 22) from your IP address.

   • (Optional) Allow HTTP (port 80) if you plan to serve a web app.

9. Configure Storage

   • Default 8 GB General Purpose SSD (gp2) is fine for testing.

   • You can increase if needed (but keep it Free Tier if testing).

10. Review and Launch

    • Review all settings.

    • Click Launch Instance.

11. View Instance

    • After a few seconds, click View Instances to see your new EC2 running!

12. Connect to Your Instance:

    • Select your running instance.

    • Click Connect.

    • Follow the on-screen SSH connection instructions to securely access your EC2 server.

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🚀 How to Launch an EC2 Instance Using AWS CLI

Launching an EC2 instance from the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) gives you faster automation and scripting abilities — perfect for DevOps workflows.

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📋 Before You Begin

Make sure you have the following ready:

• AWS CLI installed
  Check by running:

    aws --version
  

• AWS credentials configured
  Set them up using:

•       aws configure
  

  (You will need your Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, and a default AWS region.)

• A Key Pair created

  • You need a Key Pair (.pem file) already created in the region where you are launching the instance.

  • If you don't have one, you can create it via AWS Console or CLI.

• A Security Group created

  • Security Group must allow inbound SSH traffic (port 22) at minimum.

An AMI ID

• For example, the Amazon Linux 2 AMI ID for us-east-1 is commonly ami-0c2b8ca1dad447f8a.

• You can find the latest AMI ID by running:

    aws ec2 describe-images --owners amazon --filters "Name=name,Values=amzn2-ami-hvm-*-x86_64-gp2" --query 'Images[*].[ImageId,Name]' --output text

🛠️ Launch EC2 Instance Command

    aws ec2 run-instances \
      --image-id ami-0c2b8ca1dad447f8a \
      --count 1 \
      --instance-type t2.micro \
      --key-name YourKeyPairName \
      --security-groups YourSecurityGroupName

⚡ How to Check if the Instance was Created

After running the run-instances command, you can verify the instance is running:

    aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[*].Instances[*].[InstanceId,State.Name,PublicIpAddress]' --output table

This will show:

• Instance ID

• Instance State (pending/running)

• Public IP Address

Once your instance shows a "running" state and a public IP address, it's ready for connection. 🎉

You can now securely SSH into your instance using your Key Pair and start working with your first cloud server.

Reminder:
After testing, remember to terminate your instance to avoid unnecessary AWS charges!