AWS EC2 (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud) is a popular service that provides scalable computing capacity in the cloud. Whether you're setting up a server for the first time or just need a refresher, this guide will walk you through launching an EC2 instance and connecting to it.

Prerequisites

• An AWS account. If you don't have one, you can create a free account.
• Basic understanding of cloud computing concepts.
• A terminal application for SSH (Linux and macOS).

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

1.. Log in to AWS Management Console

Go to the AWS Management Console and log in with your credentials.

2.. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard

From the AWS Management Console, type "EC2" in the search bar and select EC2 from the list of services.

3.. Launch an Instance

3.1. In the EC2 Dashboard, click Launch Instance.
3.2. Name and Tags: Enter a name for your instance (e.g., "MyFirstInstance"). Tags are optional.
3.3. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI): Select an AMI. For beginners, the Amazon Linux 2 AMI (HVM), SSD Volume Type is a good choice as it is free tier eligible.
3.4. Choose an Instance Type: Select the instance type. t2.micro is free tier eligible and sufficient for most small applications or testing purposes.
3.5. Key Pair (login): Select Create a new key pair. Give it a name, and download the '.pem' file. Keep this file secure as it is necessary for SSH access.
3.6. Network Settings:

• Click on Edit.

• Under VPC and Subnets, the default settings are usually fine.

• Ensure Auto-assign public IP is enabled.

• Firewall (security groups): Create a new security group.

• Add a rule to allow SSH access. Set the type to SSH, the protocol to TCP, the port range to 22, and the source to My IP to restrict access to your IP address.'

3.7. Configure Storage: The default 8 GB is usually enough. Click Next: Add Tags.
3.8. Advanced Details: You can leave this section with default settings for now.
3.9. Review all the configurations and click Launch Instance.

4.. View Your Instance

Click View Instances to go to the EC2 Dashboard where you can see your instance initializing. Wait for the instance state to turn to running and the status checks to show 2/2 checks passed.

Step 2: Connect to Your EC2 Instance

1.. Get the Public DNS

In the EC2 Dashboard, click on your running instance and find the Public DNS (IPv4) field. Copy this address; you will need it to connect to your instance.

2.. Connect Using SSH (Linux/Mac)

2.1. Open a terminal.
2.2. Navigate to the directory where your '.pem' file is located.
2.3. Change the permissions of your .pem file to ensure it's not publicly viewable by using the following script:

• chmod 400 your-key-pair.pem

2.4. Connect to your instance by using the following script:

- ssh -i "your-key-pair.pem" ec2-user@your-public-dns

Note: Replace 'your-key-pair.pem' with the name of your key pair file and 'your-public-dns' with the Public DNS you copied earlier

Outcome

Once connected, you’ll be in the terminal of your new EC2 instance. You can now use this instance as a remote server to deploy applications, run scripts, or set up a web server. AWS EC2 provides a flexible platform for all your cloud computing needs.

Feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments below. Happy cloud computing!