Documentation for Setting Up a Web Server on EC2 (Ubuntu)

Step 1: Create an EC2 Instance

• Go to the AWS Management Console and navigate to EC2.
• Click Launch Instance.
• Configure the instance:
  • AMI: Select Ubuntu.
  • Instance Type: Choose an appropriate size (e.g., t2.micro for free tier).
  • Key Pair: Select or create a key pair.
  • Security Groups: Allow inbound rules for HTTP (port 80) and SSH (port 22).
• Launch the instance.

Step 2: Download the Key Pair

• When creating a key pair, download the .pem file to a secure location on your local machine.
  • Note: This file is crucial for accessing your EC2 instance.

Step 3: Copy the Key Pair to WSL

• Open your WSL terminal on your local machine.
• Copy the .pem file to your WSL home directory: (You manually copied the file in File Explorer and pasted it in a new folder you created for SSH keys)

  cp /path/to/key-pair.pem ~/key-pair.pem

Step 4: Set Key Pair Permissions

• Set the correct permissions for the key pair:

  chmod 400 ~/key-pair.pem

Step 5: SSH Into Your EC2 Instance

• Use the public IP address of your EC2 instance to connect:

  ssh -i ~/key-pair.pem ubuntu@<public-ip-address>

• If prompted, type yes to confirm the connection.

Step 6: Update the System

• Update the package index and upgrade installed packages:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 7: Install Apache

• Install the Apache HTTP server:

  sudo apt install apache2 -y

• Enable and start Apache:

  sudo systemctl enable apache2
  sudo systemctl start apache2

• Verify Apache is running:

  sudo systemctl status apache2

Step 8: Configure Firewall

• Allow Apache through the firewall:

  sudo ufw allow 'Apache'
  sudo ufw enable

• Verify the status of the firewall:

  sudo ufw status

Step 9: Test the Web Server

• Open a browser and enter your instance’s public IP address.
• You should see the Apache default page.

Troubleshooting Tips

Issue 1: Unable to access the Apache page

• Check if Apache is running:

  sudo systemctl status apache2

• Verify security group rules in AWS allow traffic on port 80.
• Confirm ufw is allowing HTTP traffic:

  sudo ufw status

Issue 2: SSH connection fails

• Ensure the correct IP address and .pem file are used.
• Check that your IP is whitelisted in the EC2 instance's security group.