Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides one of the most robust and versatile cloud platforms, allowing organizations and individuals to deploy scalable and secure solutions. Of all the features AWS offers, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) stands out as a powerful tool for launching and managing virtual servers. In this guide, I'll walk you through creating a Windows EC2 instance and setting it up as a web server using Internet Information Services (IIS). Whether you're a cloud computing beginner or looking to expand your AWS skills, this tutorial will provide you with a hands-on approach to building a web server on the AWS cloud.
Let's dive into the steps!
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Windows EC2 in AWS and installing the IIS server on it
1: Create an AWS Free-Tier Account
- Click here to navigate AWS and sign up for a free-tier account today.
You can watch this Youtube video where the YouTuber demonstrates in details.
2: Login to AWS Account
- Sign in to the AWS account as Root user with your credentials (Mail and Password).
3: Search and select EC2 Instance
After signing in successfully, search EC2 in the search bar and select the first option.
Click launch instance.
4: Configure the EC2 Instance
- Give the EC2 instance a name.
We can also add additional tags like department, city, e.t.c. (optional).
Select Windows as the AMI (Amazon Machine Image).
Select t3.micro as the instance type.
Click Create a new key pair, give it a name and Create.
It gets downloaded automatically on the computer.
In the Network settings, select HTTP so the IP can be accessible on the web.
We can also change the storage assigned and the region from the top right corner.
Leave all other things as default and launch instance.
5: Connect to the EC2 Instance
Open the instance from the ID.
Select the instance created and click Connect. The instance state should indicate Running.
Select RDP client section and click Get password.
Upload the key pair downloaded earlier, then click Decrypt password.
Copy the password, then download the Remote desktop file.
Open the RDP file and connect
Enter the password copied from earlier.
6: Install Internet Information Services (IIS) server
Search Powershell in the EC2 instance and Run as administrator
Enter the command below in the Windows PowerShell to install the IIS server.
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools
Wait for the server to install completely.
Copy the Public IP address and open in a browser, and we should see the Windows Server.
Note: If you are having trouble opening the IP in the bowser, go to settings in the instance and navigate Edit Inbound rules, and make sure the HTTP is associated with the IP.
Conclusion
By following the steps outlined in this article, you’ve successfully launched a Windows EC2 instance on AWS and installed the IIS web server on it. Our setup not only demonstrates the power and flexibility of AWS but also serves as a foundation for hosting web applications in the cloud. With your IIS server up and running, you’re ready to explore further configurations, deploy websites, or scale your instance to meet growing demands.
Thank you for reading my blog.😊😊
If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comment or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DM's are open and love discussions on cloud topics!😁
: Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi
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