Imagine you’re looking for a place to run your applications without investing in physical hardware. That’s exactly what cloud computing offers, and setting up a virtual server in the cloud is similar to renting an apartment—flexible, scalable, and without the commitment of ownership. Within Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the most fundamental and widely-used services is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, commonly known as EC2.
If you’re wondering how to create EC2 instance in AWS, you’ve come to the right place. Amazon EC2 provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud, essentially allowing you to launch virtual servers that can run applications of all types. Whether you’re a developer, IT professional, or just someone curious about cloud computing, knowing how to create EC2 instance in AWS is an essential skill in today’s digital landscape.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through each step of the process, from preparation to launching your very own EC2 instance. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to deploy virtual servers in the AWS cloud environment.
Prerequisites and Preparations
Before diving into how to create EC2 instance in AWS, there are a few prerequisites you should take care of:
AWS Account Setup
First things first, you’ll need an AWS account. If you don’t have one yet, head over to the AWS website and sign up. The registration process requires your email address, a strong password, and credit card information (though you won’t be charged for services within the Free Tier limits). Remember to secure your account credentials properly—your root account has complete access to all AWS services and resources.
Understanding AWS Free Tier
For those concerned about costs, AWS offers a Free Tier that allows new users to explore and experiment with various services, including EC2, without incurring charges. When learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, this Free Tier is perfect for practice as it includes 750 hours of Linux and Windows t2.micro instances each month for one year.
Familiarity with Basic Concepts
Before proceeding, it’s helpful to understand some fundamental AWS concepts:
- Regions: Geographic locations where AWS data centers are clustered
- Availability Zones: Isolated locations within regions, connected with low-latency links
- Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs): Isolated networks within AWS that contain your resources
With these concepts in mind, let’s move forward with actually creating your EC2 instance.
Step 1: Accessing the AWS Management Console
The first practical step in learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS is accessing the AWS Management Console, which serves as the control center for all your AWS resources.
Logging In
- Open your preferred web browser and navigate to the AWS Management Console (aws.amazon.com).
- Enter your email address and password associated with your AWS account.
- If you’ve enabled multi-factor authentication (which is highly recommended), you’ll need to enter the verification code.
Navigating to EC2 Dashboard
Once logged in:
- You’ll see the AWS services dashboard with various service icons.
- You can either search for “EC2” in the search bar at the top or find it under the “Compute” section.
- Click on the EC2 icon to open the EC2 Dashboard.
Selecting the Appropriate Region
Before you begin the process of how to create EC2 instance in AWS, select the appropriate AWS region from the dropdown menu in the top-right corner of the console. Choose a region that’s:
- Geographically close to your users to minimize latency
- Compliant with any data sovereignty requirements you might have
- Offering the specific services or instance types you need
Remember, AWS resources are region-specific, so your EC2 instance will only be accessible in the region where you create it.
Step 2: Launching a New EC2 Instance
Now that you’re in the EC2 Dashboard and have selected your preferred region, let’s begin the actual process of how to create EC2 instance in AWS.
Initiating the Launch Instance Wizard
- On the EC2 Dashboard, look for the “Launch instance” button and click on it.
- This will open the instance launch wizard, which will guide you through each configuration step.
Naming the Instance
In the first section of the launch wizard:
- Enter a descriptive name for your instance. A good name should reflect the instance’s purpose, environment, or application it will host.
- For example, “WebServer-Production” or “DatabaseServer-Dev” are more helpful than generic names like “MyInstance.”
Choosing an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a pre-configured template that contains the operating system and potentially additional software. When figuring out how to create EC2 instance in AWS, selecting the right AMI is crucial:
- Browse through the “Quick Start” AMIs, which include popular options like Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu, and Windows Server.
- Look for the “Free tier eligible” label if you want to stay within the Free Tier.
- Consider your familiarity with different operating systems and the requirements of your applications.
- Click on the “Select” button next to your chosen AMI.
For beginners, Amazon Linux 2 is often recommended as it’s optimized for use with AWS and eligible for the Free Tier.
Step 3: Selecting an Instance Type
After choosing an AMI, the next step in how to create EC2 instance in AWS is selecting an instance type, which determines the hardware configuration of your virtual server.
Understanding Instance Types
AWS offers a wide variety of instance types, each optimized for different use cases:
- General purpose (T and M series): Balanced compute, memory, and networking
- Compute optimized (C series): High-performance processors
- Memory optimized (R series): Fast performance for workloads that process large datasets in memory
- Storage optimized (D and I series): High sequential read/write access to large datasets
- GPU instances (P and G series): Graphics processing and high parallel computing
Recommendation for Beginners
If you’re just learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, the t2.micro instance is recommended because:
- It’s eligible for the AWS Free Tier
- It provides sufficient resources for small applications and learning purposes
- It offers a balance of compute, memory, and network resources
To select it:
- Find “t2.micro” in the instance type list
- Click the checkbox next to it
- Note that it shows “Free tier eligible” if your account qualifies
Considerations for Scaling
When planning beyond your initial setup, consider:
- How your application might grow over time
- Whether you’ll need more CPU, memory, or storage
- If you need the ability to resize instances as demands change
- Whether you should implement auto-scaling for dynamic workloads
Step 4: Configuring Instance Details
After selecting an instance type, the next part of how to create EC2 instance in AWS involves configuring the specific details of your instance.
Network Settings
- VPC Selection: Choose the default VPC for simplicity, or select a custom VPC if you’ve created one.
- Subnet Selection: Select a subnet within your chosen VPC, which determines the Availability Zone where your instance will be located.
- Public IP Assignment: Decide whether your instance should receive a public IP address, which is necessary if you need to connect to it from the internet.
Auto-Assign Public IP
When learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, understanding IP addressing is important:
- Enable: Choose this option if your instance needs to be accessible from the internet
- Disable: Select this if your instance will only communicate within your VPC
- Remember that any instance with a public IP is potentially reachable from the internet, so proper security measures are essential
IAM Role Association
Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles control what your EC2 instance can do within AWS:
- If your instance needs to interact with other AWS services, create or select an appropriate IAM role
- For example, if your instance will upload files to S3, it needs an IAM role with S3 access permissions
- If you’re not sure, you can skip this step and attach a role later
Advanced Details
Additional configurations to consider when learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS include:
- Shutdown behavior: What happens when you shut down the instance (stop or terminate)
- Termination protection: Prevents accidental termination
- Monitoring: Enable detailed CloudWatch monitoring for additional metrics
- Tenancy: Choose between shared hardware (default) or dedicated hardware (higher cost)
Step 5: Adding Storage
Storage configuration is a critical aspect of how to create EC2 instance in AWS, as it determines where your operating system, applications, and data will reside.
Understanding Storage Options
AWS offers two primary storage types for EC2:
- Instance Store Volumes: Physically attached to the host computer, providing temporary storage
- Elastic Block Store (EBS) Volumes: Network-attached storage that persists independently from your instance
Configuring Root Volume
The root volume contains the operating system:
- The default size varies based on the AMI but is typically 8 GB
- For a basic setup while learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, the default size is usually sufficient
- You can adjust the size by entering a new value in the “Size” field
- Choose between General Purpose SSD (gp2/gp3), Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1/io2), or Magnetic (standard) storage
- For Free Tier eligibility, stay within 30 GB of General Purpose SSD storage
Adding Additional Volumes
If your applications require additional storage:
- Click on “Add New Volume”
- Specify the volume type, device name, size, and whether it should be deleted on termination
- Consider separating your data from your operating system by using different volumes, which simplifies backups and recovery
Step 6: Configuring Security Groups
Security is paramount when learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, and security groups serve as the first line of defense.
What Are Security Groups?
Security groups act as virtual firewalls that control traffic to and from your EC2 instances:
- They operate at the instance level, applying to individual instances
- They control both inbound and outbound traffic
- They’re stateful, meaning if you allow inbound traffic, the corresponding outbound response is automatically allowed
Creating a New Security Group
To set up a security group:
- Choose “Create a new security group”
- Provide a descriptive name and description
- The security group will be created in your selected VPC
Setting Inbound Rules
When learning how to create EC2 instance in AWS, properly configuring inbound rules is crucial:
- For Linux instances, add a rule allowing SSH (port 22)
- For Windows instances, add a rule allowing RDP (port 3389)
- If hosting a web server, add rules for HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443)
- For each rule, specify the source (IP range) that can access these ports
Best Practices
For enhanced security:
- Restrict SSH and RDP access to your specific IP address rather than allowing access from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)
- Use the description field to document why each rule exists
- Create different security groups for different functions (e.g., web servers, database servers)
- Regularly review and audit your security group rules
Step 7: Creating a Key Pair for Secure Access
The final security step in how to create EC2 instance in AWS involves setting up a key pair for secure access to your instance.
Importance of Key Pairs
Key pairs provide secure access to your EC2 instances:
- They consist of a public key (stored by AWS) and a private key (downloaded by you)
- For Linux instances, the key pair is used for SSH authentication
- For Windows instances, the key pair is used to retrieve the administrator password
Creating a New Key Pair
To create a key pair:
- Click on “Create a new key pair”
- Enter a name for your key pair
- Select the key pair type (RSA is the most common)
- Choose a private key file format (.pem for OpenSSH, .ppk for PuTTY)
- Click “Create key pair”
- The private key file will automatically download to your computer
Permissions for Private Key File
For security reasons, you must set the correct permissions for your private key file:
- On Linux/Mac: Open Terminal and run
chmod 400 your-key-pair.pem - On Windows: Right-click the file, select Properties, then the Security tab, and restrict access to your user account only
Remember, if you lose your private key, you won’t be able to access your instance, and AWS cannot recover it for you.
Step 8: Reviewing and Launching the Instance
You’ve now reached the final stage of how to create EC2 instance in AWS—reviewing your configuration and launching your instance.
Reviewing Configuration
Before launching:
- Carefully review all your configuration choices
- Verify that you’ve selected the correct AMI, instance type, and storage options
- Double-check your security group settings to ensure they match your access requirements
- Confirm that you’ve configured any other desired options correctly
Acknowledging Key Pair Usage
Finally:
- Acknowledge that you have access to the selected private key file by checking the confirmation box
- Remember that this is your only opportunity to download the private key file
- Click the “Launch instances” button
Congratulations! You’ve successfully learned how to create EC2 instance in AWS. After clicking “Launch instances,” AWS will begin provisioning your virtual server. Within a few minutes, your instance will be up and running, ready for you to connect and begin using it for your applications.
By following this guide, you’ve gained the essential knowledge needed to create and configure EC2 instances in AWS. As you become more comfortable with the process, you can explore additional features and optimizations to make the most of AWS’s powerful cloud computing capabilities.
