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Introduction

Have you created a website and now want to make it live on the internet? If you already have website files, the next step is to choose a hosting service and deploy your website so that people can access it from anywhere.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a popular cloud computing platform that provides several options for hosting websites. Depending on your website type, you can use Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, AWS Amplify, or other AWS services.

In this guide, we will explain how to host your website on AWS, upload your website files, connect a domain name, configure HTTPS, and make your website accessible online.

Whether you have a simple HTML website, a CSS and JavaScript project, a WordPress website, or a PHP application, this guide will help you understand the deployment process.

1. What Is AWS Website Hosting?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud platform that provides computing, storage, networking, databases, and website hosting services.

Instead of hosting your website on your personal laptop, you can deploy it to AWS infrastructure so visitors can access it over the internet.

Some common AWS hosting options include:

  • Amazon S3: Suitable for static websites containing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other files.
  • Amazon EC2: Suitable for applications that need a virtual server with control over the operating system and server software.
  • AWS Amplify Hosting: Useful for modern frontend applications and supported static websites, with deployment workflows designed for web projects.
  • Amazon Lightsail: Offers a simpler way to launch virtual servers and certain preconfigured applications.
  • AWS Elastic Beanstalk: Helps deploy and manage supported web applications without manually managing every underlying infrastructure detail.

The right service depends on your website files, programming language, database requirements, expected traffic, and budget.

2. Check Your Website Files Before Uploading

Before starting, identify what type of website you have.

Static website

A static website commonly contains files such as:

  • index.html
  • style.css
  • script.js
  • Images, fonts, and other assets

For this type of website, Amazon S3 combined with Amazon CloudFront is often a suitable option.

PHP or dynamic website

If your project contains PHP files, server-side processing, user login functionality, or database connections, you need an environment that supports those features.

Possible options include Amazon EC2, Amazon Lightsail, or AWS Elastic Beanstalk, depending on your application.

React, Angular, or another frontend project

If your project uses a frontend framework, check whether it needs to be built before deployment. The resulting production files can often be hosted using AWS Amplify or an S3 and CloudFront setup.

Important: Uploading source files directly does not always make a website work. Some projects require dependencies, a build command, environment variables, or a backend server.

3. Create an AWS Account

To begin hosting your website, you need an AWS account.

Follow these steps:

  1. Visit the official AWS website: https://aws.amazon.com/
  2. Select the option to create an account.
  3. Provide the requested account information.
  4. Complete the required identity and payment verification.
  5. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
  6. Open the service you plan to use.

AWS may request payment information even if you intend to use free-tier or promotional benefits.

Before creating resources, review current pricing, eligibility requirements, and any applicable free-plan limits. Do not assume that website hosting will be free.

4. How to Host a Static Website Using Amazon S3 and CloudFront

If your website contains only HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other static files, Amazon S3 with CloudFront is one possible deployment architecture.

CloudFront is a content delivery network that can serve your website through edge locations and support HTTPS.

Step 1: Open Amazon S3

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
  2. Search for Amazon S3.
  3. Open the S3 service.
  4. Create a bucket with a globally unique name.
  5. Choose an AWS Region appropriate for your requirements.
  6. Review the bucket configuration before creating it.

Step 2: Upload Your Website Files

  1. Open the bucket you created.
  2. Select the option to upload files.
  3. Add your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, image, and other required assets.
  4. Upload the files while preserving the expected folder structure.
  5. Check that your homepage file is named index.html, if that is what your project uses.

Make sure that your HTML references the correct paths for stylesheets, scripts, and images.

Step 3: Configure Website Delivery

For a production website, consider using a private S3 bucket with CloudFront as the delivery layer.

A common setup uses:

  1. An S3 bucket to store the website files.
  2. A CloudFront distribution to deliver the files.
  3. Origin Access Control (OAC) to allow CloudFront to retrieve content from the private bucket.
  4. A default root object such as index.html.

This approach avoids exposing the S3 bucket publicly and supports HTTPS through CloudFront.

Amazon S3 also has a static website hosting feature, but its website endpoints do not themselves provide HTTPS. For a production HTTPS website, CloudFront is generally the better choice.

Step 4: Test the Website

After configuring CloudFront:

  1. Open the distribution’s domain name in your browser.
  2. Confirm that the homepage loads.
  3. Check whether CSS, JavaScript, and images appear correctly.
  4. Test links and navigation.
  5. Review the browser console for missing files or other errors.

If you change files and do not see the latest version, you may need to invalidate the relevant CloudFront cache paths.

5. How to Host a Website on an AWS EC2 Server

If your website needs PHP, a backend, or greater server-level control, an EC2 instance may be suitable.

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

  1. Open the AWS Management Console.
  2. Search for Amazon EC2.
  3. Choose the option to launch an instance.
  4. Select an operating system that supports your application.
  5. Choose an instance type suitable for your workload.
  6. Configure the network and storage settings.
  7. Review the estimated cost before launching.

Choose an appropriate authentication method, such as a securely managed SSH key for Linux, and avoid exposing administrative access to the entire internet.

Step 2: Configure Network Access

For a typical public website, you may need:

  • HTTP access on port 80, if serving HTTP.
  • HTTPS access on port 443, for encrypted web traffic.
  • SSH access on port 22 for Linux administration, restricted to your trusted IP address where practical.

Do not open every port to the public internet. Use the EC2 security group to allow only the traffic your application needs.

Step 3: Install the Required Web Server

For a Linux EC2 instance, you may need to install a web server such as Apache or Nginx, along with the runtime required by your application.

For example, on a compatible Ubuntu server, Nginx can be installed using:

bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Start and enable the service if needed:

bash
sudo systemctl enable --now nginx

The exact commands depend on the operating system. Check the relevant AWS and operating-system documentation before running commands on a production server.

Step 4: Upload Your Website Files

You can transfer files using an appropriate secure method, such as:

  • SCP over SSH
  • SFTP
  • Git-based deployment
  • An automated deployment pipeline

For a simple static site served by Nginx, files are commonly placed in a configured web root such as /var/www/html, although the exact directory depends on the server configuration.

Before replacing existing files, create a backup if necessary and verify that file permissions allow the web server to read the content.

Step 5: Configure the Web Server

Configure Apache or Nginx to serve your website using the correct document root and hostname.

For dynamic websites, you may also need to configure a backend runtime, database connectivity, environment variables, and application-specific settings.

Avoid placing database passwords, private API keys, or other secrets in public website files.

Step 6: Test the Public IP Address

Once the web server is configured and the relevant network rules are in place, open the instance’s public IP address in your browser.

If the website loads, the server is responding to web requests.

If it does not load, check the instance status, security group rules, server service, firewall, and application logs.

6. How to Connect Your Domain Name to AWS

If you own a domain name such as example.com, you can configure it to point to your AWS-hosted website.

The exact steps depend on whether you use CloudFront, EC2, Lightsail, or another hosting service.

For an S3 and CloudFront website

  1. Register a domain through a registrar or use an existing domain.
  2. Request an SSL/TLS certificate through AWS Certificate Manager (ACM).
  3. For a CloudFront distribution, request the certificate in the US East (N. Virginia) Region.
  4. Add your domain name as an alternate domain name on the CloudFront distribution.
  5. Attach the appropriate certificate.
  6. Configure DNS records at your DNS provider to point your domain to the CloudFront distribution.
  7. Wait for DNS propagation and distribution deployment to complete.
  8. Test both the root domain and the www subdomain if you use both.

Use the DNS record types supported by your DNS provider. Amazon Route 53 supports alias records for compatible AWS resources.

For an EC2-hosted website

You can configure your domain’s DNS records to point to the server’s public IP address. For a stable destination, consider an Elastic IP address where appropriate.

You must also configure the web server for your domain and set up an SSL/TLS certificate. A reverse proxy or load balancer may be appropriate for more complex deployments.

7. Enable HTTPS and Secure Your Website

HTTPS encrypts traffic between a visitor’s browser and your website.

For CloudFront, AWS Certificate Manager can provide certificates for supported domain configurations. For a directly hosted web server, you can configure a suitable certificate using an appropriate certificate provider.

You should also:

  • Keep the operating system and server software updated.
  • Use strong administrative credentials and multifactor authentication.
  • Restrict access to AWS resources using least-privilege IAM permissions.
  • Avoid exposing database ports publicly.
  • Back up important files and databases.
  • Monitor usage and unusual activity.
  • Store application secrets securely.
  • Configure appropriate logging and monitoring.

Never publish AWS access keys or private server credentials inside public JavaScript files or a public source-code repository.

8. How Much Does It Cost to Host a Website on AWS?

AWS hosting costs vary according to the services you use, the amount of storage, internet data transfer, server capacity, requests, logging, and other features.

For example:

  • A small static website may have relatively low storage and delivery costs.
  • An EC2 website incurs server-related charges depending on the instance and billing arrangement.
  • A database-backed application may require additional database and storage services.
  • A high-traffic website may need more delivery capacity and additional infrastructure.

Before launching, use the AWS Pricing Calculator:

https://calculator.aws/

Check the current pricing for your selected Region and resources. Set up AWS Budgets and billing alerts where available, and review resource usage regularly.

9. Common AWS Website Deployment Problems

Website shows Access Denied

Check your bucket permissions, CloudFront origin configuration, Origin Access Control settings, and default root object.

Website opens but CSS or images are missing

Verify the asset paths, uploaded file names, capitalization, and folder structure. Check browser developer tools for failed requests.

Website does not open through the domain

Check DNS records, the domain configuration on CloudFront or the web server, and whether the required DNS changes have propagated.

HTTPS certificate is not working

Confirm that the certificate covers the requested hostname, is valid, and is attached to the correct service. For CloudFront, check the certificate’s Region requirement.

PHP files are downloaded instead of executed

The server may not be configured to process PHP. Install and configure a compatible PHP runtime and web-server integration rather than serving PHP source code as ordinary static files.

Website works on localhost but not on AWS

Check application dependencies, environment variables, port configuration, filesystem paths, database access, and server logs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I upload my website files directly to AWS?

Yes, if your website is static, you can upload its files to Amazon S3 and deliver them using CloudFront. Dynamic applications require a hosting environment that supports their backend technology.

2. Which AWS service is best for website hosting?

Amazon S3 with CloudFront is suitable for many static websites. EC2 and Lightsail can support server-based applications, while Amplify Hosting can be useful for supported frontend projects. The best choice depends on your files and requirements.

3. Can I host a PHP website on Amazon S3?

No. S3 does not execute PHP code. You need a PHP-capable server or supported application hosting environment.

4. Can I connect my own domain to AWS?

Yes. You can use an existing domain and configure the appropriate DNS records for the AWS hosting service.

5. Do I need an SSL certificate?

For a public website, HTTPS is strongly recommended. It encrypts traffic and helps protect visitors’ connections.

6. Is AWS hosting free?

Not necessarily. Charges depend on the services, usage, Region, and applicable offers. Review current pricing before deploying and monitor your account for unexpected charges.

Conclusion

Hosting a website on AWS can be straightforward once you choose the right service for your project.

For a static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript website, consider Amazon S3 with CloudFront. For a PHP application or another server-based website, consider EC2, Lightsail, or a suitable managed deployment service.

Start by identifying your website’s requirements, deploy the files securely, configure your domain and HTTPS, test the website, and monitor your AWS costs.

By following these steps, you can move your website from your local computer to AWS and make it accessible to visitors around the world.

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