EC2 Web Server Setup with Git

Comprehensive guide and code for setting up a web server on an AWS EC2 instance using Git. Includes steps for launching an instance, configuring a web server, setting up Git for automatic deployment, and securing the site with SSL/TLS.

Here's a comprehensive guide for setting up a web server project on an EC2 instance using Git, with the necessary code and step-by-step instructions.

1. Launch an EC2 Instance

1. Login to AWS Console:

   • Go to the EC2 dashboard and launch a new instance.

2. Select AMI:

   • Choose Amazon Linux 2023 or Ubuntu.

3. Instance Type:

   • Choose t2.micro (free tier eligible).

4. Configure Instance:

   • Keep default settings or adjust as needed.

5. Add Storage:

   • Use the default 8 GB or increase as per your needs.

6. Configure Security Group:

   • Allow SSH (port 22) and HTTP (port 80).
   • Optionally, allow HTTPS (port 443) for SSL later.

7. Key Pair:

   • Create or choose an existing key pair for SSH access.

8. Launch the Instance:

   • Start the instance and note the public IP.

2. Connect to the EC2 Instance

1. SSH into Instance:
   • Use the following command on your local machine:

     ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ec2-user@your-ec2-public-ip
     

   • For Ubuntu:

     ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip
     

3. Install Git and Web Server

1. Update the Instance:

   • Run the following commands to update the package lists:

     sudo yum update -y    # Amazon Linux
     sudo apt-get update -y # Ubuntu
     

2. Install Git:

   • Install Git by running:

     sudo yum install git -y    # Amazon Linux
     sudo apt-get install git -y # Ubuntu
     

3. Install Apache or Nginx:

   • For Apache:

     sudo yum install httpd -y    # Amazon Linux
     sudo apt-get install apache2 -y # Ubuntu
     

   • For Nginx:

     sudo yum install nginx -y    # Amazon Linux
     sudo apt-get install nginx -y # Ubuntu
     

4. Start the Web Server:

   • Start the web server:

     sudo systemctl start httpd    # Apache
     sudo systemctl start apache2  # Apache on Ubuntu
     sudo systemctl start nginx    # Nginx
     

5. Enable Web Server on Boot:

   • Ensure the web server starts on reboot:

     sudo systemctl enable httpd    # Apache
     sudo systemctl enable apache2  # Apache on Ubuntu
     sudo systemctl enable nginx    # Nginx
     

4. Set Up a Git Repository for the Web Server

1. Navigate to Web Directory:

   • Apache:

     cd /var/www/html
     

   • Nginx:

     cd /usr/share/nginx/html
     

2. Initialize a Git Repository:

   • Run:

     sudo git init
     

3. Configure Git User:

   • Set up Git user information:

     git config --global user.name "Your Name"
     git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
     

5. Add and Commit Web Content

1. Create a Basic HTML File:

   • Apache:

     echo "<h1>Hello, World!</h1>" | sudo tee index.html
     

   • Nginx:

     echo "<h1>Hello, World!</h1>" | sudo tee index.html
     

2. Stage and Commit the File:

   • Run:

     sudo git add index.html
     sudo git commit -m "Initial commit with index.html"
     

6. Set Up a Remote Git Repository (Optional)

1. Create a Repository on GitHub:

   • Log in to GitHub and create a new repository.

2. Link to Remote Repository:

   • Connect your local repository to GitHub:

     sudo git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git
     sudo git branch -M main
     sudo git push -u origin main
     

7. Set Up a Post-Receive Hook for Automatic Deployment

1. Create a Post-Receive Hook:

   • Navigate to the Git hooks directory:

     cd /var/www/html/.git/hooks    # Apache
     cd /usr/share/nginx/html/.git/hooks # Nginx
     

2. Create the post-receive Hook:

   • Create the hook script:

     sudo nano post-receive
     

   • Add the following content to the script:

     #!/bin/bash
     GIT_WORK_TREE=/var/www/html git checkout -f   # Apache
     GIT_WORK_TREE=/usr/share/nginx/html git checkout -f # Nginx
     

   • Save and exit.

3. Make the Hook Executable:

   • Run:

     sudo chmod +x post-receive
     

8. Push Changes from Your Local Machine

1. Clone the Repository Locally:

   • Clone the GitHub repository to your local machine:

     git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
     cd repository
     

2. Make Changes to the Website:

   • Modify index.html or other files locally.

3. Commit and Push Changes:

   • Stage, commit, and push the changes:

     git add .
     git commit -m "Updated website content"
     git push origin main
     

4. Deploy Changes Automatically:

   • The changes will be automatically deployed to your EC2 instance thanks to the post-receive hook.

9. Access Your Website

1. View Your Website:
   • Open a web browser and navigate to http://your-ec2-public-ip to view your deployed website.

10. Set Up HTTPS with SSL/TLS (Optional)

1. Install Certbot:

   • Install Certbot for Apache or Nginx:

     sudo yum install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y   # Apache
     sudo yum install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y    # Nginx
     

2. Run Certbot:

   • Obtain and install the SSL certificate:

     sudo certbot --apache    # Apache
     sudo certbot --nginx     # Nginx
     

3. Follow the Prompts:

   • Certbot will guide you through securing your website with HTTPS.

This step-by-step guide should help you set up a web server project on an EC2 instance using Git, complete with automatic deployment and optional HTTPS setup.