Abdul Rahman

Abdul Rahman

DevOps Data Engineer and Data Scientist with expertise in AWS, IBM Watsonx, and data pipelines.

How to Create an AWS EC2 Instance (Latest UI)

2 minute read

Creating an EC2 instance in AWS allows you to launch virtual machines (instances) that run on the AWS Cloud. Follow these simple steps to launch your first EC2 instance using the latest AWS UI.

AWS EC2 Dashboard

Step 1: Log in to AWS Management Console

Go to the AWS Management Console and log in. Once inside, search for EC2 in the search bar and click on EC2 under “Services.”

Step 2: Launch an Instance

Click on Launch Instance. You will see a detailed wizard guiding you through the steps to launch your EC2 instance.

Launch Instance Button

Step 3: Name Your Instance and Add Tags

Assign a name to your instance and add tags to help you identify it. For example, set Name: MyFirstEC2Instance.

Step 4: Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

In the Application and OS Images (Amazon Machine Image) section, choose an AMI. Options include Amazon Linux 2023, macOS, Ubuntu, Windows, and more.
For this guide, select Ubuntu (Free Tier eligible).

AMI Selection

Step 5: Choose Instance Type

Select an instance type. For beginners, the t3.micro instance (Free Tier eligible) is a great choice. It includes 2 vCPUs and 1 GiB memory. Once selected, click Next.

Step 6: Configure Key Pair (Login)

Choose an existing key pair or create a new one to securely connect to your instance. Download the private key file (.pem) as you will need it to SSH into your instance.

Key Pair Selection

Step 7: Configure Network Settings

In Network Settings, AWS will automatically configure a VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) for you. You can enable Auto-assign public IP for external access.
For most users, the default settings are sufficient.

Network Settings

Step 8: Configure Security Groups (Firewall)

In the Firewall (Security Groups) section, define what traffic is allowed to connect to your instance. AWS will create a security group with default rules:

  • SSH traffic from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0).
  • HTTP and HTTPS traffic from anywhere.

Important: For security, it’s recommended to restrict SSH access to known IP addresses after initial setup.

Security Group

Step 9: Configure Storage

By default, AWS allocates 8 GiB of General Purpose (gp3) storage to your instance. The Free Tier allows up to 30 GiB. You can adjust storage size as needed.

Storage Settings

Step 10: Review and Launch

Review all configurations. When you’re ready, click Launch. AWS will prompt you to select your key pair for logging into the instance.

Step 11: Access Your EC2 Instance

Once the instance is launched, return to the EC2 Dashboard to view your instance. Select the instance and click Connect to access it via the browser’s terminal.

EC2 Instance Connect

Connecting via Browser

Step 12: Connecting via SSH

To connect using a terminal, follow the steps below carefully.

SSH Instructions

Example SSH Command:

ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@<instance-public-ip>

Additional Tips

  • Security: Initially, you may allow all traffic, but remember to limit access later by modifying the security group rules. Restrict SSH to your specific IP for secure access.
  • Key Management: Keep your private key (.pem) file safe, as it cannot be recovered later.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created an EC2 instance using the latest AWS UI.

Resources:

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