Cloud & DevOps
Deploying Web Apps on AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
By Riazul Islam•
Summary: AWS has 200+ services and that's terrifying. But you only need 5 of them. Here's exactly which ones and how to use them.
## AWS Doesn't Have to Be Overwhelming
First time logging into AWS? 200+ services staring at you? Don't panic. For web applications, you need a handful of services.
### The Only AWS Services You Need
1. **EC2** - Virtual servers (or use Lightsail for simplicity)
2. **RDS** - Managed databases
3. **S3** - File storage
4. **CloudFront** - CDN for fast delivery
5. **Route 53** - Domain management
### Deploying a Node.js App: Step by Step
**Step 1: Launch an EC2 instance**
- Choose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Select t2.micro (free tier!)
- Configure security group: open ports 22, 80, 443
**Step 2: SSH into your server**
```bash
ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@your-ip-address
```
**Step 3: Install dependencies**
```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nodejs npm nginx
```
**Step 4: Deploy your code**
```bash
git clone your-repo
cd your-app
npm install
npm run build
```
**Step 5: Set up Nginx as reverse proxy**
```nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
}
}
```
### Cost-Saving Tips
- Use reserved instances for 40-60% savings
- Set up billing alerts immediately
- Use S3 for static assets instead of serving from EC2
- Use CloudFront to reduce server load
### Alternatives to Consider
- **AWS Lightsail**: Simplified EC2 with predictable pricing
- **Vercel/Netlify**: For static sites and Next.js apps
- **Railway/Render**: Heroku-like simplicity on modern infrastructure
**Start simple. Scale when you need to. And always set billing alerts.**