Setting up WordPress on Amazon EC2

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Key Takeaways

  • Hosting a WordPress blog on Amazon EC2 provides flexibility and control over your platform, with server/database requirements taken care of for you. This can be achieved with a free Amazon Web Services account and a BitNami cloud account, which simplifies the technical aspects of deployment and configuration.
  • The BitNami cloud account provides a properly configured server, the ability to install applications with a click, automatic database setup and configuration, and automatic backups. The setup process is simple and straightforward, and once complete, you can access your WordPress installation and administration panel.
  • Amazon EC2 provides several benefits for hosting WordPress, including scalability, high availability and reliability, robust security features, and cost-effectiveness. You can also secure your WordPress site, migrate an existing site, optimize for better performance, troubleshoot common issues, backup your site, update WordPress, install plugins and themes, monitor performance, and scale your site as needed on Amazon EC2.
The general consensus of opinion, is that self hosting a WordPress blog is the best way forward for blogging success. It provides the most flexibility and control over your writing platform. The problem is, what happens if you don’t want to spend time setting up a hosted domain? What if you are not sure how? That might be the time to consider a hosted solution in the cloud. Hosting WordPress in the cloud means that all the server/database requirements are looked after for you. All you have to do is start creating your content. Well, nearly. There will be a small amount of setting up to do. In this article I’m going to show you how to set up a WordPress blog using the popular Amazon EC2 cloud, with a little help from BitNami.

The Amazon What?

Here is what it says about EC2 on the Amazon Web Services web site:
“Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It is designed to make web-scale computing easier for developers.”
Yes, and with some help from BitNami, you don’t even need to be a developer:
“BitNami provides free, ready to run environments for your favourite open source web applications and frameworks, including Drupal, Joomla!, WordPress, PHP, Rails, Django and many more.”
So what that means is, we can get ourselves an Amazon Web Services account, and then use that to host a Bitnami WordPress installation. Then you’ll be writing in the cloud in no time.

So first, get an Amazon Web Services Account – it’s free

Point your browser at http://aws.amazon.com and click the “Sign Up” button. You can run a micro server for 1 year free at the moment, so be sure and choose the “I am a new user” option. Don’t confuse this Amazon account with your Amazon retail account. The AWS system is completely different. You will then go through a typical sign up form, and you will be prompted to enter credit card information. However, you will not be charged for the first year if you run a single micro server. The final part of the account sign up involves Amazon’s automated service phoning you on the number you provided in the contact details section. It will ask you to either type, or say the pin number that will appear in your browser window. I found typing it didn’t work, whereas speaking it worked immediately. You will then receive an email welcoming you to the service. It will contain links to the AWS portal where you can find the access keys you will need to use the service. We’ll get back to those shortly. First, you need an account with the BitNami cloud.

Get a BitNami cloud account

Amazon EC2 in the raw is not for the faint-hearted. There is quite a lot to learn about: how to deploy to it, and config it. Enter BitNami. By deploying to your Amazon cloud via BitNami, all the technical pain is dealt with. You get:
  1. A properly configured server, with the operating system, and required software installed.
  2. The application(s) you want to run installed just by clicking a button.
  3. Any database requirements installed and configured for you.
  4. Automatic backups
Point your browser to http://bitnami.org/cloud and sign up for an account (free). The sign up process is just like any other sign up process until you get to near the end: Bitnami sign up
Following the link to add your AWS credentials provides you with another simple form: Bitnami sign up Once you have entered the required information you will be sent into the dashboard. The dashboard is where you do all of your setting up and configuring. We can now hit the big Create Server button: creating a server Now we get to the important screen. The server configuration screen is where you choose all the settings that you require: creating a server

Choose an application

The first option is to choose an application: choose an application Since we are focusing on WordPress, that’s the application we’ll choose.

Set the configuration options

You can now click on the application options button to set the WordPress credentials you want to use: configure the app You should also add email credentials via the Email Configuration tab. This is so that you can receive emails from your WordPress site.

Choice of operating system

If Ubuntu is not your thing, you can choose a different Linux OS too: choosing an OS

Build and Launch

Now you can hit the build and launch button, and go and have a cup of tea. Bitnami will now create your server and set it running for you. You even get a nice email from them once your server is up and running.

Access your server

Click on view in the running servers section of your dashboard, and your new web site will open in a new browser tab: your site Click Access my applications
and you will be presented with the installed applications page: installed applications Click the Access link, and there, in all its glory, will be your WordPress installation. Add ‘wp-admin’ to the url in the address bar, and you can access the normal WordPress administration panel.

Shell Access

If you wish to access your server via SSH, you can, after you have completed a couple of import tasks:

1. Get your key pair

Download your key pair from the manage server section of your Bitnami web admin area: keys

2. Set permissions

You will need to set the permissions on the file you have downloaded, so in the console/terminal do:
chmod 666 bitnami-hosting.pem
Thant will ensure that only you have read/write access.
If you are on Windows, follow the advice in the Bitnami wiki.
Make sure you put the .pem file somewhere easy to remember!

3. Connect over ssh

In the console/terminal you can then connect with:
ssh -i bitnami-hosting.pem bitnami@your-chosen-site-name.bitnami.com
You will then have shell access to your server. Though, there is no particular reason that you need to do this as most of the common server management tasks can be carried out from the web admin area in your Bitnami account. But if you like to dabble in the more technical side of things, you have shell access to achieve that.

Finally…

It is probably wise to take a breath and think through want we have here. A full WordPress installation hosted on Amazon EC2. Not only that, but it needed no real technical server knowledge to get up and running. It certainly isn’t the cheapest way to run a WordPress installation once the free year is up, but it has to be one of the most painless ways to get a fully configured Linux server up and running, and on a cloud hosting service too.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Setting Up WordPress on Amazon EC2

What are the benefits of hosting WordPress on Amazon EC2?

Hosting WordPress on Amazon EC2 offers several benefits. Firstly, it provides scalability, allowing you to easily increase or decrease your server resources based on your needs. Secondly, it offers high availability and reliability, ensuring your website is always accessible to your users. Thirdly, it provides robust security features, including firewalls and encryption, to protect your data. Lastly, it offers cost-effectiveness, as you only pay for the resources you use.

How can I secure my WordPress website on Amazon EC2?

There are several ways to secure your WordPress website on Amazon EC2. Firstly, ensure that your EC2 instance is in a security group that only allows traffic from trusted IP addresses. Secondly, regularly update your WordPress software, plugins, and themes to protect against vulnerabilities. Thirdly, use strong, unique passwords for your WordPress and database accounts. Lastly, consider using a security plugin for additional protection.

Can I migrate my existing WordPress website to Amazon EC2?

Yes, you can migrate your existing WordPress website to Amazon EC2. The process involves creating a backup of your website, setting up a new EC2 instance, installing WordPress, and then importing your website backup. It’s important to test your website on the new server before updating your DNS records to point to the EC2 instance.

How can I optimize my WordPress website on Amazon EC2 for better performance?

There are several ways to optimize your WordPress website on Amazon EC2 for better performance. Firstly, use a caching plugin to reduce the load on your server. Secondly, optimize your images and other media files to reduce their size. Thirdly, use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver your content faster to users around the world. Lastly, regularly monitor your server resources and scale up or down as needed.

How can I troubleshoot common issues with WordPress on Amazon EC2?

Troubleshooting common issues with WordPress on Amazon EC2 involves checking several areas. If your website is not loading, check your server resources to ensure they are not maxed out. If you are experiencing slow performance, consider optimizing your website and server configuration. If you are unable to access your website, check your security group rules to ensure they are not blocking access.

How can I backup my WordPress website on Amazon EC2?

You can backup your WordPress website on Amazon EC2 by using a backup plugin or by manually creating a backup. A backup plugin can automate the process and store your backups in a secure location. Manual backups involve exporting your WordPress database and copying your website files.

How can I update WordPress on Amazon EC2?

You can update WordPress on Amazon EC2 from the WordPress dashboard. Before updating, ensure you have a recent backup of your website. If you encounter issues during the update, you can restore your website from the backup.

How can I install plugins and themes on WordPress on Amazon EC2?

You can install plugins and themes on WordPress on Amazon EC2 from the WordPress dashboard. Simply navigate to the plugins or themes section, search for the plugin or theme you want to install, and click the install button. Once installed, you can activate the plugin or theme.

How can I monitor the performance of my WordPress website on Amazon EC2?

You can monitor the performance of your WordPress website on Amazon EC2 using various tools. Amazon CloudWatch provides detailed metrics about your EC2 instance, while the WordPress dashboard provides information about your website’s performance. Additionally, you can use third-party tools for more detailed performance monitoring.

How can I scale my WordPress website on Amazon EC2?

You can scale your WordPress website on Amazon EC2 by adjusting your server resources. If your website is experiencing high traffic, you can increase your server resources to handle the load. Conversely, if your website is experiencing low traffic, you can decrease your server resources to save costs.

Andy HawthorneAndy Hawthorne
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Andy Hawthorne is from Coventry in the UK. He is a senior PHP developer by day, and a freelance writer by night, although lately that is sometimes the other way around.

WordPress EC2WordPress in the Cloud
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