Get Started with Virtual Machines: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting up an EC2 Instance on AWS.

A virtual machine is a software implementation of a physical machine, allowing multiple operating systems to run on the same physical hardware. It provides the ability to partition a single physical server into multiple virtual machines, each with its own operating system, resources, and applications. In simple terms, a virtual machine

What is EC2?

EC2 which stands for Elastic Compute Cloud is a web service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to create and manage virtual machines on the cloud. AWS EC2 provides a scalable, reliable, and secure environment for running virtual machines with various operating systems, such as Linux, Windows, and macOS. EC2 instances can be launched and terminated on demand, allowing customers to scale their infrastructure up or down based on their needs.

In this article, I will guide you through the process of setting up an EC2 instance on AWS.

Step 1: Create an AWS Account

The first step to setting up an EC2 instance on AWS is to create an AWS account. To do this, go to the AWS website and click on the "Create an AWS Account" button. Follow the prompts to create your account.

Once your account is created, log in to the AWS console. This is where you will manage all of your AWS resources, including EC2 instances.

Step 2: Launch an EC2 Instance

To launch an EC2 instance, follow these steps.

1. Type EC2 in the search bar or click on the "EC2" link in the "Compute" section of the console.

2. Click on the "Launch Instance" button in the EC2 dashboard.

You will be presented with a variety of options for configuring your instance.

3. Name your Instance and add Tags.

Give your EC2 instance a name. You can also add tags to your instance to help you organize and identify it.

4. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a pre-configured virtual machine image that includes the operating system, application server, and any other software required to run your application. You can choose from a variety of pre-configured AMIs provided by AWS, or you can create your own custom AMI.

5. Choose an Instance Type

The next step is to choose an instance type. An instance type defines the CPU, memory, storage, and network capacity of your EC2 instance. You can choose from a variety of instance types depending on your specific requirements.

Then create a keypair, or choose an existing one

6. Configure Instance Details: (Network Settings, Security Group)

A security group is a set of firewall rules that control the traffic that can access your EC2 instance. You can configure your security group to allow traffic from specific IP addresses or ranges, or to allow traffic from anywhere.

7. Add Storage.

You can add storage volumes to your instance. AWS offers different types of storage, such as Elastic Block Store (EBS) and Instance Store.

8. Review and Launch Your Instance

Once you have configured your instance settings, you can launch your instance.

Step 3: Connect to Your Instance

After your instance is launched, you can connect to it using a remote desktop protocol (RDP) client or a secure shell (SSH) client. To do this, you will need to use the key pair that you created earlier.
To connect to your instance,

• Go to the EC2 console and select your instance.
• Click the "Connect" button.
• Choose the type of connection you want to use (RDP or SSH).
• Follow the instructions to download and install the required client software.
• Use the client software to connect to your instance using the public IP address or hostname of your instance.

Once you are connected to your EC2 instance, you can install and configure your application. This may include installing any necessary software, configuring your web server, and setting up any databases or other dependencies.

Setting up an EC2 instance on AWS as a beginner can seem daunting at first, but with the right guidance, it can be a straightforward process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can quickly set up an EC2 instance and start running your applications in the cloud.