Amazon EC2 Instance Installation.

Source: Dev.to

What EC2 Actually Gives You

Amazon EC2 provides virtual machines called instances.

Compute

• The virtual machine itself (instance type) which defines CPU, memory, and storage.

Storage

• Disks attached to the instance, typically Amazon EBS for the operating system and data.

Networking

• Connectivity components such as VPC, subnets, security groups, and IP addresses.

Each instance can have:

• CPU power
• Memory (RAM)
• Storage
• Network

Benefits of Using Amazon EC2

• Fast to start – launch a server in minutes, no hardware procurement.
• Pay only for what you use – billed by the second or hour; stop paying when the instance is off.
• Scales easily – resize or add instances instantly.
• Very reliable – runs in AWS data centers with built‑in redundancy and high uptime.
• Full control – choose OS, CPU, memory, storage, and network settings.
• Secure by default – security groups, firewalls, IAM, and encryption are integrated.
• Works with everything – integrates with databases, load balancers, storage, and monitoring tools.
• Good for any workload – web apps, databases, backups, testing, AI, enterprise systems.

EC2 lets you run servers fast, safely, and only pay when you need them.

Installation Steps

Step 1 – Create an AWS Account

Sign up for an AWS account if you don’t already have one.

Step 2 – Log in to the AWS Console

Visit the AWS Management Console.

Step 3 – Open the EC2 Service

In the search bar, type ec2 and press Enter.

Step 4 – Launch an Instance

Click Launch Instance.

Step 5 – Provide Basic Details

Enter a name and optional tags for the instance.

Step 6 – Choose an AMI

Under Application and OS Images → Quick Start, select the Ubuntu operating system.

Step 7 – Create a Key Pair

Create a new key pair (e.g., MYLABKEY). This key will be used to generate an encrypted password for login.

Step 8 – Review and Launch

Keep the remaining settings at their defaults and click Launch.

Your instance will be created in less than five minutes.

Step 9 – View the Instance

Click on the instance ID to open the Overview page and see the newly deployed instance.

Step 10 – Connect to the Ubuntu Server

Use the Connect button to obtain the SSH command. Example:

ssh -i /path/to/MYLABKEY.pem ubuntu@

Follow the on‑screen instructions to retrieve the encrypted password (if using a Windows instance) or directly SSH into the Ubuntu instance.

You now have a running Amazon EC2 Ubuntu instance ready for further configuration and use.