Host a Secure Website on AWS EC2 with Route 53 & SSL (Step-by-Step Guide)

Setting up a website on AWS can feel complicated at first — especially when DNS, SSL certificates, and server configuration come into the picture.

When I initially started learning cloud and DevOps, I struggled to connect all these pieces together.

So in this guide, I’ll walk through a practical setup process I used to:

• Purchase a domain
• Configure AWS Route 53
• Launch an EC2 server
• Point the domain correctly
• Enable HTTPS using SSL

This setup is simple, practical, and gives you a good understanding of how real-world hosting works.

What We’re Building

By the end of this setup, you’ll have:

• A custom domain connected to AWS
• An Ubuntu EC2 instance running Nginx
• HTTPS enabled using SSL
• A production-style cloud setup

Step 1: Purchase a Domain

The first step is getting a domain name.

For this setup, I used a domain from GoDaddy.

If you’re learning or testing, affordable domains like:

• .shop
• .online
• .site
• .in

can be a good option.

Domain Purchase Tip

At the time of writing this guide, some .in domains on GoDaddy are available at discounted introductory pricing.

For example, promotional coupon codes like:

GOINDIA

may reduce the first-year registration cost significantly during promotional periods.

👉 Always check the latest pricing before purchasing, since offers and discounts can change over time.

Step 2: Create a Hosted Zone in AWS Route 53

After purchasing the domain, the next step is configuring DNS.

Go to:

• AWS Console
• Route 53
• Create Hosted Zone

Choose:

• Public Hosted Zone

Step 3: Update Name Servers in GoDaddy

Once the hosted zone is created, AWS provides Name Servers.

Example:

ns-xxxx.awsdns.com

Now update these inside your GoDaddy domain settings.

This connects your domain to AWS Route 53.

DNS changes may take a little time to propagate globally.

Step 4: Launch EC2 Instance

Next, launch an Ubuntu server on AWS EC2.

Recommended:

• Ubuntu AMI
• t2.micro (Free Tier eligible)

Bootstrap Script for Nginx

While launching the instance, I used a simple user-data script to automatically install Nginx.

#!/bin/bash
apt update -y
apt install nginx -y
systemctl enable nginx
systemctl start nginx

This saves time and automates the initial setup.

Step 5: Configure Security Group

Allow these ports:

Port	Purpose
22	SSH
80	HTTP
443	HTTPS

Without opening these ports, the website won’t work properly.

Step 6: Create DNS Records

Now connect your domain to the EC2 server.

A Record

Maps the domain to the EC2 public IPv4 address.

Example:

aws365.shop → EC2 Public IP

AAAA Record

Used for IPv6 mapping if needed.

CNAME Record

Useful for subdomains.

Example:

www.aws365.shop → aws365.shop

TXT and MX Records

These are commonly used for:

• Domain verification
• Email configuration

Understanding these record types helps a lot when working with cloud infrastructure.

Step 7: Setup SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

One of the most important parts of hosting a website is enabling HTTPS.

Modern websites should always use SSL for secure communication.

For SSL setup, I used Certbot.

Install Certbot

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Generate SSL Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx

Certbot automatically:

• Generates SSL certificate
• Configures Nginx
• Redirects HTTP traffic to HTTPS

This makes the website secure and browser-friendly.

Verify HTTPS

After setup:

• Open your domain
• Check for the HTTPS lock icon in the browser

At this point, your website is running securely with SSL enabled.

Why This Setup is Valuable

This setup teaches several real-world DevOps and cloud concepts together:

• DNS management
• Linux server setup
• Cloud hosting
• Nginx basics
• SSL configuration

Instead of learning these separately, you understand how they connect in practical deployments.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Here are a few common issues beginners face:

• Forgetting to open port 443
• Wrong DNS records
• SSL setup before DNS propagation
• Incorrect security group configuration

If the domain doesn’t work immediately, give DNS some time to update globally.

Full Practical Video Walkthrough

I also recorded the complete hands-on walkthrough covering:

• Domain purchase
• Route 53 setup
• EC2 launch
• DNS records
• SSL configuration

You can watch it here:

Why Learning This Matters

Even if you are a beginner, understanding this setup gives you strong foundational knowledge for:

• DevOps
• Cloud engineering
• Web hosting
• Production deployments

These are practical concepts widely used in real environments.

Final Thoughts

Cloud and DevOps become much easier when you build things yourself instead of only watching tutorials.

Even a simple setup like this teaches:

• Networking
• Security
• DNS
• Server management

Once you practice it hands-on, the concepts become much clearer.

What You Should Do Next

Try this setup yourself:

• Launch a small EC2 instance
• Configure Route 53
• Enable SSL
• Host a simple website

Practical experience is one of the best ways to learn cloud technologies.

👉 Bonus Tip

Once you’re comfortable with this setup, try:

• Docker deployment
• Reverse proxy configuration
• Kubernetes hosting

That’s where cloud and DevOps become even more interesting.

Want a More Scalable Production Setup?

While hosting websites directly on an EC2 instance is a great way to learn Linux, Nginx, DNS, and SSL configuration, many modern frontend and static websites are hosted using a different architecture.

A common real-world setup uses:

• Amazon S3 for static file hosting
• CloudFront as a global CDN
• Route 53 for domain management
• HTTPS with SSL support

This approach is lightweight, scalable, and widely used for production frontend deployments.

👉 Read the complete guide here:

AWS S3 + CloudFront Setup Explained | Real-World Static Website Hosting Architecture

In that guide, I cover:

• S3 static website hosting
• CloudFront CDN integration
• Route 53 configuration
• HTTPS setup
• Cache invalidation and content updates

It’s a great next step if you want to understand modern cloud hosting architectures.

Here you can read:

AWS S3 + CloudFront Setup Explained | Real-World Static Website Hosting Architecture

About the Author

Madhukar Reddy is a DevOps engineer focused on AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, cloud infrastructure, and cyber security. He shares practical cloud and security content based on hands-on experience, real-world projects, and DevOps learning journeys.