Host a Website on Amazon S3

Project Overview

This project demonstrates how to host a static website using Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service). It was completed as part of the NextWork.org curriculum.

Project Details

• Duration: Approximately 30 minutes
• AWS Region: Mumbai-east1
• S3 Bucket Name: my-aws-bucket-arunesh

Project Steps

1. Create an S3 Bucket
   • Created a new S3 bucket in the Mumbai-east1 region.
   • Configured Access Control List (ACL) settings.
   • Noted the importance of proper S3 bucket naming for avoiding conflicts and improving efficiency.

2. Upload Website Files
   • Uploaded index.html and a backend JavaScript file.
   • These files serve as the frontend and backend of the website.

3. Enable Static Website Hosting
   • Opened bucket properties.
   • Enabled static website hosting option.

4. Configure Bucket Endpoint
   • Created a URL that allows public access to the HTML file.

5. Troubleshooting
   • Initially encountered a 403 error when accessing the bucket endpoint URL.
   • Reason: Objects are private by default in S3.
   • Resolution: Configured ACL (Access Control List) to resolve the error.

Key Learnings

• Static website hosting enables your website to be publicly accessible.
• ACL (Access Control List) is a set of rules that determines who can access specific resources, like files, directories, or networks.
• S3 objects are private by default and require proper configuration for public access.

Next Steps

• Consider exploring AWS certifications for further learning.
• Visit nextwork.org for more AWS and cloud computing projects.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated the ease of creating and showcasing an AWS project, specifically focusing on hosting a static website using Amazon S3. It provided hands-on experience with S3 bucket creation, file uploading, static website hosting configuration, and troubleshooting common access issues.