Deploy a Static Website to AWS S3 or Apache Web Server

Objective

Deploy a simple static website using AWS S3 (for serverless hosting) or Apache (for traditional hosting on an EC2 instance). Automate the deployment process using a script.

Project Scope

• Host a static website using AWS S3 (Serverless Option) OR Apache Web Server on EC2.
• Automate deployment using a Shell script.
• Implement basic security measures (Bucket Policies, IAM roles, or Firewall rules).
• Configure CI/CD pipeline (optional) for automatic updates.

Architecture

Option 1: AWS S3 Hosting

1. AWS S3 Bucket (Public or Private with CloudFront)
2. IAM Policies for Secure Access
3. CloudFront (Optional for Performance & HTTPS)
4. Route 53 (Optional for Custom Domain)

Option 2: Apache Web Server

1. AWS EC2 (Amazon Linux/Ubuntu)
2. Apache Web Server
3. Security Groups & IAM Roles
4. Route 53 (Optional for Custom Domain)

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Prerequisites

• AWS Account with IAM User Access
• AWS CLI installed and configured (aws configure)
• Domain (if needed) and Route 53 setup
• SSH Key for EC2 (if using Apache)
• Basic knowledge of Bash scripting

Step 2: Setup AWS S3 for Hosting (Option 1)

1. Create an S3 Bucket

aws s3 mb s3://my-static-website --region us-east-1

2. Enable Static Website Hosting

aws s3 website s3://my-static-website --index-document index.html

3. Upload Website Files

aws s3 cp ./website/ s3://my-static-website/ --recursive

4. Configure Public Read Access (If Needed)

cat > policy.json <
    
5. (Optional) Configure CloudFront for HTTPS
    
aws cloudfront create-distribution --origin-domain-name my-static-website.s3.amazonaws.com
      
    
Step 3: Setup Apache Web Server on EC2 (Option 2)
    
1. Launch EC2 Instance
    
aws ec2 run-instances --image-id ami-0abcdef1234567890 --instance-type t2.micro --key-name my-key --security-groups my-security-group
    
2. Install Apache & Deploy Website
    
ssh -i my-key.pem ec2-user@<EC2-PUBLIC-IP> << 'EOF'
sudo yum update -y
sudo yum install httpd -y
sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd
echo "<h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/index.html
EOF
    
    
3. Configure Security Group to Allow HTTP/HTTPS
    
aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress --group-name my-security-group --protocol tcp --port 80 --cidr 0.0.0.0/0

    
Step 4: Automate Deployment with a Shell Script
    
Create a script to handle deployments.
    
deploy.sh
    
#!/bin/bash

S3_BUCKET="my-static-website"
EC2_USER="ec2-user"
EC2_IP="your-ec2-public-ip"
DEPLOY_PATH="/var/www/html"

echo "Choose Deployment Option:"
echo "1 - Deploy to AWS S3"
echo "2 - Deploy to Apache on EC2"
read -p "Enter your choice: " choice

if [ "$choice" -eq 1 ]; then
  echo "Deploying to S3..."
  aws s3 cp ./website/ s3://$S3_BUCKET/ --recursive
  echo "Deployment to S3 completed!"
elif [ "$choice" -eq 2 ]; then
  echo "Deploying to Apache Web Server..."
  scp -r ./website/* $EC2_USER@$EC2_IP:$DEPLOY_PATH
  ssh $EC2_USER@$EC2_IP "sudo systemctl restart httpd"
  echo "Deployment to Apache completed!"
else
  echo "Invalid option, exiting."
  exit 1
fi
    

    
Run the script:
    
chmod +x deploy.sh
./deploy.sh

    
    
Step 5: Post-Deployment Validation
    

        
For S3: Open http://my-static-website.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com
        
For EC2: Open http://<EC2-PUBLIC-IP>
    

    
Step 6: (Optional) CI/CD Pipeline
    
For automated deployments, integrate the script into GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
    
GitHub Actions Workflow Example
    
Create .github/workflows/deploy.yml
    
name: Deploy to AWS

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install AWS CLI
        run: sudo apt-get install -y awscli

      - name: Deploy to S3
        run: aws s3 cp ./website/ s3://my-static-website/ --recursive
    

    
Conclusion
    
This project provides a simple deployment workflow for hosting a static website on AWS S3 or an Apache Web Server using manual setup, automated scripts, and CI/CD pipelines.