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How to Connect an Amazon EC2 Instance to an External Domain Registrar

In this article, we will walk through the steps of connecting an Amazon EC2 instance to an external domain registrar. This is a common task for data scientists and software engineers managing web applications hosted on Amazon EC2 instances.
By Saturn Cloud | | Miscellaneous

How to Connect an Amazon EC2 Instance to an External Domain Registrar

In this article, we will walk through the steps of connecting an Amazon EC2 instance to an external domain registrar. This is a common task for data scientists and software engineers managing web applications hosted on Amazon EC2 instances.

Prerequisites

  • An active Amazon Web Services (AWS) account with an EC2 instance running.
  • Domain name registered with an external domain registrar.

Step 1: Get Your Amazon EC2 Public IP

First, log into your AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 dashboard. Select your instance and copy the public IPv4 address.

EC2 Dashboard > Instances > Your Instance > IPv4 Public IP

Step 2: Configure DNS Settings at Domain Registrar

Next, log into your domain registrar’s control panel. Navigate to the DNS settings for your domain, and create a new A record. The record should point to the public IP address of your EC2 instance.

Domain Control Panel > DNS Settings > A Record > Enter EC2 Public IP

Note: DNS changes may take up to 48 hours to propagate, but usually, it happens within a few hours.

Step 3: Set Up Elastic IP (Optional)

AWS provides a public IP address to your EC2 instance, but it changes every time you stop and start the instance. To keep the IP static, you can set up an Elastic IP.

Navigate to the EC2 dashboard and select ‘Elastic IPs’ from the sidebar. Then, click on ‘Allocate new address’ and associate it with your EC2 instance.

EC2 Dashboard > Elastic IPs > Allocate new address > Associate this Elastic IP address > Your Instance

Note: Remember to update the A record at your domain registrar whenever you change your EC2 public IP.

Step 4: Configure Security Group

To ensure your EC2 instance can receive traffic, configure the security group associated with your EC2 instance to allow inbound traffic for HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443).

EC2 Dashboard > Instances > Your Instance > Security > Security Groups > Edit inbound rules > Add Rule > HTTP(80) & HTTPS(443)

Step 5: Test the Connection

Finally, test the connection by entering your domain name into a web browser. If everything is configured correctly, it should resolve to your Amazon EC2 instance.

Conclusion

Connecting an Amazon EC2 instance to an external domain registrar involves a few steps, but it is a necessary process for hosting web applications. By following this guide, you will be able to successfully associate your domain name with your EC2 instance, making your applications accessible via the Internet.

Remember to always ensure your security groups are correctly configured to protect your EC2 instance from unwanted traffic.

I hope you find this guide helpful. If you have any questions or run into any issues, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Happy computing!

Keywords: Amazon EC2, Domain Registrar, DNS settings, Elastic IP, Security Groups

Tags: #AmazonEC2, #DomainRegistrar, #DNS, #ElasticIP, #SecurityGroups, #AWS

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