How to Build a WordPress Blog Using AWS Lightsail

Starting a blog is an exciting adventure, and with the power of AWS Lightsail, you can easily create and manage your WordPress blog. Lightsail offers a simplified way to set up and host your website, combining the reliability and scalability of AWS with the ease of use that WordPress provides. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through the process of building a WordPress blog using AWS Lightsail.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the setup process, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. An AWS account: You’ll need an active AWS account to access AWS Lightsail.
2. Domain name: Choose a domain name for your blog, or you can purchase one through AWS Route 53.

Step 1: Sign in to AWS Lightsail

1. Log in to your AWS account.
2. Navigate to the AWS Lightsail console: AWS Lightsail Console.

Step 2: Create an Instance

1. Click on the “Create instance” button.
2. Choose the “WordPress” blueprint to set up your blog.
3. Select your preferred instance location, such as a data centre near your target audience.

• Choose your instance plan based on your blog’s expected traffic and resource requirements. Lightsail offers a range of plans, including free trials.

• Give your instance a unique name to easily identify it.
• Click the “Create instance” button.

Step 3: Attach a Static IP Address

1. Once your instance is created, click on its name to access the management dashboard.
2. In the dashboard, navigate to the “Networking” tab.
3. Under the “Create static IP” section, allocate a static IP to your instance.
4. After allocating the static IP, it’s important to verify that the IP address is correctly attached to your instance. To do this, open a web browser and enter the static IP address in the address bar (e.g., http://your-static-ip). You should see a default page or message indicating that your instance is reachable.

Step 4: Create a DNS Zone

1. In the Lightsail dashboard, under the “Networking” tab, find the “Create DNS zone” section.
2. Add your domain name and configure DNS settings as needed.
3. Click the “Create DNS zone” button.

Step 5: Update DNS Settings at Your Domain Registrar

1. Log in to your domain registrar’s website, where you registered your domain name.
2. Update the DNS settings for your domain to point to the AWS Lightsail DNS servers. You can find these DNS server names in the Lightsail DNS zone settings.
   • Go to your domain registrar’s control panel. Locate the DNS settings or name server settings for your domain. Replace the existing name servers with the AWS Lightsail name servers provided in the Lightsail DNS zone settings.
3. Save the changes.

Step 6: Configure DNS Records

1. In the DNS zone you just created, add the necessary DNS records. Typically, you will need an “A” record to point to your static IP address and a “CNAME” record for the www subdomain.

Step 7: Configure SSL Certificate with Bitnami bncert-tool

1. Return to your AWS Lightsail instance dashboard.
2. To secure your WordPress blog with an SSL certificate, you can use the Bitnami bncert-tool. Bitnami simplifies the process of configuring SSL/TLS certificates for your website. Run the following commands sudo /opt/bitnami/bncert-tool in the instance terminal.
3. The Bitnami bncert-tool will guide you through the process of configuring SSL. Follow the on-screen prompts to:
   • Select the domain(s) you want to secure with the certificate.
   • Choose whether to enable HTTP to HTTPS redirection.
   • Provide your email address for certificate notifications.
   • Review and confirm your settings.
4. Once you’ve completed the configuration, the bncert-tool will automatically request and install the SSL certificate for your domain(s).
5. After the tool finishes, it will display a message indicating that the certificate was successfully installed.

Tada, now your instance is secured!

In the upcoming post, I will demonstrate how to log in as an administrator on your WordPress blog.