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Launch and configure a WordPress instance with Amazon Lightsail

Step 1: Create your instance

  1. Sign into the Lightsail console.
  2. On the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page, choose Create instance.
  3. Choose the AWS Region and Availability Zone for your instance. Make sure that you choose an AWS Region that is closest to your users.
  4. Choose your instance image. Here you choose Linux/Unix as the platform since we will host a WordPress site.
  5. Choose WordPress as the blueprint.
  6. Choose an instance plan. Select the lower cost istance, 3.5$ / month.
  7. Enter a name for your instance.
  8. Choose Create instance and wait until your instance is running.

Step 2: Create a Lightsail static IP address and attach it to your WordPress instance

The default public IP for your WordPress instance changes if you stop and start your instance. A static IP address, attached to an instance, stays the same even if you stop and start your instance.

Complete the following steps to create a static IP address and attach it to your WordPress instance.

  1. On the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page, choose your running WordPress instance.
  2. Choose the Networking tab, then choose Create static IP.
  3. Name your static IP, then choose Create.
  4. Make a note of your static IP. You use it later to connect to your site.

Step 3: Connect to your instance via SSH and get the password for your WordPress website

The default password to sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website is stored on the instance.

Complete the following steps to connect to your instance using the browser-based SSH client in the Lightsail console, and get the password for the administration dashboard.

  1. On the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page, choose the SSH quick-connect icon for your WordPress instance.
  2. After the browser-based SSH client window opens, enter the following command to retrieve the default application password:
    cat $HOME/bitnami_application_password
  3. Make note of the password displayed on the screen. You use it later to sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website.

Step 4: Sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website

Now that you have the password for the administration dashboard of your WordPress website, you can sign in. In the administration dashboard, you can change your user password, install plugins, change the theme of your website, and more.

Complete the following steps to sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website.

  1. In a browser, go to:
    http://StaticIpAddress/wp-login.php
    In the address, replace StaticIpAddress with the static IP address of your WordPress instance.
  2. In the Username or Email Address box, enter “user”.
    Password box, enter the default password obtained earlier in this tutorial.
  3. Choose Log in.

Step 5: Create a Lightsail DNS zone and map a domain to your WordPress instance

  1. On the Networking tab of the Lightsail home page, choose Create DNS zone.
  2. Enter your domain, then choose Create DNS zone.
  3. Copy the 4 name servers address listed on the page. You add these name server addresses to your domain name’s registrar to transfer management of your domain’s DNS records to Lightsail.

Step 6: Connect through FTP

Step 6.1: Get the SSH key for your instance

  1. Sign in to the Lightsail console.
  2. Click your instance.
  3. Copy the IP and Username.
  4. In password, note the key pair that your instance uses and ou can download your default private key from the Account page.

Step 6.2: Configure FileZilla and connect to your instance

  1. Open FileZilla.
  2. Choose File, Site Manager.
  3. Choose New site, then give your site a name.
  4. In the Protocol dropdown, choose SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol.
  5. In the Host text box, enter or paste your instance’s public IP address (from step 6.1.3).
  6. In the Logon Type dropdown, choose Key File.
  7. In the User text box, enter your username (from step 6.1.3).
  8. Next to the Key File text box, choose Browse.
  9. Locate the private key file that you downloaded from the Lightsail console earlier in this procedure, and then choose Open.
  10. Select All files.
  11. Choose Connect.

Step 6.3: Where are my wordpress files?

Just go to root/bitnami/wordpress

Troubleshooting

If for some reason your server goes down, try to Reboot your wordpress instance and wait for a bit.

For example, in my case, I could not even open console. I rebooted the instance, problem solved.

Learning resources

Official amazon tutorial