Installing LetsEncrypt’s free SSL on Amazon Linux

Getting a free SSL certificate for your site is now easier than ever. On AWS, certificates are free and easy for any load-balanced environment you create. But what if you aren’t running a load-balanced site? If you followed my earlier guide The Ultimate Guide to WordPress on AWS EC2 then this tutorial is for you.

In this article, I’m assuming you’re running Apache on an Amazon Linux EC2 instance. We’ll install a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt and configure it to automatically renew.

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VHosts: Running Multiple Sites on a Single AWS EC2 Instance

If you want to run multiple websites on a single AWS host (or really, any other Apache 2+ web server that requires manual configuration), this guide is for you!

I’ll walk you through the process of setting up your AWS server to support multiple site, domains, or subdomains using Apache’s Virtual Host (vhost) features. It’s this feature that allows Apache to detect the host/domain name being requested so that it can serve up the appropriate site from a list of options.

Don’t worry, it’s actually not as complicated as it sounds… and I’ll leave out all the wherefores and other technical mumbo jumbo, since that’s available elsewhere. You’re here for clarity. (more…)

The Ultimate Guide to WordPress on AWS EC2

A Primer for Complete Beginners!

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an incredible option for hosting WordPress sites; it’s almost exclusively what I use these days when setting up hosting for my own clients. For new users, however, getting started with AWS can be insurmountably daunting, especially if they don’t have a experience with command-line Linux administration!

If that’s you, I have good news: This comprehensive guide will introduce you to AWS and guide you, step-by-step, through setting up your own server and installing WordPress.

Before we get started, be aware that AWS really isn’t for everybody. The question is: is AWS right for you? Well, that depends. (more…)