Deploying a Setup to Serve Different Responses Using an Amazon EC2 Instance

Overview

This blog provides a comprehensive guide to configuring an Ubuntu 22.04 instance hosted on an Amazon EC2 instance to deliver dynamic responses based on URL path routing. By utilizing Nginx, a highly performant and lightweight web server, we will implement a basic server block configuration to serve “Test 1” for the root URL (<IP>) and “Test 2” for a specific path (<IP>/aws).

The tutorial includes detailed, step-by-step instructions, covering tasks such as setting up the Nginx virtual host, editing configuration files, and verifying HTTP responses using tools like curl or a web browser. Along the way, you will deepen your understanding of Amazon EC2 instance management, Nginx server directives, and efficient web server response handling.

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Introduction

In this blog, we will leverage Nginx’s ability to handle routing and serve custom responses, demonstrating how it can be used for lightweight use cases like simple API endpoints or monitoring services. We will focus on deploying an Amazon EC2 instance, a scalable and flexible virtual machine provided by Amazon Web Services. We will install and configure Nginx on Ubuntu 22.04, set up custom server blocks to handle specific URL paths, and ensure our server is accessible via the public IP of the instance. This practical example will give you a deeper understanding of Nginx’s configuration and AWS infrastructure.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Amazon EC2 Instance

Launch an Amazon EC2 Instance

Log in to your AWS Management Console.
Navigate to the Amazon EC2 Dashboard and launch a new instance.
Choose Ubuntu 22.04 as your AMI (Amazon Machine Image).
Select an instance type (e.g., t2.micro for the free tier).
Configure security groups to allow HTTP (port 80) and SSH (port 22)

Connect to Your Instance

Use an SSH client (e.g., Terminal on macOS/Linux or PuTTY on Windows) to connect to your Amazon EC2 instance:

ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@<public-ip>

1	ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@<public-ip>

Step 2: Install and Configure Nginx

Update System Packages

Run the following commands to ensure your packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

1	sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Nginx

Install Nginx with the following command:

sudo apt install nginx -y

1	sudo apt install nginx -y

3. Start and Enable Nginx

Ensure Nginx starts automatically after installation:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

1 2	sudo systemctl start nginx sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 3: Configure Nginx to Serve Custom Responses

Modify the Nginx Configuration

Nginx stores its configuration files in the /etc/nginx directory. We will edit the default configuration file to create two custom routes:

Open the default configuration file in a text editor:

sudo vi /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

1	sudo vi /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Replace the content of the server block with the following:

server {
    listen 80;
     server_name <ip address>;
     location / {
        return 200 'Test 1';
        add_header Content-Type text/plain;
    }
     location /aws {
        return 200 'Test 2';
        add_header Content-Type text/plain;
    }
}

server {

listen 80;

server_name <ip address>;

location / {

return 200 'Test 1';

add_header Content-Type text/plain;

}

location /aws {

return 200 'Test 2';

add_header Content-Type text/plain;

}

2. Test the Configuration

Run the following command to test the configuration:

sudo nginx -t

1	sudo nginx -t

If successful, you’ll see a message indicating: test is successful

Restart Nginx

Apply the changes by restarting Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

1	sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 4: Verify the Setup

Access the Amazon EC2 Public IP

Open your browser and enter the public IP address of your Amazon EC2 instance http://<public-ip>.
You should see the response: “Test 1”.

step4

2. Test the Custom Path

In your browser, navigate to http://<public-ip>/aws.

You should see the response: “Test 2”.

step4b

Conclusion

Following this tutorial, you successfully set up an Ubuntu 22.04 instance on Amazon EC2 and configured Nginx to serve custom responses based on URL paths.

This blog demonstrates the flexibility of Nginx in handling different request routes, providing a foundational understanding of its configuration capabilities. Beyond this, it can be extended to more complex use cases, such as hosting web applications, implementing reverse proxies, or building scalable infrastructure for production environments.

With Amazon EC2 and Nginx, you now have a powerful combination to experiment, innovate, and deploy tailored solutions for diverse web service requirements.

Drop a query if you have any questions regarding Amazon EC2 or Docker and we will get back to you quickly.

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FAQs

1. Why is Nginx returning a “403 Forbidden” error?

ANS: – This error typically occurs when the default Nginx directory permissions are misconfigured. Ensure that the /var/www/html directory or custom paths have the correct permissions. In this case, permissions are not required since we serve direct responses.

2. What if I can’t access the Amazon EC2 instance from my browser?

ANS: – Ensure your Amazon EC2 instance’s security group allows inbound traffic on port 80. Go to the AWS Console > Amazon EC2 Dashboard > Security Groups and verify the rules for your instance.

WRITTEN BY Vaishali Bhawsar

Vaishali is working as a Research Associate in CloudThat Technologies. She has good knowledge of Networking, Linux systems & C language, and currently working on various AWS projects along with, Terraform, Docker, and Ansible. She enjoys painting and cooking during her free time.