Launch EC2 Instance

Launching an EC2 Instance

ℹ️ Information: In this section, we’ll launch an Amazon EC2 instance that will serve as the foundation for our Auto Scaling configuration. This instance will be used to create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for our Launch Template.

Access the AWS Management Console:

  • In the search bar, find and select EC2

EC2 Console Navigation

In the EC2 console:

  • Click Launch instances

Launch Instances Button

Configure Basic Instance Details

For the instance name:

  • Enter FCJ-Management

Instance Naming

Select Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

For the operating system:

  • Select Quick Start
  • Choose Amazon Linux
  • Select Amazon Linux 2023 AMI

AMI Selection

Configure Instance Type and Key Pair

For compute resources:

  • Select t2.micro instance type
  • Click Create new key pair

Instance Type Selection

🔒 Security Note: The key pair is essential for secure SSH access to your instance. Store the private key securely and never share it.

Configure the key pair:

  • Name: fcj-key
  • Key pair type: RSA
  • Private key format: .pem
  • Click Create key pair

Key Pair Configuration

Configure Network Settings

For network configuration:

  • Click the Edit button
  • VPC: Select the VPC you created in the previous step
  • Subnet: Choose a Public subnet
  • Ensure Auto-assign public IP is enabled

💡 Pro Tip: Placing this instance in a public subnet allows direct internet access, which is necessary for initial setup and configuration.

Network Configuration

Configure Security Group

For access control:

  • Select Select existing security group
  • Choose FCJ-Management-SG
  • Click Launch instance

Security Group Selection

Review and Launch

Verify your instance is launching:

Instance Launch Confirmation

⚠️ Warning: After launching, your instance may take a few minutes to initialize. Wait until the instance state shows as “running” and status checks have passed before proceeding to the next step.