Host Static Website on AWS S3 Easily

Recently, I learned how to host a static website on AWS S3, and while it was exciting, I faced several challenges along the way. Let me share my step-by-step process and some lessons I learned so that you can avoid the mistakes I made and easily deploy your own static website.

Steps to Host a Static Website on AWS S3

1. Create an S3 Bucket

First, go to your AWS S3 dashboard and click on Create bucket.
Name your bucket (for example, my-first-website) if you're using a custom domain, the bucket name must match the domain name.
Make sure to uncheck the option Block all public access if you want your website to be publicly accessible.
Lesson learned: I initially forgot to uncheck this and couldn’t access my website. It took me some time to figure it out!

2. Upload Your Static Files

Upload your website files like index.html, images, CSS, and JavaScript.
You can simply drag and drop the files into the bucket or use the Upload button on the dashboard.

Tip: Organize your files well so it’s easy to manage, especially if your site has multiple folders.

3. Configure Static Website Hosting

In your S3 bucket, go to the Properties tab.
Scroll down to Static website hosting and enable it.
Set the Index Document (like index.html) and Error Document (like 404.html).
Save the changes.

Lesson learned: Forgetting to set the index.html here caused my site to show an error instead of loading the homepage.

4. Update the Bucket Policy

Go to the Permissions tab and find the Bucket Policy section.
Click on Edit and add the following JSON code to allow public access:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
    }
  ]
}

Replace your-bucket-name with the actual name of your bucket.
Lesson learned: I had a small typo (a missing comma), which caused my policy to fail. Double-check your JSON before saving!

5. Access Your Website

Once everything is set up, go back to the Static website hosting section in the Properties tab.
Copy the S3 website URL and paste it into your browser. Your site should load now!

6. (Optional) Custom Domain Setup

If you have a domain (like from GoDaddy or Namecheap), you can link it to your S3 bucket.
Add a CNAME record in your domain settings pointing to your S3 bucket URL.
Make sure your bucket name matches your domain name for this to work properly.
Lesson learned: This part was confusing at first, but AWS documentation helped a lot.

Challenges I Faced as a Beginner

Bucket Policy Issues:
A single missing comma in the JSON caused errors, and I had to redo the policy multiple times.
Public Access Settings:
Forgetting to uncheck "Block all public access" delayed my deployment.
Custom Domain Confusion:
I didn’t realize the bucket name must match the domain name exactly. This caused my custom domain to fail initially.

Final Thoughts

Hosting a static website on AWS S3 was a great learning experience. Even though I faced some challenges, I realized how powerful and simple S3 is for hosting websites. If you're a beginner, don’t worry about making mistakes—that’s how you learn!

Take your time, follow these steps, and soon you’ll be hosting your own website like a pro. 🚀

If you have questions or need help, feel free to reach out. Let’s learn and grow together! 😊

Hosting a Static Website on AWS S3: My Experience as a Beginner!