One of our readers recently reached out for guidance on installing WordPress on Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a leading cloud platform typically suited for enterprise-scale projects, AWS offers scalable, pay-as-you-go infrastructure powered by Amazon's robust technology. Drawing from our extensive experience deploying WordPress on cloud environments, we'll walk you through proven methods to get your site live on AWS.
Important Note: For most new websites, we strongly recommend simpler options from our comprehensive WordPress installation guide to avoid unnecessary complexity.
We've outlined two reliable approaches: a hands-on manual installation for advanced users, and a beginner-friendly managed hosting option leveraging AWS infrastructure.
Start by signing up at the AWS website. Free tier accounts require credit card verification via a temporary $1 charge.
Log into the AWS Management Console, navigate to 'Services' > Compute > EC2. EC2 provides virtual servers ideal for hosting dynamic sites like WordPress—for context on virtual machines, see our VPS guide.
Click 'Launch Instance' to configure your server.
Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from the AWS Marketplace: search for 'WordPress' and choose 'WordPress by Bitnami' for a pre-configured stack.
Acknowledge pricing details and click 'Continue'.
Choose the free-tier t2.micro instance type, then 'Configure Instance Details'.
Proceed through storage and tags without changes until 'Add Tags'. Add a tag: Key='Name', Value='MyWordPress'.
Click 'Review and Launch' > 'Launch'.
Select 'Proceed without a key pair' and confirm.
Launch the instance and view it in the dashboard.
Copy the public IPv4 address from the instance details.
Paste the IP into your browser to access the default WordPress site.
Access the admin at YOUR_IP/wp-admin/, e.g., https://18.191.114.246/wp-admin.
Retrieve credentials via 'Actions' > 'Instance Settings' > 'Get System Log'. Look for the Bitnami password section marked with ##.
Log in with the provided username/password. Your WordPress site is now live on AWS—accessible via IP only until domain setup.
To add a custom domain, follow our domain registration guide first.
In EC2 Dashboard > 'Network & Security' > 'Elastic IPs', click 'Allocate Elastic IP Address'.
Allocate, then 'Actions' > 'Associate Elastic IP Address' with your instance.
Select instance and associate.
Copy the new static Elastic IP.
Go to Services > Route 53 (DNS service).
Create Hosted Zone for your domain.
Enter domain and create.
Add A record: Name='www', Value=Elastic IP.
Copy NS records from hosted zone. Update nameservers at your domain registrar.
Save changes—propagation may take time. Your domain now points to AWS WordPress.
Manual AWS setups demand technical expertise and ongoing management, with costs scaling unpredictably during traffic surges.
For a seamless experience, opt for managed WordPress hosts on AWS infrastructure. Our top pick: WP Engine, leveraging AWS for reliable performance without server worries.
Premium alternative: Pagely, fully AWS-based for scalable, hands-off WordPress hosting.
This guide equips you to launch WordPress on AWS successfully. Boost performance further with our ultimate WordPress speed optimization guide.
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