Launching an EC2 Instance 🚀

Now that you know about families, sizes, and AMIs, it’s time to launch your very first EC2 instance – your personal cloud PC.

Don’t worry, it’s easier than brewing instant noodles 🍜.

Step 1: Open the AWS Management Console

Login to your AWS account
Navigate to Services → EC2
Click Launch Instance – your adventure begins! 🖱️

Step 2: Choose an AMI

Pick your “pre-cooked kitchen”:

Amazon Linux / Ubuntu → beginner-friendly, free 😎
Windows → if you love RDP and Windows apps 🪟
Marketplace AMIs → preconfigured for apps like WordPress or Docker 🧰

Tip: Start simple – Ubuntu or Amazon Linux is perfect for noobs.

Step 3: Choose Instance Type & Size

Remember our apartment analogy? Pick wisely:

Size	Use Case
Nano	Tiny test scripts 🍼
Micro	Small websites 🌱
Small	Small apps 🛠️
Medium	Medium apps 📦
Large	Web servers 🌐
Xlarge	Medium production 🚀
2Xlarge	Heavy-duty palace 👑

Tip: Start small, scale later. You can always upgrade your “apartment” 🏢

Step 4: Configure Instance

Network & Subnet – usually default is fine 🌐
IAM Role – optional, only if your instance needs AWS permissions 🛡️
Shutdown behavior – decide if you want to stop or terminate instance when shutting down ⏹️
Advanced options – leave for later, noob-friendly settings are enough for now 😅

Step 5: Add Storage

Default storage is usually 8–20 GiB SSD 🏎️
Increase if needed, but remember Free Tier has limits ⚠️

Step 6: Configure Security Groups

Security groups = firewall rules 🔥
Allow SSH (port 22) for Linux or RDP (port 3389) for Windows
Pro tip: Only allow your IP – don’t leave the door wide open 🏰

Step 7: Add Key Pair

Key pair = your magic key to enter the instance 🗝️
Either create a new one or use an existing key
Download .pem file and keep it safe – losing it = no entry 😱

Step 8: Launch Your Instance

Click Launch
Wait a few minutes while AWS spins up your cloud PC ⏳
Connect via SSH (Linux) or RDP (Windows)

Congratulations! 🎉 You just launched your first EC2 instance. Your cloud adventure begins now.