How to Create an EC2 Instance on AWS

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Want to set up an Ubuntu 20.04 server on Amazon EC2 but not sure where to start? Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process using a few different methods.

First, it’s important to know that while there isn’t specific documentation for Ubuntu 20.04 in some AWS tools, you can still create an EC2 instance running this version of Ubuntu by using the right Amazon Machine Image (AMI). Here’s how you can do it.

One straightforward way is to use the GenericLinuxImage feature in AWS CDK. You’ll need to find the correct AMI IDs for Ubuntu 20.04 in your target regions. This involves looking up the specific AMI IDs for each region, such as us-east-1 or eu-west-1. Once you have those, you can write your code to create the server.

Set up your project and include the necessary AWS CDK libraries. Use the default VPC and create a security group that allows SSH access over port 22. Then, specify the Ubuntu 20.04 AMI in your code, replacing the placeholder with the correct ID for each region.

Here’s a basic example of what the code should look like:
javascript
import * as ec2 from ‘aws-cdk-lib/aws-ec2’;
import * as cdk from ‘aws-cdk-lib’;

const app = new cdk.App();
const stack = new cdk.Stack(app, ‘UbuntuInstanceStack’);

// Use default VPC
const vpc = ec2.Vpc.fromLookup(stack, ‘DefaultVPC’, { isDefault: true });

// Create security group for SSH
const securityGroup = new ec2.SecurityGroup(stack, ‘SecurityGroup’, {
vpc,
description: ‘Allow SSH access’,
});
securityGroup.addIngressRule(ec2.Peer.anyIpv4(), ec2.Port.tcp(22), ‘Allow SSH access’);

// Specify Ubuntu 20.04 AMI IDs for your regions
const ubuntuImage = new ec2.GenericLinuxImage({
‘us-east-1’: ‘ami-xxxxxxxxxx’, // Replace with actual AMI ID
‘eu-west-1’: ‘ami-xxxxxxxxxx’, // Replace with actual AMI ID
// Add more regions if needed
});

// Create the EC2 instance
new ec2.Instance(stack, ‘UbuntuInstance’, {
vpc,
instanceType: ec2.InstanceType.of(ec2.InstanceClass.T3, ec2.InstanceSize.MICRO),
machineImage: ubuntuImage,
securityGroup: securityGroup,
keyName: ‘your-key-pair-name’, // Use your key pair
});

Another approach is to use a Cloud9 environment. Cloud9 supports Ubuntu images, although the available options might be Ubuntu 18.04 or 22.04. If you want Ubuntu 20.04 specifically, this method might not be suitable because it’s not directly available as an option.

To use Cloud9, set up a new environment in your default VPC with an instance type like t3.micro. Then, select the closest Ubuntu version. Keep in mind that you might not get exactly 20.04, but it’s a quick way to get a Ubuntu environment running in the cloud.

Remember, for the most accurate results, always verify and find the latest AMI IDs matching Ubuntu 20.04 in your region. That way, you can be sure you’re deploying the correct version of Ubuntu that meets your needs.

Resources like the AWS documentation or community tutorials can help you find the latest AMI IDs and get more detailed steps. This method ensures your cloud server is set up properly with the version of Linux you need.