Introduction to Hosting Static Websites on AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a reliable and cost-effective solution for hosting static websites using Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) and CloudFront, AWS’s content delivery network (CDN). Static websites typically use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other client-side technologies. By leveraging AWS, you can benefit from scalable, secure, globally distributed hosting with high availability and minimal maintenance. In this guide, we’ll walk through deploying a static website using Amazon S3 and CloudFront, ensuring enhanced performance, security, and cost-efficiency.

Preparing Your Static Website Files

Before we begin, ensure that your static website files, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media assets, are ready. If you are building from scratch, ensure all necessary files are correctly structured in your local directory.

  1. Folder Structure Example:
    • index.html
    • styles/ (for CSS files)
    • scripts/ (for JavaScript files)
    • images/ (for images)

Once your website files are ready, we can proceed to AWS to host them.

Creating an Amazon S3 Bucket for Hosting

Amazon S3 is ideal for storing static website content. Follow these steps to create an S3 bucket to host your site:

  1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
  2. Navigate to S3 under the “Storage” section.
  3. Click Create bucket, and choose a globally unique bucket name (e.g., my-static-site-bucket).
  4. Select the region closest to your target audience.
  5. Uncheck the Block all public access options (your website must be publicly accessible).
  6. Enable versioning if you want to manage versions of your files.
  7. Click Create bucket.

Uploading and Configuring Your Website on S3

Now that the S3 bucket is created follow these steps to upload your website files:

  1. Open your S3 bucket and navigate to the Upload section.
  2. Drag and drop your website files or select them manually.
  3. Once uploaded, configure the bucket to act as a website by enabling static website hosting:
    • Navigate to Properties.
    • Scroll down to Static website hosting.
    • Choose Use this bucket to host a website.
    • Enter index.html as the Index document (or another file if applicable).
    • Click Save.

Your S3 bucket is now configured to serve static website content.

Enabling Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) on S3

If your website fetches resources from other domains (such as APIs or fonts), you may need to enable Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) to allow your website to load these resources. To set this up:

  1. Go to your S3 bucket and click on Permissions.
  2. Scroll down to CORS configuration and click Edit.
  3. Add the following JSON configuration (modify as needed):

[

    {

        “AllowedOrigins”: [“*”],

        “AllowedMethods”: [“GET”],

        “AllowedHeaders”: [“*”]

    }

]

  1. Click Save Changes.

Setting Up Amazon CloudFront for Enhanced Performance

Amazon CloudFront acts as a CDN that caches your website content at edge locations worldwide, reducing latency and improving performance for global visitors.

  1. In the AWS Management Console, go to CloudFront under the “Networking & Content Delivery” section.
  2. Click Create Distribution and choose Web.
  3. For Origin Domain Name, select your S3 bucket.
  4. Set the Origin Path to the root directory or subfolder if needed.
  5. Under Viewer settings, enable SSL (HTTPS) for added security by selecting Redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
  6. Click Create Distribution.

Once CloudFront is set up, it will take a few minutes to propagate. You will receive a CloudFront URL to access your website.

Configuring DNS Settings for Custom Domains (Optional)

If you want to use a custom domain, configure your DNS settings using Amazon Route 53 or another DNS provider.

  1. Go to your domain registrar and create a CNAME record pointing to the CloudFront distribution URL.
  2. Configure an Alternate Domain Name (CNAME) under distribution settings in CloudFront.
  3. Optionally, request an SSL certificate for your custom domain using AWS Certificate Manager for HTTPS support.

Testing Your Static Website Deployment

Once CloudFront has propagated, visit your CloudFront URL or custom domain to verify that your static website is live and functional. Test the following:

  • Page load speed and responsiveness.
  • CORS functionality is available if you’re fetching external resources.
  • SSL (HTTPS) is enabled if you’re using a custom domain.

Conclusion: Benefits and Considerations of Using AWS for Static Website Hosting

Hosting a static website on AWS using Amazon S3 and CloudFront offers numerous advantages:

  1. Cost-Effective: With S3 and CloudFront, you only pay for what you use, making it cost-efficient for low and high-traffic websites.
  2. Scalability: AWS handles traffic spikes automatically, so you don’t need to worry about server capacity.
  3. Security: AWS provides SSL certificates, HTTPS support, and access control policies.
  4. Performance: With CloudFront, your content is delivered quickly and efficiently, thanks to global edge locations.

However, consider setting up monitoring and billing alerts to monitor usage, especially if your website traffic increases significantly.

References

Use an Amazon CloudFront distribution to serve a static website

How do I use CloudFront to serve a static webpage hosted on Amazon S3?