Acquiring a Domain and Hosting It on Your Amazon Lightsail Server

Written By ADMIN

Setting up a web application involves more than just building the app—you also need to make it accessible to users through a domain. Whether you're developing a personal blog, an eCommerce site, or a business application using PHPRunner, acquiring a custom domain and linking it to your Amazon Lightsail server is a critical step in going live.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to purchase a domain, configure DNS settings, and point your domain to your Lightsail instance. We'll also explore how this setup fits seamlessly with PHPRunner, allowing you to host your dynamic web applications.

Step 1: Acquiring a Domain Name

Before you can link a domain to your Lightsail server, you’ll need to acquire a domain name. There are many domain name registrars where you can purchase a domain, such as:

  • Amazon Route 53

  • GoDaddy

  • Namecheap

  • Google Domains

When choosing a domain name, keep it simple, relevant to your brand or project, and easy to spell.

Purchasing a Domain from Amazon Route 53

For simplicity, we recommend using Amazon Route 53, Amazon’s own domain registration and DNS service, especially if you’re already using AWS services like Lightsail.

Here’s how to purchase a domain via Route 53:

  1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.

  2. Navigate to Route 53.

  3. Click on "Register Domain" and search for the domain you want to purchase.

  4. Choose your domain from the search results, and complete the registration process.

  5. Once your domain is registered, it will appear in your Route 53 dashboard, ready for DNS configuration.

Step 2: Set Up DNS for Your Domain

Once you have acquired your domain, the next step is to configure DNS settings to point the domain to your Amazon Lightsail instance.

Configure DNS in Route 53 (or Your Domain Registrar)

  1. Log into the DNS Management Console: If you bought your domain through Route 53, you can manage DNS directly from the AWS Management Console. If you bought it from another registrar (like GoDaddy), log into that registrar’s DNS management console.

  2. Create DNS Records: You'll need to create the following records to point your domain to your Lightsail instance:

    • A Record: This connects your domain to the Lightsail instance's public IP address.

      • In your DNS management console, create a new record:

      • Type: A

      • Name: @ (or your domain name without "www")

      • Value: The public IP address of your Lightsail instance (find this in your Lightsail dashboard)

    • CNAME Record: To point the www version of your domain to your main domain.

      • Type: CNAME

      • Name: www

      • Value: Your domain name (e.g., example.com)

  3. Save Changes: Once you’ve added these DNS records, save your changes. It may take up to 48 hours for DNS propagation, but it's usually much faster (within a few hours).

Step 3: Point Your Domain to the Lightsail Server

Now that your domain is registered and DNS is set up, it’s time to configure your Amazon Lightsail instance to serve content for your domain.

1. Assign a Static IP to Your Lightsail Instance

Lightsail dynamically assigns IP addresses to instances, meaning that the public IP address of your server could change if the instance is restarted. To avoid disruption, assign a static IP to your instance.

  1. In the Lightsail console, select Networking from the sidebar.

  2. Click Create static IP and choose the Lightsail instance you want to associate with the static IP.

  3. Once assigned, this static IP address can be used in your DNS configuration to ensure the domain always points to the correct server.

2. Configure Apache for Your Domain

To make your web server respond to requests for your domain, you need to update your Apache configuration:

  1. Connect to your Lightsail instance via SSH.

  2. Navigate to the Apache configuration directory:

    cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/

  3. Create a new virtual host configuration file for your domain:

    sudo nano yourdomain.com.conf

  4. Add the following configuration, replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain name:

    <VirtualHost *:80> ServerName yourdomain.com ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com DocumentRoot /var/www/html ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined </VirtualHost>

  5. Save the file, then enable the virtual host:

    sudo a2ensite yourdomain.com.conf sudo systemctl restart apache2

At this point, Apache should be configured to handle requests for your domain.

Step 4: Deploy Your PHPRunner Application on Lightsail

With your domain set up, you’re ready to deploy your PHPRunner application. If you haven't yet, use PHPRunner to generate your PHP files and transfer them to your Lightsail server.

Here’s a quick recap of how to deploy your PHPRunner app:

  1. Generate your application: In PHPRunner, build your app by clicking the "Build" button. This will generate the necessary PHP files.

  2. Upload files to Lightsail: Use FTP/SFTP tools like FileZilla to connect to your Lightsail instance and upload the generated PHPRunner files to the /var/www/html directory on your Lightsail server.

  3. Check Database Configuration: Ensure your app’s database settings (like MySQL host, username, and password) are correctly configured to point to the MySQL instance running on your Lightsail server.

  4. Test Your Application: Open your browser and visit your domain (e.g., http://yourdomain.com). Your PHPRunner application should be live and accessible to the public!

Step 5: Enable SSL for Your Domain (Optional but Recommended)

For security and SEO benefits, it’s recommended that you secure your website with SSL. You can easily set up a free SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt on your Lightsail instance:

  1. Install Certbot: Certbot is a free, open-source tool to automate the process of obtaining and installing SSL certificates.

    sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install certbot python3-certbot-apache

  2. Obtain and Install SSL Certificate:

    sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

  3. Certbot will configure Apache automatically, enabling HTTPS for your site.

Now your domain is secured with SSL, and users will be able to access your site via https://yourdomain.com.

Conclusion

Acquiring a domain and hosting it on an Amazon Lightsail server is a straightforward process that gives your web applications a professional presence on the internet. Pairing Lightsail with PHPRunner allows you to quickly develop and deploy dynamic, database-driven websites or applications in just a few steps.

From purchasing a domain to configuring DNS settings and deploying your web app, Amazon Lightsail provides an easy-to-use, cost-effective platform for hosting your projects. And with the power of PHPRunner, you can build and manage your web apps with speed and efficiency.

If you need any assistance along the way—whether it’s acquiring a domain, setting up hosting, or deploying your PHPRunner application—don’t hesitate to reach out to PHP Code School. We offer training, custom development, and support to help ensure your projects are a success.

Contact us today and let’s get your web applications up and running!

ADMIN
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