How to Build a Free WordPress Site on AWS Using the 12‑Month Free Tier

Introduction

Practical hands‑on projects are the most effective way to improve Linux operations skills, and the low‑cost or free cloud servers offered by providers like Amazon AWS make it easy to get started.

AWS Overview

AWS (Amazon Web Services) supplies a full suite of infrastructure and services that simplify website deployment. For beginners, the tutorial uses WordPress as an example because it covers server hosting, PHP, a database, and front‑end pages. Although AWS is not the cheapest option for low‑traffic personal blogs, its free‑tier can support a medium‑size site for a year.

Step 1: Register an AWS Account

Prepare a dual‑currency credit card. Your AWS account is the same as an Amazon.com account. Sign up at www.amazon.com , then open the AWS console and click the “Free Trial” button. Provide real personal information, verify your phone via an English‑language call, and complete a $1 authorization charge that will be refunded. Choose the “Pay‑as‑you‑go” pricing model.

Step 2: Create an EC2 Instance

In the AWS console, select EC2 and click “Launch Instance”. Choose the Linux AMI (Amazon Linux) and the free‑tier eligible instance type t1.micro. Keep the default instance count of 1. On the “Configure Security Group” page, ensure ports 80 (HTTP) and 22 (SSH) are open. Generate a key pair, download the .pem file, and store it securely.

Step 3: Bind an Elastic IP and Domain

EC2 instances receive a private IP and a dynamic public IP. To use a custom domain, allocate an Elastic IP from the EC2 console and associate it with the instance. Update your DNS records to point the domain to this Elastic IP. Note that unused Elastic IPs incur charges.

Step 4: Create an RDS MySQL Instance

Websites need a database; WordPress uses MySQL. You can install MySQL on the EC2 host or use Amazon RDS for managed service. This guide creates a free‑tier RDS instance.

In the RDS console, click “Launch a DB Instance”, select MySQL, choose “No” for production use, and pick the free‑tier db.t1.micro class with 20 GB storage. Set the security group to the one created for the EC2 instance (allowing port 3306). After the instance becomes “available”, note its endpoint for WordPress configuration.

Conclusion

After completing these steps—account registration, EC2 launch, Elastic IP binding, and RDS creation—you have a fully functional AWS environment ready to host a WordPress site. Review each step, reflect on the process, and document your experience to reinforce learning.