Deploying Your Application on AWS: A Simple Guide for Beginners

A simple, accessible guide to understanding how to put your application online with AWS, with concrete examples and clear explanations.

Introduction

You’ve built an application or a website on your computer, and now you want other people to be able to access it over the internet? AWS offers several simple solutions to help you do that. Here is a clear guide to choosing the right one.

Simple Solutions by Use Case

1. Showcase Site or Portfolio

• Service to use: Amazon S3
• Simple explanation:
  • S3 is like a big storage box in the cloud
  • You put your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files in it
  • Visitors can access it just like a normal website
• Perfect for:
  • Personal portfolio
  • Company showcase site
  • Static blog

2. Application with a Database

• Service to use: Elastic Beanstalk
• Simple explanation:
  • It’s like planting a seed: you provide your code
  • AWS takes care of everything else (server, database, etc.)
  • Your application grows automatically!
• Perfect for:
  • Small e-commerce site
  • Management application
  • Blog with a database

3. Multi-Part Application

• Service to use: ECS with Fargate
• Simple explanation:
  • Your application is split into several “blocks”
  • AWS manages these blocks for you
  • No need to configure servers
• Perfect for:
  • Modern application
  • Site with separate frontend and backend
  • Microservices

4. Simple Function

• Service to use: AWS Lambda
• Simple explanation:
  • You just write a function
  • AWS runs it when you need it
  • No server to manage
• Perfect for:
  • Sending emails
  • Processing forms
  • Small automated tasks

5. React or Angular Site

• Service to use: S3 + CloudFront
• Simple explanation:
  • S3 stores your files
  • CloudFront delivers them quickly to visitors
  • Better performance for everyone
• Perfect for:
  • React applications
  • Angular sites
  • Vue.js applications

6. Full Control

• Service to use: Amazon EC2
• Simple explanation:
  • It’s like having a computer in the cloud
  • You install whatever you want
  • You manage everything yourself
• Perfect for:
  • Specialized applications
  • Projects that require full control
  • Game servers

Concrete Examples

Personal Portfolio

• Solution: Amazon S3
• Why: Simple, free to get started, perfect for a portfolio

Small Blog

• Solution: Elastic Beanstalk
• Why: Automatic management, easy to maintain

React Application + Backend

• Solution: ECS with Fargate
• Why: Modern management, clear separation of components

Contact Form

• Solution: Lambda + API Gateway
• Why: Simple, efficient, no server to manage

Quick Decision Guide

For a Simple Site

• Use S3 if you just have HTML/CSS/JS files
• Benefits: Free to get started, very easy to use

For a Real Application

• Use Elastic Beanstalk if you have a backend
• Benefits: AWS takes care of everything, so you can focus on your code

For a Modern Application

• Use ECS with Fargate if you have several components
• Benefits: Modern management, no servers to configure

For a Simple Function

• Use Lambda if you just have a small piece of code to run
• Benefits: Pay only when you use it

For Full Control

• Use EC2 if you want to manage everything yourself
• Benefits: Complete control, total freedom

Conclusion

Choosing the right AWS service isn’t that complicated! Start by asking yourself exactly what you want to do, and use this guide to find the most suitable solution. AWS has a solution for every need, from the simplest to the most complex.

Resources to Go Further

• AWS Free Tier - Get started for free
• AWS Documentation - Complete documentation
• AWS Training - Free training
• AWS Community - Support forum