Exploring various ways to connect to your AWS EC2 Instance: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
Whether you’re a developer, system administrator, or business owner, connecting to your EC2 instance is a crucial aspect of managing your cloud infrastructure.
In this blog post, we’ll explore different methods to connect to your EC2 instance, each suited to specific scenarios and preferences.
Prerequisites
A running EC2 instance on AWS Cloud to which you would connect.
Option 1: Using SSH (Secure Shell) Client
One of the preferred ways to connect to your EC2 instance is via the SSH client.
SSH is a standard and secure method for connecting to your EC2 instance, especially if you are running a Linux-based operating system.
To connect using SSH, you need the private key associated with the key pair used when launching the EC2 instance. Below are the steps you can follow to connect to your running EC2 instance via SSH from windows.
Step 1: Install OpenSSH for Windows (Link)
Step 2: Ensure that SSH is installed successfully.
Step 3: Locate your key.pem file.
This is the same file which you might have downloaded while creating the key-pair for your EC2 instance.
In my case, I kept it in my Downloads folder.
Step 4: Use the command from the AWS console (shown above) and execute that via your command prompt.
Once you confirm (with yes), it will add the EC2 instance to the list of known hosts.
However, while doing so, you might face the above issue (Permission denied). This is because you haven’t yet allowed SSH connections from a windows machine to your EC2 instance.
Let’s do that now by editing the Inbound rules for the EC2 instance’s security group.
Once you complete the above steps, your security group’s inbound rules might look something like below.
Now let’s execute the same command once more.
As you can see, this time, I got a different error. That’s because I didn’t execute this command from the same directory where my pem file resides.
Once you change the directory to the correct path, the command should work successfully and you will be able to connect to your EC2 instance.
Option 2: Using AWS Session Manager
AWS Systems Manager provides a secure and auditable method to connect to your EC2 instances without the need for opening inbound ports or managing SSH keys.
This option is more suitable for an organization as it helps you to manage and monitor the health of your instances while providing the minimum required permissions to get started.
You can follow this Quick Setup in an individual account or across multiple accounts and AWS Regions by integrating with AWS Organizations.
Option 3: Using AWS Management Console’s EC2 instance connect
For users who prefer a graphical interface, the AWS Management Console provides a browser-based option. Navigate to the EC2 dashboard, select your instance, and click on the “Connect” button. Select the EC2 instance connect option.
As long as you have the inbound SSH allowed in your security group rules, this should work fine.
Option 4: Using AWS CLI (Command Line Interface)
The AWS CLI is a powerful tool that allows you to interact with AWS services directly from the command line. You can use the aws ec2 commands to start and stop instances, describe instances, and obtain the necessary information to connect via SSH.
Example:
aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids your-instance-idOption 5: Via SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)
If you need to transfer files between your local machine and the EC2 instance, SFTP is a secure option. Use an SFTP client (e.g., WinSCP or Cyberduck) to connect to your instance by specifying the private key and the instance’s public DNS.
Option 6: Using AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB)
When working with multiple instances in an Auto Scaling group, connecting directly to individual instances might not be practical. In such cases, consider connecting through an Elastic Load Balancer, distributing traffic across instances while ensuring high availability.
Option 7: AWS Elastic Beanstalk SSH
If your application is hosted on AWS Elastic Beanstalk, you can use the Elastic Beanstalk Command Line Interface (EB CLI) to establish an SSH connection to your EC2 instances running your application.
Conclusion
Choosing the right method to connect to your EC2 instance depends on various factors, including security requirements, user preferences, and the specific use case. Whether you opt for the traditional SSH approach or leverage AWS services like Systems Manager, Management Console, or Elastic Beanstalk, understanding the different options empowers you to make informed decisions based on your unique needs. Experiment with these methods to find the one that best suits your workflow and enhances your EC2 instance management experience in the AWS cloud.
Hope you learnt something new today. Happy learning!
