Tutorial: Deploying Static Sites on AWS

I've blogged about how the contents of my website are maintained with Lektor, a static content management system. However, websites are about more than just content. Deployment is a deceptively difficult problem, and a lot of software developers struggle with learning how to deploy their software effectively. It's a large enough problem that there's an entire field dedicated to it: operations, or DevOps. I deploy my website using Amazon Web Services (AWS), and I've gotten some requests to write a tutorial for how to do that.

Well, your wish is my command. There's a shiny new tutorial for how to deploy a static website on AWS, and although it's focused on Lektor-based websites, the tutorial can be easily adapted to work with any static website or static site generator. This tutorial will take you from AWS newbie to running a bulletproof static website that no amount of traffic can overwhelm. Your site will run on HTTPS for added security and no additional cost, which is good because every website should use HTTPS. You'll also learn how to set up an email address at your domain, like I have with mine: david@davidbaumgold.com. (So fancy!) And the best part is, running a static website on AWS can be shockingly cheap! The whole thing only costs about $20 per year.

What are you waiting for? Read the tutorial, and don't forget to give me some feedback! I love comments, emails, and tweets, but will accept smoke signals and messenger pidgeons as well. The only way to improve is by getting feedback!