Launching a Linux Server in AWS Using Just Your Browser
A Hands-On Guide to Getting Started with EC2 the Fast, Free, and Browser-Based Way
Title: Launching a Linux Server in AWS Using Just Your Browser
Subtitle: A Hands-On Guide to Getting Started with EC2 the Fast, Free, and Browser-Based Way
When it comes to learning cloud computing, most people imagine complex terminals, obscure commands, and endless documentation. But the truth is, you can launch, configure, and run a fully functional Linux server on AWS without ever leaving your browser. In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to do that using Amazon EC2, the free-tier-eligible cloud service that lets you spin up virtual machines with just a few clicks.
This is perfect for beginners, students, self-learners, or even seasoned IT pros who want to test something quickly. No prior cloud experience required. All you need is a web browser and an AWS account.
Step One: Access the AWS Console
Once logged into the AWS Management Console, your screen might look a little sparse, but that’s fine. What matters is the search bar at the top. Type in EC2 — short for Elastic Compute Cloud. Before clicking it, click the star icon to pin EC2 to your shortcuts menu. This saves time in future sessions.
Step Two: Choose the Right Region
In the upper-right corner of the EC2 dashboard, you’ll see a region selector. It might say “Oregon,” “Ohio,” or another AWS region. Click it and pick either US West 2 (Oregon) or US East 2 (Ohio) — whichever is geographically closer to you. Stick to U.S.-based regions for the best latency and billing rates if you’re in North America.
Step Three: Launch Your EC2 Instance
Click Launch Instance. Name your server — I usually go with something like ubuntu-server.
Under Application and OS Images, select Ubuntu. Make sure you choose a Free Tier Eligible version and select the 64-bit x86 architecture. You’ll be presented with the option to use ARM, but unless you know what you're doing with that architecture, stick with x86 to avoid compatibility issues.
Step Four: Instance Type and Key Pair
Leave the instance type at t2.micro, which is eligible for free usage.
You’ll then be prompted to create a key pair. This is crucial — it allows you to securely connect to the instance. Select ed25519, keep the .pem format (ideal for OpenSSH), and name your key something like test-key-youtube. The file will download automatically. Store this safely, as you won’t be able to download it again later.
Step Five: Network and Storage Settings
Under Network Settings, create a security group and allow SSH traffic from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0). This opens port 22 so you can connect to the machine.
For storage, change the default disk size to 30 GB. AWS Free Tier allows this much for General Purpose (GP2) storage, and it’s a good default size.
You can skip the advanced options for now. Finally, click Launch Instance.
Step Six: Connect to Your Instance
Once the instance is running, click its Instance ID, then select Connect → EC2 Instance Connect. Leave the username as ubuntu and click Connect.
You’ll now see a Linux shell open directly in your browser. No SSH setup, no command-line trickery — just a clean terminal interface to your Ubuntu server.
Step Seven: Update and Install Software
Once inside, run the following commands to update your system:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Next, install a torrent client with:
sudo apt install rtorrent
To test it out, launch rtorrent, paste a magnet link or torrent URL, and press Control + S to begin the download. Navigate with the arrow keys to view peers, files, and trackers. Press Control + K to close a torrent, Control + D to delete it, and Control + Q to quit the program.
Step Eight: Reboot and Reconnect (Optional)
After installing updates and software, it’s good practice to reboot your server:
Go back to the EC2 dashboard
Select your instance
Click Instance State → Reboot
Give it a minute or two, then use EC2 Instance Connect again to verify everything is working.
Step Nine: Tear It All Down
When you're done:
Go to Instances, select your instance, and click Terminate
Head to Key Pairs, delete the key you created
Visit Security Groups, find your launch wizard group, and delete it (you may have to wait until the instance is fully gone)
This ensures you don’t leave any resources running and avoid unexpected charges.
Final Thoughts
What you now have is a powerful, browser-based Linux environment running in the cloud. This can be used for learning, development, automation, testing, or teaching others. You didn’t need to install any tools, and you’ve got the basics of AWS under your belt. With this knowledge, you can begin exploring more advanced topics like SSH access, persistent storage, automated provisioning, or hosting full applications and websites.
In the next post, we’ll look at how to connect to your EC2 instance using SSH and your downloaded PEM key, and how to register a domain with Route 53 to point directly to your instance. Until then, feel free to explore the system — it’s your very own virtual Linux lab in the sky.
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