AWS

AWS EC2 WordPress Deployment

Deploy WordPress to AWS EC2 instances with PloyWP's automated deployment platform. Leverage the world's most comprehensive cloud infrastructure for your WordPress sites.

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Overview

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's leading cloud platform, offering unmatched scalability, reliability, and global infrastructure. PloyWP's integration with AWS EC2 enables you to:

  • Deploy WordPress to 30+ AWS regions worldwide
  • Automatic EC2 instance provisioning with optimized configurations
  • Enterprise-grade security with VPC isolation
  • Automated backups to S3 with lifecycle policies
  • Auto-scaling capabilities for traffic spikes

Prerequisites

Before connecting AWS to PloyWP, ensure you have:

1

AWS Account

An active AWS account with billing enabled. AWS Free Tier available for new accounts

2

IAM User

A dedicated IAM user with programmatic access and appropriate EC2 and S3 permissions

3

Billing Setup

Valid payment method and billing alerts configured for cost management

Creating Your AWS IAM User

Important Security Note

Never use your root AWS account credentials. Always create a dedicated IAM user with minimal required permissions. PloyWP encrypts and stores your credentials securely.

Why S3 Access is Required

PloyWP uses Amazon S3 for essential features:

  • Automated backups of your WordPress sites
  • Storage for WordPress media uploads and static assets
  • Temporary storage during site migrations
  • Log storage for monitoring and debugging
1

Navigate to IAM Console

Log in to your AWS account and navigate to the IAM service, or go directly to console.aws.amazon.com/iam/

2

Create New User

Click "Users" in the left sidebar, then click "Add users" button.

3

Configure User Details

User name:

ploywp-deployment-user

AWS credential type:

This creates access keys for API/CLI access

4

Set Permissions

Configure the required permissions:

Quick Setup

Attach these two policies:

  • AmazonEC2FullAccess
  • AmazonS3FullAccess
5

Review and Create

Review your settings and click "Create user". AWS will generate your access credentials.

6

Save Your Credentials

⚠️ Download the credentials CSV or copy them immediately! You won't be able to see the secret key again.

You'll receive:

  • Access Key ID: Looks like AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
  • Secret Access Key: A 40-character string

Connecting AWS to PloyWP

Once you have your IAM credentials, follow these steps to connect AWS:

  1. 1

    Navigate to Settings → Cloud Providers in your PloyWP dashboard

  2. 2

    Click "Add Provider" and select AWS

  3. 3

    Enter a friendly name (e.g., "Production AWS Account")

  4. 4

    Enter your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

  5. 5

    Select your default AWS region and click "Connect"

  6. 6

    PloyWP will verify the connection and display available regions

Connection Successful!

Once connected, you can start deploying WordPress sites to AWS EC2 immediately.

Recommended EC2 Instance Types

PloyWP optimizes WordPress performance with Docker containers. Here are our recommended AWS EC2 instance types:

Development

Testing & low traffic

t3.micro

~$7.50/month

  • 1 GB RAM
  • 2 vCPUs (burstable)
  • EBS storage only
  • Free tier eligible
Suitable for ~5k monthly visitors
RECOMMENDED

Business Site

Most WordPress sites

t3.small

~$15/month

  • 2 GB RAM
  • 2 vCPUs (burstable)
  • Up to 5 Gbps network
  • Good CPU credits
Suitable for ~50k monthly visitors

High Traffic

E-commerce & busy sites

t3.medium

~$30/month

  • 4 GB RAM
  • 2 vCPUs (burstable)
  • Up to 5 Gbps network
  • Higher CPU baseline
Suitable for ~100k monthly visitors

💡 Pro Tip: T3 Unlimited Mode

Enable T3 Unlimited for consistent performance during traffic spikes. This prevents CPU throttling but may incur additional charges. PloyWP can automatically manage this based on your preferences.

Specialized Instance Types

For WooCommerce / High CPU

  • c5.large: 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM (~$62/mo)
  • c5.xlarge: 4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM (~$124/mo)

For Large Databases

  • r5.large: 2 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM (~$91/mo)
  • r5.xlarge: 4 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM (~$182/mo)

AWS Pricing & Regions

What You Pay AWS

  • EC2 instance hours (billed per second)
  • EBS storage volumes (SSD recommended)
  • Data transfer (free incoming, charged outgoing)
  • S3 storage for backups (optional)

Popular AWS Regions

  • us-east-1 N. Virginia (lowest prices)
  • us-west-2 Oregon (West Coast US)
  • eu-west-1 Ireland (Europe)
  • ap-southeast-1 Singapore (Asia Pacific)

💰 Example Monthly Cost

Business site with 50k visitors: $15/mo for t3.small + $10/mo for 30GB SSD + $5-$29/mo to PloyWP = $30-$54/mo total for enterprise-grade WordPress hosting.

Region Selection Tips

  • Choose region closest to your audience for best performance
  • Consider data residency requirements for compliance
  • Some regions have slightly different pricing
  • Not all instance types available in every region

Security Best Practices

Security Group Configuration

PloyWP automatically configures security groups with these rules:

SSH (22) PloyWP management IPs only
HTTP (80) 0.0.0.0/0 (anywhere)
HTTPS (443) 0.0.0.0/0 (anywhere)

⚠️ Never manually open additional ports unless absolutely necessary

IAM Security

  • Use the principle of least privilege - only grant required permissions
  • Regularly rotate access keys (every 90 days recommended)
  • Enable MFA on your AWS root account
  • Use CloudTrail to audit API calls

VPC Configuration

PloyWP can deploy to your custom VPC for enhanced security:

  • Use private subnets for database servers
  • Implement network ACLs for additional security
  • Consider VPC peering for multi-region setups
  • Use VPC endpoints for S3 access

Security Monitoring

PloyWP integrates with AWS security services for comprehensive protection:

AWS GuardDuty

Threat detection and monitoring

AWS WAF

Web application firewall protection

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Invalid Credentials Error

If you receive an authentication error when connecting AWS:

  • Verify Access Key ID and Secret Access Key are correct
  • Ensure no extra spaces when copying credentials
  • Check IAM user has required EC2 permissions
  • Verify IAM user is active (not disabled)

Instance Launch Failed

If EC2 instance creation fails during deployment:

  • Check AWS service limits (default is 5 instances per region)
  • Verify billing is active and payment method valid
  • Ensure selected instance type is available in chosen region
  • Check if you've reached EBS volume limits

Permission Denied Errors

If you see permission errors in deployment logs:

  • Review IAM policy has all required actions listed above
  • Check for restrictive Service Control Policies (SCPs)
  • Verify no IP restrictions on IAM user
  • Ensure region is enabled in your AWS account

Network Connectivity Issues

If PloyWP can't connect to your EC2 instance:

  • Wait 3-5 minutes for instance initialization
  • Check instance status checks in EC2 console
  • Verify security group allows SSH from PloyWP IPs
  • Ensure instance has public IP if in public subnet

Need Help?

Our support team is experienced with AWS integration issues and ready to help.