How to Set Up a Simple Static Website on AWS S3: A Beginner’s Guide

Hey there! 👋 If you want to get a website live quickly without fuss or cost, AWS S3 is your best friend. It’s perfect for hosting simple static sites by just uploading your files to the cloud.

Step 1: Create Your S3 Bucket

Log into the AWS S3 Console.
Click Create bucket and give it a name (ideally your website’s domain name).
Pick the region closest to your audience.
Click Create — easy!

Step 2: Upload Your Website Files

Open your new bucket and upload your website files — usually an index.html, plus images, CSS, or JavaScript files.
Make sure your main page is named index.html so AWS knows what to show first.

Step 3: Enable Static Website Hosting

Go to the Properties tab of your bucket.
Find Static website hosting and enable it.
Set Index document to index.html.
Optionally, set an Error document (like error.html).
Save your changes.

Step 4: Make Your Site Public

S3 buckets are private by default, so we need to allow public read access:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "AllowPublicRead",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
    }
  ]
}

Replace your-bucket-name with your actual bucket name, then paste this into the Bucket Policy under the Permissions tab.

Step 5: Access Your Live Website

Back in Properties > Static website hosting, you’ll see an Endpoint URL. Open that link in your browser and ta-da! Your site is live.

Quick Tips:

S3 only hosts static files — no backend or server-side code.
For HTTPS and custom domains, consider adding AWS CloudFront and Route 53 (maybe another post for that!).
Double-check your bucket permissions to avoid accidentally making stuff public.

If you follow these steps, you’ll have your website up in no time — no stress, just simple cloud magic. 💪

Got questions or want me to add screenshots? Just shout!