What is S3 Static Website Hosting?
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is an object storage service that offers scalable, fast, and secure data storage. One of the popular configurations for the S3 service is static website hosting. It allows you to deliver an entire website – including HTML files, CSS files, images, and JavaScript files – directly from your storage.
Below are steps to configure an S3 bucket for static website hosting.
Step 1: Create an S3 bucket
Creating an S3 bucket is the first step in setting up a static website. Assume that you have already signed up for an AWS account.
aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-bucket-name --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-west-2
Here, --bucket option specifies the name of the bucket to create, --create-bucket-configuration sets the location of the bucket. Ensure to check if the bucket name you choose is unique across all existing bucket names in Amazon S3.
Step 2: Enable static website hosting
After creating an S3 bucket, the next move is to configure it as a static website host.
To configure an S3 bucket for static website hosting:
- On the Amazon S3 console click on the bucket you created.
- Under Bucket settings for this bucket, click Properties.
- In the properties pane, choose Static website hosting.
- Then select Use this bucket to host a website.
- In the text boxes, type the web document names Index Document and Error Document.
- Choose Save.
Step 3: Set Bucket Policy
For public access to your static website, a bucket policy needs to be put in place. By default, all newly created S3 buckets are private. You can setup a bucket policy that allows everyone to read the content of your website.
Here’s an example of a bucket policy:
{
"Version":"2012-10-17",
"Statement":[{
"Sid":"PublicReadGetObject",
"Effect":"Allow",
"Principal": "*",
"Action":["s3:GetObject"],
"Resource":["arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*"
]
}
]}
Replace example-bucket with your bucket name.
Step 4: Upload data to your bucket
You need to upload HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and image files to your bucket. Use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, AWS SDKs, or REST API to upload (put) files into your bucket.
The following AWS CLI command uploads a local file to your bucket:
aws s3 cp index.html s3://my-bucket-name
Step 5: Test your endpoint
To access your website, you can use a standard URL that includes your bucket. After enabling static website hosting, the website endpoint is displayed in the Amazon S3 console and it follows this format:
http://bucket-name.s3-website-region.amazonaws.com
By replacing bucket-name and region with your bucket name and region, type your endpoint URL in a browser to request your content.
And that’s it! You have a running S3 static website.
Hosting a static website with S3 is an efficient, secure, and simple option for many developers. While it may not be suitable for heavily interactive sites, it’s a perfect solution for websites with static content – including personal websites, blogs, and even some smaller e-commerce sites.
As with all AWS services, remember that these configurations could incur charges, so make sure to monitor and manage your AWS resources carefully.
Practice Test
True/False: Amazon S3 supports static website hosting.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Amazon S3 does support static website hosting. You can configure an Amazon S3 bucket to function like a website and serve static content.
True/False: S3 bucket’s versioning feature must be disabled to host a static website.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: It’s not necessary to disable versioning to host a static website in S In fact, enabling versioning can be beneficial to recover from both unintended user actions and application failures.
True/False: To configure an Amazon S3 bucket for static website hosting, you must make the bucket public.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: The bucket must be public so that the website can be publicly accessible on the internet.
Multiple select: After configuring an Amazon S3 bucket for website hosting, which kind of files can be hosted?
- A. HTML files
- B. CSS files
- C. JS files
- D. PHP files
Answer: A, B, C.
Explanation: Amazon S3’s static website hosting can only host static files which include HTML, CSS, and JS files. It does not support server-side languages like PHP.
Single select: What method can be used to direct a domain to an Amazon S3 bucket hosting a static website?
- A. Google DNS
- B. Amazon Route 53
- C. Microsoft Active Directory
- D. Amazon Elastic Beanstalk
Answer: B. Amazon Route
Explanation: Amazon Route 53 can be used to direct a domain to an Amazon S3 bucket hosting a website.
True/False: An Amazon S3 bucket will automatically become a static website when a HTML file is uploaded.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Simply uploading an HTML file to the S3 bucket does not make it a static website. You need to explicitly configure the bucket for website hosting.
Single Select: What is the root document that will be displayed when a user accesses the website hosted with S3 bucket?
- A. Home.html
- B. Index.html
- C. Main.html
- D. Start.html
Answer: B. Index.html.
Explanation: The Index.html is the default root document for the website hosted with S3 bucket.
True/False: For static website hosting with Amazon S3, website-related metrics are available in Amazon CloudWatch.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Amazon CloudWatch provides metrics for your website, when hosted with Amazon S
Single Select: How can you enable log delivery to your Amazon S3 bucket hosting the website?
- A. Add logging settings in Amazon S3 console
- B. Use scalar in AWS Lambda to trigger the logs
- C. Add logging settings in DynamoDB
- D. Use AWS SNS to send notifications
Answer: A. Add logging settings in Amazon S3 console
Explanation: AWS allows to enable log delivery to your S3 bucket by adding logging settings directly in S3 console.
True/False: Enabling Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is mandatory when configuring a static website on Amazon S
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Enabling CORS on your S3 bucket isn’t mandatory for simple website hosting. However, it is necessary for certain web operations that involve requests from another domain.
Interview Questions
What is Amazon S3 static website hosting?
Amazon S3 static website hosting is a feature that allows you to host a static website — a website consisting of static content like HTML files, CSS files, and images — directly from your S3 bucket.
How can you enable static website hosting in S3?
You can enable static website hosting in S3 by navigating to the properties of your S3 bucket in the AWS Management Console, choosing the Static website hosting card, choosing Enable, and then providing index and error document names.
How can you view the endpoint of your static S3 website?
The endpoint of your static S3 website is available in the Static website hosting card in your bucket’s properties. It follows the format http://bucket-name.s3-website-region.amazonaws.com.
What permissions are required to access a static website hosted on S3?
For a static website hosted on S3 to be publicly accessible, the bucket policy must grant everyone s3:GetObject permission for the objects in the bucket.
What happens when you request a root URL of an Amazon S3 hosted website?
Amazon S3 returns the index document that you defined for the website when the root URL (bucket URL) of the S3 hosted website is requested.
Can you use your domain name with S3 static website hosting?
Yes, you can use your custom domain name with S3 static website hosting by configuring DNS records accordingly, commonly with the help of Amazon Route 53 for domain registration and DNS routing.
What types of websites are suitable for S3 static website hosting?
Amazon S3 is ideal for hosting static websites, which include sites that deliver HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other files.
What is the standard way to secure the access to the static website hosted on S3?
The standard way to secure access to a static website hosted on S3 includes configuring bucket policies to manage object permissions and using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles.
Can you enable logging for your AWS S3-hosted website?
Yes, you can enable logging for your AWS S3-hosted website. You do this by setting up Server Access Logging, which provides detailed records for the requests that are made to a bucket.
What happens when a requested page does not exist in S3 static website hosting?
Amazon S3 returns the error document that you specified for the website when a page that does not exist is requested.
Can you use SSL/TLS with an S3 static website?
Amazon S3 does not support HTTPS access in the website endpoint, but you can set up a CloudFront distribution with an Amazon S3 origin to serve your static website content securely over HTTPS.
Can you host a dynamic website on Amazon S3?
Amazon S3 is designed to host static websites and can’t host dynamic websites that rely on server-side processing like PHP, JSP, or ASP.NET.
How can you restrict access to your Amazon S3 static website to only certain IP addresses?
You can restrict access to your Amazon S3 static website to only certain IP addresses by adding a condition to your bucket policy using the aws:SourceIp condition key.
How can you forward requests for a subdomain to an S3 bucket?
You can forward requests for a subdomain to an S3 bucket by creating a CNAME record that maps your subdomain to the S3 bucket.
What pricing applies to hosting a static website on Amazon S3?
Pricing for hosting a static website on Amazon S3 is based on the storage used, the data transferred out, and the number of requests made to your site. You’re also billed for any additional services that you use like Amazon Route 53 or AWS CloudFront.
extutorials.com