How to host YOURLS on AWS EC2 VM Instance - ServerAvatar

YOURLS is an open-source URL-shortening platform known for its features and flexibility. It allows users to efficiently create and manage short links, offering features for link tracking, custom URL generation, and analytics. With a range of plugins and customizable options, YOURLS supports personalized URL-shortening solutions without requiring deep technical knowledge. AWS EC2 is a dependable hosting option for YOURLS, When it comes to hosting YOURLS, AWS EC2 is preferred due to its scalable infrastructure and seamless deployment options. ServerAvatar makes the deployment of the YOURLS Application on the AWS EC2 platform an easy step-by-step process.

Create an AWS EC2 Instance

Getting Started with AWS EC2:

In the dynamic landscape of cloud computing, Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) stands as a cornerstone service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), offering a flexible and scalable solution for hosting virtual servers in the cloud. Designed to cater to a diverse range of computing needs, EC2 allows businesses and developers to deploy virtual machines quickly and securely, enabling them to run various applications and manage workloads with ease.

From startups seeking cost-effective computing power to enterprises requiring robust, scalable infrastructure, EC2 provides a vast array of instance types optimized for different use cases. These instances offer customizable configurations, including computing power, memory, storage, and networking capabilities, empowering users to tailor their virtual environments precisely to their application requirements.

Whether it's launching a single instance for a small-scale project or orchestrating a complex network of instances across multiple regions, EC2 simplifies the process with its intuitive management console and comprehensive APIs. This versatility makes it a preferred choice for businesses looking to leverage the scalability and reliability of cloud computing without the overhead of managing physical hardware.

Using AWS EC2 instances offers a multitude of benefits that cater to diverse business needs and technical requirements. Here are some key advantages:

• Scalability: EC2 enables swift adjustments to your computing capacity according to demand, offering elasticity that efficiently manages fluctuating workloads for businesses, preventing resource over-provisioning.
• Cost-Effectiveness: With EC2, you pay only for the compute capacity you use. This pay-as-you-go pricing model eliminates the need for upfront investments in hardware and allows for cost optimization by scaling resources as needed.
• Flexibility: EC2 provides a diverse range of instance types tailored for various use cases, including compute-optimized, memory-optimized, storage-optimized, and GPU instances. This versatility allows you to select the ideal instance type that best suits your specific application needs.
• Security: AWS offers a secure environment for hosting EC2 instances, incorporating features such as security groups, network access control lists (ACLs), and Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) to manage network access effectively. Integration with other AWS services, such as AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), further enhances security by providing detailed access control capabilities.
• Ease of Use: EC2 instances can be easily launched, managed, and configured using the AWS Management Console, Command Line Interface (CLI), or SDKs/APIs. Automation tools like AWS CloudFormation and AWS Elastic Beanstalk further simplify deployment and management tasks.
• Reliability: AWS ensures a high level of reliability for EC2 instances with SLAs that guarantee a specific level of uptime. Additionally, EC2 instances can be configured to automatically recover from failures using features like Auto Scaling and Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) snapshots.

Let’s Get started with Creating a Virtual Machine on AWS EC2:

To create a server in Amazon. First log in to Amazon web service. Once you are there, Follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Search for the EC2 service in the AWS search bar

• The first step is to search for EC2 services, as Amazon provides multiple web services. Then click on the EC2 with virtual servers in the cloud option which is shown in the image below.

Step 2: Launching Instances from the EC2 Dashboard

• Now you are in the EC2 Dashboard, navigate to the running instances section. After that new tab for instances will be displayed there you have to click on the Launch Instances button as shown in the images below.

Step 3: Naming and Tagging Your EC2 Instance

• The next step is to name the instance of your choice and you can also add tags to your instance which can help organize, manage, and track resources.

Step 4: Select the OS for your Instance

• After following the steps, proceed to select the operating system for your instance. Generally, the YOURLS application requires Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or a later version for compatibility and support.
• In this case, First, click on Ubuntu and then select the Amazon Machine Image of Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS as an operating system. In addition to this, select the architecture to 64-bit(x64/86) as shown in the image below.

Step 5: Select the Instance type

• In this step, select the size of your VM instance. AWS EC2 provides lots of different options when it comes to plans and pricing. The selection of instances completely depends on the requirements. So, select the instance based on the complexity and traffic of your sites.

Step 6: Select SSH Key pair or create one

• Here you can select the Key pair name for SSH. If you don't have any key pair stored, you can also create a new key pair by clicking on the Create new key pair option as shown in the following image.

Step 7: Configuring Network Settings

• In this step, you have to configure the network by simply clicking on the Edit button as shown in the following image.

• Then you have to create a new security group by selecting the create security group radio button. You can enter the security group name of your choice and can also add a description for your security group for that you can refer to the image below.

Step 8: Add Inbound Security Group Rules

• The next step is to add inbound security group rules which are necessary to configure for connecting your instance to ServerAvatar. Click on the button shown in the image below to add security group rules.

• ServerAvatar requires 43210 port to be open. In total, You need to keep the following ports open on the instance.
  • 22 (SSH): To access your server via SSH
  • 80 (HTTP): To access your sites on HTTP
  • 443 (HTTPS): To access your sites on HTTPS
  • 43210 (ServerAvatar): To allow communication between ServerAvatar and your instance
• To understand and proceed further, please take the reference of the image depicted below.

Step 9: Configure the storage for your instance

• The final step is to configure the storage. You can select the size of the storage according to your needs. However, it is recommended to select at least 25GB disk volume, and in AWS EC2 there is also an option to select the root volume which you can choose as per your requirements. Now click on the Launch Instance button, as shown in the image below.

• Congratulations! You have successfully created your AWS EC2 Instance which is now ready to connect with ServerAvatar.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes the installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimization can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Install and Setup YOURLS on Cloud using ServerAvatar

Getting Started With YOURLS:

YOURLS is a powerful set of PHP scripts that allows you to run Your Own URL Shortener on your server. This gives you full control over your links, provides detailed statistics, supports plugins, and much more, all in a free and open-source package.

Key Features:

• Open Source: YOURLS is open-source, so you can modify and use it according to your needs.
• Extensible: You can extend its functionality using various Plugins available in the YOURLS environment.
• Total Control: YOURLS allows you to manage your short links, putting your branding front and center by using your own domain or subdomain.
• Detailed Insights: Get detailed insights into link performance with YOURLS' comprehensive statistics and analytics, helping you understand how your links are performing.

Requirements:

• Web Server: YOURLS requires Apache version 2.4 or greater, with the mod_rewrite module enabled.
• PHP: PHP version 7.4 or greater is needed for YOURLS to work correctly. If you plan on using the YOURLS API, make sure the PHP cURL extension is enabled.
• Database: MySQL 5.0 or greater & MariaDB 10.0 or greater for storing link data.
• HTTPS Support: For security reasons, it's recommended to host your YOURLS installation on a server with HTTPS support.

Install and Setup YOURLS on Cloud using ServerAvatar:

Step 1: Create an Application

• To create a new Custom application for YOURLS, navigate to the Applications tab on the server panel. Click on the Create button on the server panel to start the process of application creation.

• On the following screen, fill in the Application details, including:

  • Application Name: enter your Application Name.
  • Select Domain: Select between a Test Domain or a Primary Domain as per your requirements.
  • Enter Domain: Enter your Application Domain.
  • Method: Select Git as your application method.
  • Service Provider: Select GitHub as service provider for cloning the repository.
  • Repository Type: Public
  • Clone HTTPS URL: https://github.com/YOURLS/YOURLS.git
  • Branch: master

• After filling out the details, click on the Create Application button as shown in the image.

• Now, your Application is ready. You can see your Application in the Dashboard.

Step 2: Create a Database

• To create a Database that stores your confidential data, Go to the Dashboard and click on the Databases option. Enter Your Database name and just hit on the “Create a Database” button as shown in the image below.

• After successfully creating a Database, you can see your Database in the Databases Dashboard.

Step 3: Copy config.php File

• Go to Application Dashboard and navigate to File Manager open the public_html folder by clicking on it.

• In the public_html folder navigate to the User folder. Select the config-sample.php file in the user folder and click on the copy icon as shown in the image below.

• In the pop-up of Copy File enter the location for the file to copy at /public_html/user/config.php and click on the Copy button as shown in the below image.

Step 4: Update config.php File

• After copying the config.php file, open it and modify fields such as Database Name, Database Username, Password, and YOURLS Site.

• To find your database credentials, navigate to the Databases section in the server panel and click on the manage users icon next to the database you have set up for your application.

• You can see your Database credentials as shown in the image below.

Step 5: Access YOURLS

• Now, to access the YOURLS application, open the web browser. Enter the domain of your site and add /admin after the domain as mentioned in the below example.

  • Example: http://your-application-domain/admin

• It will redirect you to the Yourls application's installation page.

• Now, Click on the Install YOURLS Button.

• After completing the Installation process, You will see the go to YOURLS Administration Page as shown in the below image.

• You can log in to the YOURLS Administration page using the username and password.
  • Username: Your Username
  • Password: Your Password