How to Run a Docker Project on AWS EC2:

Deploying and running a Docker project on AWS EC2 can seem challenging, especially when your local development environment only contains a Dockerfile and you need to get it up and running in a cloud-based setup. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of preparing your AWS EC2 instance, deploying your Docker project, making it accessible publicly, and finally, testing the setup.

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Context: The Challenge

I faced a situation where I had cloned a project from GitHub onto an AWS EC2 instance. The project only contained a Dockerfile, and I needed to get the image built, run it as a container, and make it accessible via HTTP. The goal was to have a web application running on the instance that could be accessed publicly through a domain or the instance's IP address.

Solution Steps: Setting Up Docker on AWS EC2 and Running the Project

Step 1: Prepare the EC2 Instance

First, I spun up an AWS EC2 instance, making sure that Docker was installed:

• Launch the EC2 Instance:

  • I created an Amazon Linux 2 instance (or you can choose Ubuntu depending on preference).

  • I assigned a security group that allowed HTTP traffic (port 80) from the internet.

• Connect to the EC2 Instance:

  ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@your-ec2-instance-ip
  

• Install Docker:

  sudo yum install docker -y   # For Amazon Linux
  sudo apt install docker.io -y  # For Ubuntu
  

• Start Docker:

  sudo systemctl start docker
  sudo systemctl enable docker
  

• Verify Docker Installation:

  docker --version
  

Step 2: Cloning the Repository

I cloned the project containing the Dockerfile onto the EC2 instance:

git clone https://github.com/your-repo.git

• Navigate to the Project Directory:

  cd /home/ec2-user/your-project
  

Step 3: Build the Docker Image

Next, I built the Docker image from the Dockerfile:

sudo docker build -t your-project-image .

• -t tags the Docker image as your-project-image.

• . indicates the current directory (where Dockerfile is located).

Step 4: Run the Docker Container

Once the image was built, I ran it as a container:

sudo docker run -d -p 80:80 your-project-image

• -d runs the container in detached mode.

• -p 80:80 maps port 80 on the host to port 80 inside the container.

Step 5: Verify the Container is Running

To confirm the container is running:

sudo docker ps

This will show all the currently running Docker containers.

Step 6: Access the Application

I accessed my web application using the public IP of the EC2 instance:

http://your-ec2-instance-ip

At this point, I expected my application to be accessible publicly, provided the EC2 security group allowed traffic on port 80.

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Step 7: (Optional) Using Elastic IP

Since public IPs can change when restarting EC2 instances, I allocated an Elastic IP:

aws ec2 allocate-address

Once the IP was allocated, I associated it with my EC2 instance.

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Step 8: (Optional) Configure a Domain Name

To make the application more accessible, I configured Route 53 (AWS’s DNS service) to point my domain to the Elastic IP:

# Go to Route 53 in AWS and create a new hosted zone.

Once set, my domain (your-domain.com) would resolve to the EC2 instance's Elastic IP.

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Step 9: Testing the Application

To ensure everything is working properly:

• Check Container Logs:

  sudo docker logs <container_id_or_name>
  

  This shows what’s going on inside the container, helping diagnose potential issues.

• Validate the Web Application:

  • Visit http://your-ec2-instance-ip or your domain in a browser.

  • You should see your web application running.

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Conclusion

Running Docker on AWS EC2, especially from a Dockerfile, involves a few key steps: installing Docker, building the Docker image, running the container, and making it publicly accessible. Once everything is configured properly, you can manage your Dockerized applications with ease.

This process helped me set up a web application on AWS EC2, accessible via HTTP, with room to expand if I wanted to add more features like scaling or monitoring.