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Day-10:How to Host a Website Using AWS Route 53 and S3 with a GoDaddy Domain – A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Day-10:How to Host a Website Using AWS Route 53 and S3 with a GoDaddy Domain – A Beginner-Friendly Guide

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So, you have a domain (like mycoolwebsite.com), and you want to connect it to a website hosted on AWS? Sounds complicated? Don't worry! 😃

In this guide, I will explain everything step by step in a way that even a complete beginner can follow.

We'll do three things:

  1. Buy a domain from GoDaddy (if you don’t have one).

  2. Host a static website on AWS S3 (Static means no database, just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript).

  3. Connect your domain to AWS using Route 53 (so your site loads when people type your domain name).

💡 Think of Route 53 as a "phonebook" that tells browsers where to find your website files stored in S3.

🌟 What You’ll Need

✔ A GoDaddy account (to manage your domain).
✔ An AWS account (for hosting your website).
✔ Some basic website files (index.html, style.css, etc.).

If you don’t have a website yet, don’t worry! I will give you a simple HTML file later. 😃

Step 1: Buy a Domain from GoDaddy (Skip If You Already Have One)

1️⃣ Go to GoDaddy.com.
2️⃣ Type the domain name you want in the search bar (e.g., mycoolwebsite.com).
3️⃣ If the domain is available, click Add to Cart.
4️⃣ Click Continue to Cart and follow the checkout process.

💡 Tip: You don’t need extras like “Privacy Protection” unless you want them.

Step 2: Create an S3 Bucket for Your Website on AWS

1️⃣ Open S3

  1. Go to AWS Console → Click on Services (top-left).

  2. Search for S3 and click on it.

2️⃣ Create a New Bucket

  1. Click “Create bucket” (big orange button).

  2. Bucket name → Enter your domain name (e.g., mycoolwebsite.com).

  3. AWS Region → Choose the closest region to your visitors.

💡 Important: Your bucket name must be the same as your domain name (mycoolwebsite.com).

  1. Scroll down to the "Block Public Access settings" section:

    • Uncheck “Block all public access” (We want the public to see our website).

    • A warning will appear—just check the box “I acknowledge that…”

  2. Click “Create bucket”.

Step 3: Upload Website Files to S3

  1. Open your new S3 bucket.

  2. Click “Upload” (top-right).

  3. Drag and drop your HTML, CSS, and JS files (or click “Add files” to select them).

  4. Click Upload.

💡 If you don’t have a website yet, create a simple index.html file with this content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My Cool Website</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to My Cool Website!</h1>
</body>
</html>

Step 4: Enable S3 Static Website Hosting

  1. Open your S3 bucket.

  2. Click the "Properties" tab.

  3. Scroll down to "Static website hosting".

  4. Click "Edit" → Select "Enable".

  5. Set:

    • Index document → index.html

    • Error document → error.html (optional)

  6. Click Save changes.

  7. Copy the "Bucket website endpoint" (It looks like http://mycoolwebsite.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com).

Step 5: Allow Public Access to Your Website

By default, S3 blocks access to your files. Let's fix that:

  1. Go to your S3 bucket → Click "Permissions".

  2. Scroll to "Bucket policy" → Click "Edit".

  3. Paste this policy (replace mycoolwebsite.com with your actual bucket name):

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Principal": "*",
            "Action": "s3:GetObject",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::mycoolwebsite.com/*"
        }
    ]
}
  1. Click Save changes.

Now, when you open the Bucket Website Endpoint, your site should be visible! 🎉

Step 6: Set Up Route 53 for Your Domain

Now that we have our website hosted on S3 and our domain registered in GoDaddy, we need to set up Route 53 to manage our domain’s DNS.

🔹 What is Route 53 and Why Do We Need It?

  • Route 53 is AWS’s Domain Name System (DNS) service.

  • It helps connect your domain name (e.g., mycoolwebsite.com) to the actual website files stored in S3.

  • Right now, GoDaddy manages your domain’s DNS. We need to transfer DNS management to Route 53 so we can properly connect it to AWS.

🔹 Steps to Set Up Route 53 for Your Domain

1️⃣ Open Route 53 in AWS

  1. Open a web browser and go to AWS Console.

  2. Sign in to your AWS account.

  3. In the AWS search bar, type Route 53 and click on it.

2️⃣ Create a Hosted Zone

  1. Click on "Hosted Zones" (left sidebar).

  2. Click "Create Hosted Zone" (big orange button).

3️⃣ Enter Your Domain Name

  1. In the "Domain name" field, enter your domain name exactly as it appears in GoDaddy.

  2. Under "Type", select "Public Hosted Zone" (because this is a public website).

  3. Click "Create hosted zone".

4️⃣ Get Your AWS Name Servers

After creating the hosted zone, AWS will automatically generate four Name Server (NS) records. These look like this:

ns-1234.awsdns-56.com  
ns-5678.awsdns-78.net  
ns-9101.awsdns-90.org  
ns-1213.awsdns-12.co.uk

📌 Copy all four name servers – we will use them in GoDaddy in the next step.

Step 7: Connect Your GoDaddy Domain to AWS Route 53 (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

Now that we have created a Hosted Zone in Route 53 and got our Name Servers, it's time to connect your GoDaddy domain to AWS.

This step is important because it tells the internet that your domain name should point to AWS, where your website is hosted.

Let’s break it down slowly and in detail so even a complete beginner can follow! 🚀

🔹 What Are Name Servers? (Simple Explanation)

Right now, your domain is registered with GoDaddy, but GoDaddy doesn’t know where your website is stored.

Name Servers are like the GPS coordinates of your website. They tell GoDaddy, “Hey, this website is actually hosted on AWS!”

We will replace GoDaddy’s default name servers with AWS name servers from Route 53.

🔹 Steps to Change Name Servers in GoDaddy

1️⃣ Log in to Your GoDaddy Account

  1. Open a browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.).

  2. Go to GoDaddy.com.

  3. Click Sign In (top right corner).

  4. Enter your GoDaddy email/username and password → Click Sign In.

2️⃣ Open Your Domain Settings

  1. After logging in, you’ll see your GoDaddy Dashboard.

  2. Click "My Products" (top menu).

  3. Scroll down to the Domains section.

  4. Find the domain name you want to use (e.g., mycoolwebsite.com).

  5. Click the "Manage" button next to your domain.

3️⃣ Find the Nameservers Section

  1. After clicking "Manage," you will see your domain’s settings page.

  2. Scroll down until you find the "Nameservers" section.

  3. Here, you will see something like this:

     ns01.domaincontrol.com  
 ns02.domaincontrol.com

    These are GoDaddy’s default name servers. We need to replace them with AWS name servers.

4️⃣ Change the Nameservers

  1. In the Nameservers section, click the "Change" button.

  2. A new window will pop up asking how you want to change your name servers.

5️⃣ Select "Enter My Own Nameservers"

  1. In the pop-up window, select "Enter my own nameservers (advanced)".

  2. Now, GoDaddy will allow you to enter your own custom name servers (which we got from Route 53).

6️⃣ Copy-Paste AWS Name Servers from Route 53

  1. Open a new tab in your browser and go to the AWS Console.

  2. Click on Services → Search for Route 53 and open it.

  3. Click on "Hosted Zones".

  4. Click on your domain name (mycoolwebsite.com).

  5. Look for the NS (Name Server) record – you will see four name servers like this:

     ns-1234.awsdns-56.com  
 ns-5678.awsdns-78.net  
 ns-9101.awsdns-90.org  
 ns-1213.awsdns-12.co.uk

  6. Copy all four name servers one by one and paste them into GoDaddy.

    • Go back to GoDaddy’s Nameserver settings.

    • You will see four empty boxes where you can enter the name servers.

    • Paste each name server into a separate box.

✅ Example (in GoDaddy):

    ns-1234.awsdns-56.com  
    ns-5678.awsdns-78.net  
    ns-9101.awsdns-90.org  
    ns-1213.awsdns-12.co.uk

7️⃣ Save the Changes

  1. After pasting the four name servers, double-check to make sure they are correct.

  2. Click "Save" or "Confirm".

  3. GoDaddy may ask for confirmation – if so, click Yes or Confirm.

8️⃣ Wait for the Changes to Take Effect

  • DNS changes don’t happen instantly.

  • It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours for the internet to update the new name servers.

  • In most cases, it happens within a few hours.

Step 8: Create an A Record in Route 53 (Connecting Your Domain to S3 Website)

Now that we have set up our domain in GoDaddy and pointed it to AWS Route 53, we need to create an A Record in Route 53.

What is an A Record? 🤔
An A Record (Address Record) tells the internet where to find your website when someone types your domain (mycoolwebsite.com).

Since we are hosting our website on Amazon S3, we need to connect our domain to our S3 bucket’s website endpoint using an A Record with Alias.

🔹 Steps to Create an A Record in Route 53

1️⃣ Open Route 53 in AWS

  1. Open a web browser and go to AWS Console.

  2. Sign in to your AWS account.

  3. In the AWS search bar, type Route 53 and click on it.

  4. On the left menu, click "Hosted Zones".

  5. Find and click on your domain name (mycoolwebsite.com).

2️⃣ Create a New A Record

  1. Inside your Hosted Zone, click "Create Record" (big orange button).

  2. You will now see a form to enter record details.

3️⃣ Configure the A Record

👀 What You’ll See on the Screen & What to Enter

Field NameWhat to Do
Record NameLeave it blank (for the root domain like mycoolwebsite.com).
Record TypeSelect A - IPv4 address.
AliasSelect "Yes".
Alias TargetClick inside the box and choose your S3 Bucket Website Endpoint from the list.
Routing PolicyLeave it as Simple routing (default).
Evaluate Target HealthLeave it unchecked.

4️⃣ Save the A Record

  1. Double-check that your Alias Target is pointing to your S3 bucket.

  2. Click "Create Record" (big orange button at the bottom).

  3. Your A Record is now created! 🎉

Step 9: Test Your Website (Does It Work?)

After setting up everything, it’s time to check if your website is live and working.

1️⃣ Open Your Website in a Browser

  • Open Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox.

  • In the address bar, type your domain name (mycoolwebsite.com).

  • Press Enter.

2️⃣ What Should Happen?

✅ If everything is set up correctly → Your website will load! 🎉
❌ If it doesn’t load → Don’t panic! Sometimes DNS changes take time.

🔹 What If My Website Doesn't Work?

Here are some common reasons & fixes:

1️⃣ DNS is still updating

  • Wait for 30 minutes to a few hours (DNS propagation can take time).

  • Check your domain’s DNS records using https://who.is/ to see if the Name Servers are updated.

2️⃣ S3 Bucket is Not Public

  • Go to S3 → Open your bucket → Check if your files are public.

  • If needed, follow Step 5 to update the Bucket Policy.

3️⃣ Wrong A Record Configuration in Route 53

  • Go back to Route 53 Hosted Zone and make sure:

    • The A Record exists.

    • The Alias Target is correctly pointing to your S3 Website Endpoint.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You just: ✅ Bought a domain (GoDaddy)
✅ Hosted a static website (AWS S3)
✅ Connected your domain (Route 53)

Now, your website is live on the internet! 🚀

👉 Next Steps?

  • Add HTTPS (SSL) using AWS CloudFront.

  • Improve site speed with a CDN.

Want help with SSL? Let me know! 😊

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