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Created byBlueApple Courses

Last updated 9/2019

English

What you'll learn

Go from a simple EC2 server on the Free Tier to a load balanced, server cluster that scales automatically depending on the current traffic levels
Understand the different instance types, how much they cost, and how to stay within the Free Tier
Launch an Amazon EC2 server preconfigured with Django
Launch a regular Ubuntu 14.04 server and configure it for Django
Update your Security Group settings with the appropriate amount of access
Connect to your instance via both the command line (SSH) and your browser (Java-SSH)
Setup your your project files on EC2 using FTP
Serve your project files on EC2 (Django will not do this for you in production)
Leverage S3 Cloud Storage & CloudFront CDN to speed up your site
Utilize Amazon's Premium DNS service Route 53 to register and manage your Domain Name
Ways to enhance security on AWS - including Multi-factor authentication, IAM Users, Groups, Policies, and more
Create backup machine images of your project in case of failover and to scale out easily
How to upgrade your servers hardware for an instant performance boost
Separate your web server from your database server with automatic backups and replication using Amazon RDS
Load balance your traffic between several additional EC2 instances
Automatically scale up and down your server cluster depending on the current traffic levels

Course content

11 sections • 46 lectures • 5h 22m total length

Course Introduction1:32
Overview of the course and instructor, including: target audience, curriculum overview, and goals.
The Value Proposition Of Amazon Web Services (AWS)5:36
Learn what distinguishes AWS from Google App Engine, Heroku, Rackspace, & Digital Ocean and why companies from Netflix to many Y-Combinator backed startups go with AWS.

Introduction to EC2 Servers - Price, Instance Type5:01
Learn about what EC2 or the Elastic Compute Cloud is, what it offers, and the pricing model.
Launching A PreConfigured Django Server (Marketplace AMI)9:09
Learn about Amazon Marketplace Machine Images and how they can make launching a Django server extraordinarily easy. We'll use a Bitnami Django AMI to launch our first preconfigured server.
Launching A "Plain" Server (Ubuntu)10:59
Launch a normal Ubuntu 14.04 (or Microsoft Server, etc.) which is just as easy as launching a Marketplace AMI, you'll just have to configure it later with the software that you need.
Best Practices0:28

Connecting To Your Instance via SSH and Java-SSH5:48
Connect to your server using both SSH from your command line and a Amazon's graphical user interface with Java-SSH.
Updating Your Security Group Settings6:34
Learn about Security Groups and how to adjust them to allow the appropriate amount of access.
Setting Up FTP with FileZilla To Make Configuring A Breeze13:00
FileZilla is a powerful tool that makes transferring files between your local computer and server a piece of cake. In this video, we will download and install FileZilla and then update our security settings and permissions to make configuring a breeze.
Configuring Your (Bitnami) Server for Django13:18
Bitnami comes preconfigured to host your files but you may want to learn more about how the Bitnami Configuration works so you can customize your instance, as needed.
(Alternatively) Configuring your vanilla Ubuntu server for Django10:59
Set up Django on an Ubuntu 14.04 instance. We install Apache, MySQl, and PostgreSQL. You could easily substitute this setup with Ngin-X and other software, as desired, with the same process.
Free Sample Django Project0:02
You may download this sample project if you do not have your own. It is taken from my free Django course!
Setting Up Your Project On Your AWS Server11:31
Transfer your project, update your configuration files, set up your database, and launch your own project on EC2.
Serving Your Static Files -- See Section 6 For Advanced Alternative7:33
Learn how to serve your Django static files on the same EC2 server that's hosting your Django application. This may not be the most efficient system (see Section 6 for a more advanced method) but it's free and quick to set up.
Production Deployment Security Checklist10:31
It's always a good idea to go through Django's security checklist before switching going live with your project. In this video, we'll walk you through the process.
Switching To Production3:48
Switch your project to production by updating your Allowed Hosts and testing live!
(Optional But Highly Recommended) Back Up Your Server Image ASAP0:19

Introduction to Amazon's Route 53 and Premium DNS5:36
Explore the concept of DNS and Premium DNS, learning why you might want to use a service like Route 53.
Registering a Domain Name via Amazon's Route 534:56
Learn how to register a domain name in Route 53. I will actually purchase a domain in this process.
(Alternatively) Registering a Domain Name via Namecheap4:17
For users not interested in using Route 53, see how to buy a Domain Name with Namecheap.
Transfering an Existing Domain Name to Route 538:37
If you already purchased your domain from another registrar, learn how to transfer it to Amazon so you can access your DNS and EC2 from the same dashboard.
Managing your DNS with Route 53 (Replacing Your IP With Your .COM Name)5:16
Point your domain name to your EC2 server using Amazon's Route 53.

Introduction to Amazon S3 & CloudFront (Content Storage & Delivery)3:01
Scalable Cloud Storage and Content Delivery are two powerful services that AWS provides. Learn why using these two tools may speed up your site as well as the price.
Integrating Amazon S3 with Django - Part One17:16
Integrate Amazon's S3 with Django so you can utilize the efficiency of cloud storage while not changing your workflow (you can still use "collectstatic"). Part one.
Integrating Amazon S3 with Django - Part Two10:25
Integrate Amazon's S3 with Django so you can utilize the efficiency of cloud storage while not changing your workflow (you can still use "collectstatic"). Part two.
Integrating Amazon CloudFront (CDN) with Django12:32
For the most efficient content delivery, you'll want to push your content to edge locations all over the world. See how to use CloudFront to speed up your site.

Introduction to Identity & Access Management1:06
Amazon provides free, easy-to-use tools to keep your project safe. Learn more about them and why you should take advantage.
Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication5:42
Multifactor authentication is a powerful tool to help secure your project. Learn how to set it up on your account.
Creating IAM Users, Groups, and Policies For Your Team15:42
Most projects require more than one person. Learn how to give everyone on your team an individual login and access policy defined by their group.
Removing Security Keys From Settings.py8:37
Learn a simple method to help keep your secret keys a secret.

Introduction to Images, Snapshots, & Elastic IPs2:41
At some point, your server will likely have issues. Learn about how Amazon has made backing up extremely easy.
Elastic IPs: Don't Lose Your IP When Your Instance Goes Down4:31
Learn about Elastic IPs which are a powerful tool that can be used to maintain one IP address even if you decide to shut down your current instance.
Snapshots & Images: Back Up Your Server's State Often8:52
Create a backup or "machine image" of your server that you use to launch new instances in seconds.

Introduction to Scaling: Vertical vs Horizontal2:18
Compare and contrast two different types of scaling and how Amazon provides easy ways to do both.
Benchmarking Your System, Just An Example7:03
See a handy tool that can be used to analyze your server performance: JMeter.
Vertical Scaling: Upgrading Your Instance Type11:32
Upgrade your instance type for an immediate performance boost.
Horizontal Scaling, Step 1: Separating Database From Application Server with RDS15:18
Separating our database from our web server is the first step we'll take to create a dynamic server cluster.
Horizontal Scaling, Step 2: Adding More Instances & Load Balancing16:29
Create a load balanced, server cluster by adding a load balancer and as many instances you want to your project.
Vertical Scaling: Upgrading Your Database Server with Amazon RDS2:29
Scaling your database server is very similar to scaling a regular EC2 instance but not exactly the same.

Introduction to Automatic Scaling (and Cloud Monitoring)2:15
Learn about an incredibly powerful tool called Autoscaling which allows you to scale in and out automatically depending on criteria that you define.
Creating AutoScaling Groups & Launch Configurations10:33
Create your first autoscaling group and launch configuration which will define your desired cluster size.
Triggering Scaling via CloudWatch Monitoring Events10:12
Connect CloudWatch monitoring events to your Autoscaling groups to scale dynamically based on your current traffic levels. I cannot stress how powerful of a feature this is.

Requirements

Internet Access

Description

Setting up servers for your business or startup can be a tedious and expensive process, particularly when you're just starting out or switching to a new platform. Amazon Web Services is incredible but you can still feel like you're becoming an accidental System Administrator trying to set everything up correctly. However, with the right instructions, you can get up and running in a few hours--saving you time, money, and a headache.

This course will walk you through Amazon's Web Services, with a focus on setting up Django and leveraging their Free Tier to keep your project free (for low-bandwidth uses for one year). We'll start with the very basics of launching and configuring Django on EC2, discussing different ways to connect to your system while keeping it secure, we'll progress to fine tuning your system with fast and efficient content delivery, and finally we'll dive into all the ways that you can scale your system on this incredibly elastic platform.

A quick note: Amazon Web Services is used by some of the largest websites on the internet, including Netflix and Yelp, as it's extremely scalable, but, it's also a favorite of many entrepreneurs and VC's who know to take advantage of their Free Tier. It's just a great deal.

What this course is:

An easy-to-understand walkthrough on how to host Django using Amazon Web Services which covers: launching a Django-ready server in minutes or optionally launching a "plain" Ubuntu server and configuring Django + dependencies manually (see below for server details), setting up and enhancing security, using FTP & SSH to transfer over project files (a sample project is included) securely, serving static (CSS/JS/Image) files from a Django server and leveraging Cloud Storage (S3 and CloudFront CDN) to make your site faster, setting your project up for production, upgrading your instance for immediate performance increases, adding more instances and load balancing them, separating and vertically scaling your database, automatic scaling with cloud monitoring, deploying automatically with Beanstalk, and more. If you're not happy after taking the course, you will absolutely get your money back.

(Server Configuration Details: Ubuntu Linux 14.04 with Apache, Mod_WSGI, MySQL & Django -- but you can easily switch to Nginx/PostgreSQL, if preferred)

What this course is not:

Amazon has a very wide range (hundreds) of features. If you are looking for help on a particular AWS feature, view the curriculum below to make sure that it's covered. We cover many features but cannot claim to cover everything.

You do not need your own Django project as this course provides a sample for you, however the focus is on hosting and configuring Django not creating projects. If creating Django projects from scratch is an interest, consider downloading my (free) course "Create Your First Django Website - Fast & Free" as supplementary to this course.

Every single question that is raised in the discussion panel is responded to, but this may not be the best resource to diagnose your server issues. Keep in mind that Amazon offers all kinds of support that is available 24x7.

I've enjoyed working with Django and AWS these last couple years -- it's what I use for my business -- and I would now like to help more people take advantage of this great offer and incredibly scalable stack.

If you want to save yourself some time, money, and, possibly a headache, use this guide to speed up the process of understanding this powerful, scalable platform - remember, Amazon hosts everyone - from the busiest sites on the net, to startups on the Free Tier.

Click the enroll button to get started.

Who this course is for:

(Django) Web Developers

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 7min

Getting Started2 lectures • 8min

Launching Your Cloud Server: EC2 Instances4 lectures • 26min

Dev To Production - Step By Step11 lectures • 1hr 23min

Setting Up & Managing Your Domain: Amazon Route 535 lectures • 29min

Serving Your Files Faster: S3 & CloudFront4 lectures • 43min

AWS Project Security: Identity & Access Management (IAM)4 lectures • 31min

Backing up & Relaunching: AMIs & Snapshots3 lectures • 16min

Scaling on AWS: Upgrading Your Instance, Amazon RDS, & ELB6 lectures • 55min

AutoScaling on AWS: AutoScaling Groups, Policies & CloudWatch3 lectures • 23min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: