☁️ My Personal Experience Deploying Systems on AWS
From a newbie who didn't know what AWS is to knowing how to work with AWS.
🧑💻 Introduction
I started working with AWS around 2020—when my team decided to move our backend system from physical on-prem servers to the cloud. At the time, everything was new: setting up EC2, load balancers, RDS, managing costs, and handling security.
After three years of "living with AWS", I’ve experienced almost everything: from small-scale deployment, managing production with tens of thousands of daily requests, to production crashes caused by misconfigurations—and yes, even burning money by forgetting to shut down services. In this article, I’ll share my entire AWS deployment journey—what works, what doesn’t, and key lessons learned from real experience.
🧱 Part 1: Preparation – Know Yourself, Know AWS
1.1 Define your needs
Before touching the AWS console, you must answer:
- What are you building? A web app, REST API, data pipeline, batch job?
- What’s the expected traffic?
- What database do you need? MySQL, PostgreSQL, NoSQL?
- Is auto-scaling important? Do you need low-latency?
- Does your team have DevOps experience?
My team was building a Spring Boot REST API, using MySQL, connected to a React frontend. So, we chose:
- EC2 to run the Spring Boot app
- RDS for MySQL
- S3 for file storage
- CloudWatch for logging
- Later, we added: Load Balancer, Auto Scaling, Route53, etc.
1.2 Get familiar with AWS services
Here are the AWS services I’ve used the most, grouped by function:
Purpose |AWS Services|Role
Compute|EC2, Lambda, Beanstalk|Run applications
Storage|S3, EBS, EFS|Store files and volumes
Database|RDS, DynamoDB|Manage relational/NoSQL databases
Networking|VPC, Route 53, Load Balancer|Networking, DNS, routing
Monitoring|CloudWatch, X-Ray|Logging and system monitoring
CI/CD|CodePipeline, CodeDeploy|Automate deployments
Security |IAM, KMS, Security Groups|Access control and encryption
Pro tip: Take advantage of AWS Free Tier when testing, but always set cost limits.
🚀 Part 2: Deployment – From Development to Production
2.1 The simplest way to deploy
- At first, I deployed the traditional way:
- Build the Spring Boot app → create .jar file
- Launch an EC2 instance (t2.micro Free Tier)
- Install Java + MySQL client
- Copy .jar to EC2 via SCP or Git pull
- Run the app: java -jar app.jar
Pros:
- Quick and easy to understand
- Full control
Cons:
- Hard to scale, no CI/CD, security risk if misconfigured
2.2 A more professional approach
As the system grew, I switched to:
Elastic Beanstalk: AWS automatically handles EC2, Load Balancer, Auto Scaling
External or private RDS connection
CI/CD using GitHub Actions and AWS CLI
Recommended architecture:
- EC2 (Auto Scaling Group)
- Application Load Balancer
- RDS (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
- S3 for file storage
- CloudWatch for logging and alerts
2.3 Connect domain and HTTPS
- Use Route 53 to buy or point your domain to AWS
- Use ACM (AWS Certificate Manager) for free SSL
- Attach SSL to Load Balancer → auto HTTPS redirect
AWS also auto-renews the SSL certs. Super convenient.
💸 Part 3: Cost Optimization – Avoid Burning Your Wallet
My biggest rookie mistake was… forgetting to shut down EC2, which resulted in a $50/month bill, even though nothing was running 🥲
3.1 Cost-saving tips:
Use the Free Tier: Use EC2 t2.micro, RDS, Lambda within free limits
Auto stop idle EC2: Use cron jobs or Lambda to auto-stop instances when idle
Turn off RDS when not in use: For test environments: snapshot → delete → restore when needed
Use S3 Glacier for backups: Cheap long-term storage (slow access but low cost)
Monitor via CloudWatch: Track and alert for CPU, memory, and billing
Set Budget & Alerts: In AWS Billing → email when cost exceeds your limit
🔐 Part 4: Security – Not Optional in the Cloud
Common mistakes:
- Opening port 22 (SSH) to the world → brute force attacks
- Making S3 buckets public → leaked data
- Allowing all IPs to access RDS → open to scanning attacks
My security practices:
- Create custom Security Groups per service
- Put RDS in a private subnet – only accessible by EC2
- Use IAM Roles instead of hardcoding access keys
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Rotate access keys regularly
🛠️ Part 5: CI/CD – Automating Deployment
My setup:
- GitHub Actions
- Use AWS CLI to:
Build .jar
Deploy to Beanstalk or upload to S3
Trigger Lambda
🧪 Part 6: Monitoring – Keep Your System Healthy
- CloudWatch Logs → view logs and debug issues
- CloudWatch Alarms → trigger alerts when CPU > 80% for 5 mins
- X-Ray → trace requests from ALB to Lambda or EC2
- CloudTrail → log all actions in your AWS account
✅ Final Thoughts: Lessons Learned
- Things I wish I knew earlier:
- AWS is powerful—but dangerous if unmanaged.
- Security and cost optimization are essential.
- Don't be afraid of automated services like Beanstalk, Lambda.
- Always set a budget alert from day one.
- Start small – scale later.
✍️ Conclusion
Deploying systems on AWS has been a huge learning journey. From a developer with zero cloud experience, I’ve learned how to set up production systems, manage costs, and secure infrastructure. AWS gives you a lot of flexibility—but it demands responsibility and continuous learning.
If you’re just starting with AWS, don’t be afraid to dive in. Test everything in a dev environment first, and once you grasp the fundamentals, AWS becomes a truly powerful tool in your arsenal.
About the Creator
The Road That Taught Him Silence
In the small village where the mountains met the fields, mornings arrived quietly. The sun did not rise in a hurry there; it climbed slowly, as if respecting the stillness of the land. Birds were the first to greet the light, their soft calls weaving through the narrow lanes and mud-brick houses. Aamir had learned to wake before the village did. At first, this habit was forced. Sleepless nights, heavy thoughts, and restless dreams had pushed him out of bed before dawn. He did not know where to go, only that staying inside the house made his chest feel tighter, his breath shorter, his mind louder. One morning, without purpose, he stepped outside and began walking toward the path that lay between the barley fields and the low, blue mountains. That path soon became his silent companion. Every day, he walked there — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, sometimes stopping for long minutes to watch the wind bend the crops like a green ocean. The path was narrow and uneven, yet it carried him faithfully, never asking where he was going or why. In its quiet presence, he found a strange comfort. Aamir was not unhappy in the usual sense. He had food, family, and education. He taught children in the village school and was respected by many. Yet inside him lived a deep confusion — a soft but constant question: Am I becoming what I was meant to become? He had dreams once — of writing, of speaking beautifully, of guiding others not only through lessons but through life itself. But responsibilities had grown faster than courage. Slowly, without noticing, he had begun to doubt himself. And doubt, unlike pain, does not shout. It whispers. On one such morning, when the mist still clung to the fields like a thin veil, Aamir noticed footprints beside his own. They were not fresh, but they were regular — the marks of someone who walked the same road every day. A few minutes later, he found their owner. An old man sat on a flat stone near the edge of the path, a wooden staff resting beside him, a small flock of sheep grazing quietly nearby. His beard was silver, his clothes simple, and his eyes clear in a way that surprised Aamir. Those eyes did not seem tired by age; they seemed polished by time. “Peace be upon you,” Aamir greeted. “And upon you, peace,” the old man replied warmly. “You walk early.” “So do you,” Aamir smiled. The old man nodded. “The morning is honest. It shows you who you are before the world begins to tell you who you should be.” The words struck Aamir gently, like a leaf touching water. From that day onward, they met often. Sometimes they spoke, sometimes they shared long silences. The old man never asked many questions, yet somehow Aamir found himself speaking — about his students, his ambitions, his fear of wasting his abilities, his constant comparison with others who seemed more confident, more successful, more certain. One morning, Aamir confessed, “I feel as if I am standing still while the world moves ahead.” The old man watched the sheep for a moment, then said, “Have you seen a tree grow?” “Yes.” “Does it run to become tall?” “No.” “Yet it becomes tall.” Aamir smiled faintly. “But people judge trees by their height.” “They do,” the old man agreed. “But trees are not planted to impress people. They are planted to become themselves.” The sentence stayed with Aamir long after the walk ended. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. With each walk, something inside him shifted — slowly, almost invisibly. He began to notice small beauties he had ignored before: the way dew rested on grass like tiny mirrors, the rhythm of his own breathing, the calm dignity of the mountains that never hurried yet never failed to stand firm. One morning, Aamir arrived to find the stone empty. No sheep. No staff. No silver-bearded teacher. For several days, he returned at the same hour, hoping to meet the old man again. But the path remained silent, as if it had never known such a presence. Disappointment crept into his heart. On the seventh morning, as he walked farther than usual, he noticed a small bundle placed carefully beside the path. Inside it lay a worn notebook and a folded piece of paper. The note read: “To the one who walks with questions, Do not search for me again. I was only a mirror, not a guide. The road has taught you silence. Silence has taught you clarity. Now let clarity teach you courage. Remember: You are not late. You are not lost. You are simply growing underground.” Aamir sat there for a long time, holding the paper with trembling hands. That day, when he returned home, he opened his old notebooks, the ones where unfinished writings slept like forgotten seeds. For the first time in years, he wrote not to impress, not to compete, but to understand himself. He began to speak more gently to his students, not only teaching lessons, but listening to fears. He encouraged them to walk, to observe, to think, to trust their own pace. And every morning, he still walked the same path. The road never answered his questions directly. But slowly, quietly, it returned something far more precious: The belief that becoming oneself is not a race — It is a journey best taken in silence, With steady steps, And an honest heart.
By Muhammad yaseena day ago in Education
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