Introduction

Hi there!

In today's blog, we'll be talking about the different ways to connect to an EC2 instance. There is more than one method to connect to your instance such as instance connect, using session manager, using SSH client, or through the serial console. It is one thing to know how to launch an instance, and it is another thing to know how to correctly connect to it without any issues, both of which are crucial. Let's get on!

Different Ways to Connect

Now, you've created your instance, what next????

Well, you created your instance for a reason and you obviously want to use it. The next best thing to do is to connect to it. But, HOW???

The next part of this section explains each of the methods to connect to your instance.

Method 1: EC2 Instance Connect

This method is a web-based option that allows you to connect to your instances directly via the browser. Great for temporary access where you don't want to set up SSH client and keys.

Method 2: Session Manager

Handy for connecting to your instance without exposing them to the internet. It is also secure and convenient method.You can initiate a session via the management console or the CLI (command-line).

Method 3: SSH Client

SSH is the go-to method for connecting to Linux-based EC2 instances. It provides a secure way to access your instances from your local machine.

Some popular SSH clients include Putty, OpenSSH (command line), Termius etc. Here's a basic command to get you started.

ssh -i "your-pem-key.pem" ec2-user@<your-instance-ip>.<region>.compute.amazonaws.com

Just replace 'your-pem-key.pem' with your private key file, 'your-instance-ip' with your instance's public IP address, and 'region' with your region.

Method 4: EC2 Serial Console

This method provides a a direct and secure way to manage your EC2 instances when other methods are not available. It's a great tool for debugging, when the operating system (OS) or network connectivity are compromised.

Conclusion

Choosing a connection method totally depends on a number of factors including requirements, situation, or level of security required. Thankfully, AWS offers versatile options, from a straightforward SSH access to browser-based solution such as EC2 Instance Connect.

With this knowledge, you've gone up one level in managing EC2 instances. The cloud is vast and there is so much to interesting stuff to learn, keep taking each day as it comes and one step at a time, you will definitely succeed.