AWS Is Huge — But You Don't Need Most of It
Amazon Web Services has over 200 products. If you open the AWS console for the first time, it's overwhelming. Load balancers, Lambda functions, SageMaker, Redshift — most of it you'll never touch.
For a typical web app (frontend + backend + database), you only need about 5–6 services. That's it.
Let’s go through them.
The Services You Actually Need
1. EC2 — Your Server
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is basically a computer in the cloud. You choose:
CPU
RAM
Location
For most web apps, a t3.small or t3.medium is enough to start.
That’s:
1–2 vCPUs
2–4 GB RAM
Around $15–30/month
This is where your Node.js backend runs.
You can use:
Node.js
PM2 (process manager)
Nginx (for HTTPS and routing)
2. RDS — Your Database
RDS (Relational Database Service) is a managed database.
You can choose:
PostgreSQL
MySQL
AWS handles:
Backups
Updates
Failover
For small projects, you can run the database on EC2 to save money.
But for production apps, RDS is recommended.
A db.t3.micro instance starts around $15/month.
Automated backups alone make it worth it.
3. S3 — File Storage
S3 (Simple Storage Service) is used for:
User uploads
Images
Documents
Backups
It is:
Cheap (~$0.023 per GB/month)
Reliable
Scalable to almost unlimited storage
You can combine it with CloudFront for faster image delivery.
4. Route 53 — Domain and DNS
Route 53 manages:
DNS records
Subdomains (api.yoursite.com)
Email records (MX, SPF, DKIM)
You can buy domains elsewhere (like Namecheap) and point them to Route 53.
5. ACM — Free SSL Certificates
ACM (AWS Certificate Manager) provides free SSL certificates.
With a load balancer or CloudFront, you get:
HTTPS
Automatic renewal
Zero extra cost
If using only EC2, you can use Let's Encrypt instead.
6. CloudFront — CDN (Optional but Recommended)
CloudFront is AWS’s CDN.
It:
Caches static files
Speeds up global delivery
Improves performance
If you're using Vercel for frontend, you don’t need CloudFront.
Vercel already includes a CDN.
A Typical Setup
Backend server: EC2 (t3.small) — ~$15/mo
Database: RDS PostgreSQL (t3.micro) — ~$15/mo
File storage: S3 — $1–5/mo
DNS: Route 53 — ~$0.50/mo
SSL: ACM or Let's Encrypt — Free
Total: ~$30–35/month
That’s a production-ready setup.
What About Vercel?
If you're using Next.js, we usually deploy the frontend on Vercel because:
Zero configuration
Built-in CDN
Automatic previews
Optimized for Next.js
Then:
Frontend → Vercel
Backend → AWS (EC2 + RDS)
That’s a strong combination.
Common Mistakes
Leaving unused instances running
Choosing oversized servers “just in case”
Not enabling database backups
Opening unnecessary ports
Running everything as root
Always:
Start small
Enable backups
Use security groups properly
Need Help Setting This Up?
AWS is powerful, but the learning curve is real.
If you'd rather focus on building your app and let someone handle infrastructure setup, security, and monitoring — that’s exactly what managed deployment services are for.
We can design, set up, and optimize the entire stack for you.
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