Amazon Lightsail | Lightsail Resources Flashcards
How do I sign up for Lightsail?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
To start using Lightsail, choose Get Started and log in. You use your Amazon Web Services account to access Lightsail; if you don’t already have one, you’ll be prompted to create one.
How do Lightsail instances perform?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail instances are specifically engineered by AWS for web servers, developer environments, and small database use cases. Such workloads don’t use the full CPU often or consistently, but occasionally need a performance burst. Lightsail uses burstable performance instances that provide a baseline level of CPU performance with the additional ability to burst above the baseline. This design enables you to get the performance you need, when you need it, while protecting you from the variable performance or other common side effects that you might typically experience from over-subscription in other environments.
If you need highly configurable environments and instances with consistently high CPU performance for applications such as video encoding or HPC applications, we recommend you use Amazon EC2.
How do I connect to a Lightsail instance?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail offers a 1-click secure connection to your instance’s terminal right from your browser, supporting SSH access for Linux/Unix-based instances and RDP access for Windows-based instances. To use 1-click connections, launch your instance management screens, click Connect using SSH or Connect using RDP, and a new browser window opens and automatically connects to your instance.
If you prefer to connect to your Linux/Unix-based instance using your own client, Lightsail will do the SSH key storing and management work for you, and provide you with a secure key to use in your SSH client.
How do I use IPs in Lightsail?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Each Lightsail instance automatically gets a private IP address and a public IP address, which are reachable from the Internet. You can use the private IP to send data to other Lightsail instances and AWS resources in private, for free. You can also substitute as static IP for the public IP of a Lightsail instance.
What is a static IP?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
A static IP is a fixed, public IP that is dedicated to your Lightsail account. You can assign a static IP to an instance, replacing its public IP. If you decide to replace your instance with another one, you can reassign the static IP to the new instance. In this way, you don’t have to reconfigure any external systems (like DNS records) to point to a new IP every time you want to replace your instance.
What are DNS records?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
DNS is a globally distributed service that translates human readable names like www.example.com into numeric IP addresses, like 192.0.2.1 that computers use to connect to each other. With Lightsail, you can easily map your registered domain names such as photos.example.com to the public IPs of your Lightsail instances. In this way, when users type human readable names like example.com into their browsers, Lightsail automatically translates the address into the IP of the instance you want to direct your users to. Each of these translations is referred to as a DNS query.
It’s important to know that in order to use a domain in Lightsail, you must first register it. You can register new domains using Amazon Route 53, or your preferred DNS registrar.
Can I manage firewall settings for my instance?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Yes. You can control the data traffic for your instances by using the Lightsail firewall. From the Lightsail console, you can set rules about which ports of your instance are publicly accessible for different types of traffic.
How can I back up my instances?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
If you want to back up your data, you can use the Lightsail console or API to take a snapshot of your instance. If there is a failure or bad code deployment, you can later use your instance snapshot to create a brand new instance. We recommend stopping your instance temporarily when taking a snapshot, to ensure your data is complete and not corrupted in any way.
What is the difference between stopping and deleting my instance?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
When you stop your instance, it is powered down at its current state and is available for you to start again at any time. Stopping your instance will release its public IP, so it is recommended that you use static IPs for instances that must retain the same IP after they stop.
When you delete your instance, you are performing a destructive action. Unless you have taken an instance snapshot, all of your instance data will be lost and you cannot recover it again. The instance’s public and private IPs will also be released. If you were using a static IP with that instance, the static IP is detached, but remains in your account.
Can I upgrade my plan?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Yes. You can take a snapshot of your instance, and use the API to launch a new, larger size instance. You can launch new instances from snapshot using the Lightsail console or the CLI. Find instructions on how to use the CLI here.
How can I connect Lightsail instances to other resources in my AWS account?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
You can connect your Lightsail instances to VPC resources in your AWS account privately, by using VPC peering. Just choose Enable VPC peering on your Lightsail account page, and Lightsail does the work for you. Once VPC peering is enabled, you can address other AWS resources in your default AWS VPC by using their private IPs. Find instructions here.
Note that you need to have a default VPC set up in your AWS account in order for VPC peering with Lightsail to work. AWS accounts created before December 2013 do not have a default VPC, and you will need to set one up. Find out more about setting up your default VPC here.
In which Regions is Lightsail available?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail is currently available in all the Availability Zones in the following AWS Regions:
US East (N. Virginia)
US East (Ohio)
US West (Oregon)
Europe (Frankfurt)
Europe (Ireland)
Europe (London)
Asia Pacific (Mumbai)
Asia Pacific (Singapore)
Asia Pacific (Sydney)
Asia Pacific (Tokyo)
What are Availability Zones?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Availability Zones are collections of data centers that run on physically distinct, independent infrastructure and are engineered to be highly reliable. Common points of failure such as generators and cooling equipment are not shared between Availability Zones. Additionally, Availability Zones are physically separate, so that even extremely uncommon disasters such as fires, tornados, or flooding can affect only a single Availability Zone.
What are the Lightsail service limits?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
You can currently create up to 20 Lightsail instances, 5 static IPs, 3 DNS zones, 20 TB of attached block storage, and 5 load balancers in a Lightsail account. You can also generate up to 20 certificates during each calendar year. If you need to increase your account limit for instances, static IPs, block storage, or certificates in your account, please open a case with customer service. We do not currently support increases for DNS zones or load balancers.
How can I get more help?
Lightsail Resources
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
We’re here for you. Quick Assist in Lightsail offers immediate helpful tips about your actions in the console. From the Lightsail console, you can also access a library of getting started guides, overviews, and how-to topics. And if you want to use the API or CLI, Lightsail has a full API reference for all supported programming languages. You can also use Lightsail support resources:
If you have an issue with your account or billing, contact customer service online. You get free 24x7 access with your Lightsail account.
If you have a general question about how to use Lightsail, search the Lightsail documentation and support forums.
Additionally, AWS Support offers an array of paid plans to cover your individual needs.
