Compute | Amazon Lightsail Flashcards
What is Amazon Lightsail?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Amazon Lightsail is the easiest way to get started with AWS for developers, small businesses, students, and other users who need a simple virtual private server (VPS) solution. Lightsail provides developers compute, storage, and networking capacity and capabilities to deploy and manage websites and web applications in the cloud. Lightsail includes everything you need to launch your project quickly – a virtual machine, SSD-based storage, data transfer, DNS management, and a static IP – for a low, predictable monthly price.
What can I do with Lightsail?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
You can get preconfigured virtual private server plans that include everything to easily deploy and manage your application. Lightsail is best suited to projects that require a few virtual private servers and users who prefer a simple management interface. Common use cases for Lightsail include running websites, web applications, blogs, e-commerce sites, simple software, and more.
What is a Lightsail plan?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Also referred to as a bundle, a Lightsail plan includes a virtual server with a fixed amount of memory (RAM) and compute (vCPUs), SSD-based storage (disks), and a free data transfer allowance. Lightsail plans also offer static IP addresses (5 per account) and DNS management (3 domain zones per account). Lightsail plans are charged on an hourly, on-demand basis, so you only pay for a plan when you’re using it.
What is a Lightsail instance?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
A Lightsail instance is a virtual private server (VPS) that lives in the AWS Cloud. Use your Lightsail instances to store your data, run your code, and build web-based applications or websites. Your instances can connect to each other and to other AWS resources through both public (Internet) and private (VPC) networking. You can create, manage, and connect easily to instances right from the Lightsail console.
What software can I run on my instance?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail offers a range of operating system and application templates that are automatically installed when you create a new Lightsail instance. Application templates include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!, Magento, Redmine, LAMP, Nginx (LEMP), MEAN, Node.js, and more.
You can install additional software on your instances by using the in-browser SSH or your own SSH client.
How do I create a Lightsail instance?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
After logging in to Lightsail, you can use the Lightsail console, command line interface (CLI), or API to create and manage instances.
The first time you log in to the console, choose Create Instance. The create instance page is where you can choose the software, location, and name for your instance. Once you choose Create, your new instance will spin up automatically within minutes.
Does Lightsail offer an API?
General
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Yes. Everything you do in the Lightsail console is backed by a publically available API. Learn how to install and use the Lightsail CLI and API.
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.
What operating systems can I use with Amazon Lightsail?
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail currently supports 6 Linux or Unix-like distributions – Amazon Linux, Debian, FreeBSD, OpenSUSE, and Ubuntu – and 2 Windows Server versions – 2012 R2 and 2016.
What do Lightsail plans cost?
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Lightsail plans are billed on an on-demand hourly rate, so you pay only for what you use. For every Lightsail plan you use, we charge you the fixed hourly price, up to the maximum monthly plan cost. The cheapest Lightsail plan starts at $0.0067 USD/hour ($5 USD/month). Lightsail plans that include a Microsoft Windows Server license start at $0.0134 USD/hour ($10 USD/month).
When am I getting charged for a plan?
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Your Lightsail instances are charged only when they’re in the running or stopped state. If you delete your Lightsail instance before the end of the month, we only charge you a prorated cost, based on the total number of hours that you used your Lightsail instance. For example, if you use the least expensive Lightsail plan for 100 hours in a month, you will be charged 67 cents (100*0.0067).
What do Lightsail static IPs cost?
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
They’re free in Lightsail, as long as you are using them! You don’t pay for a static IP if it is attached to an instance. Public IPs are a scarce resource and Lightsail is committed to helping to use them efficiently, so we charge a small $0.005 USD/hour fee for static IPs not attached to an instance for more than 1 hour.
What does data transfer cost?
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
Your plan includes a free data transfer allowance. Both data transfer in and data transfer out of your instance count toward your data transfer allowance.
If you exceed your data transfer allowance, you will only get charged for data transfer OUT from a Lightsail instance to the Internet or to AWS resources using the public IP address of the instance. Both data transfer IN to Lightsail instances and data transfer OUT from a Lightsail instance when using the instance’s private IP address are free beyond your data transfer allowance.
Billing and account management
Amazon Lightsail | Compute
