How to troubleshoot connecting to AWS EC2 instance

This brief tutorial demonstrates how to establish SSH connections to an EC2 instance using MobaXterm, particularly useful for troubleshooting purposes.

Pre-requisite

For this project, you need:

an AWS account. Set up a Free-Tier account www.aws.amazon.com/free
the private key file (.pem or .ppk) associated with the instance.

Project Outline

Establish SSH connection to an EC2 instance from a Windows laptop using Mobaxterm tool.

Step 1: Log in to EC2 dashboard

On the left-hand side of your EC2 dashboard, click on Instances.

In the new interface, click on Launch instances.

Fill out the form by adding the name of your EC2. I called mine docker-ubuntu.

Step 2: Create a keypair

In the form, you have 2 options: use an existing keypair or create a new keypair. Click on Create new keypair.

Cheat Sheat: When creating a new key pair, select an easily memorable name. Choose a RSA key pair type and opt for the .pem key file format.

Your key pair will download onto your local computer automatically. Be aware of where it saves the .pem file.

Step 3: Assign Security Groups and Ports

(Still in the same form) create a security group or select an existing one.
In the networking setting, ensure that Auto-assign Public IP is enable. Verify if the security group is open for SSH traffic, and port 22 is visible.

[Become good at AWS: Join my newsletter. Click Subscribe below]

Step 4: Verify the SSH connection

Navigate back to EC2 dashboard.
Click on “Instances” tab located on the left-hand side.
Locate your instance within the list, and then click on the “Instance ID”.
Go to properties and copy the public IP address.
Remember when creating keypair in step 2 you downloaded a pem file automatically. Locate it in your downloads folder.
Use this link to download and install MobaXterm: Home Edition Free version. Extract the zip file and install the software.

In MobaXterm, click on the menu Session. Then select SSH.
Paste the IP address in the Remote host field. Check Specify username and write Ubuntu.
Click on Advanced SSH settings. Select Use private key, and select the private key you have downloaded from AWS account.
Click OK at the bottom of the window. Click accept.