Connecting Your AWS Instance: A Guide to Using PuTTY

PuTTY is a free, open-source SSH client that allows you to securely connect to and manage your Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 instances. This guide will walk you through the steps of setting up PuTTY and connecting to your AWS instance for the first time.

Prerequisites:

• An active AWS account with an EC2 instance running.
• PuTTY downloaded and installed on your local machine. You can download PuTTY from the official website: [PuTTY Download].
• A key pair created for your EC2 instance. You can create a key pair during the instance launch process.

Steps:

1. Gather Connection Information:

   • Public DNS: Log in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service. Locate your instance and note down the Public DNS (IPv4) address. This is the address you'll use to connect to the instance.
   • Username: By default, the username for Linux instances is "ubuntu". You can also specify a custom username during launch.
   • Private Key: Locate the private key file (.pem) that you downloaded when creating the key pair. Ensure you keep this file secure as it grants access to your instance.

2. Convert the Private Key (Optional):

   PuTTY uses a different key format (.ppk) than the downloaded .pem file. If you prefer, you can convert the .pem file to .ppk using PuTTYgen, a key generation tool included with the PuTTY download.

   • Launch PuTTYgen.
   • Click "Load" and select your downloaded .pem key file.
   • (Optional) Enter a passphrase for additional security and click "Save private key" to create a new .ppk file.

3. Configure PuTTY:

   • Open PuTTY.
   • In the "Host Name (or IP address)" field, enter the Public DNS of your EC2 instance.
   • In the "Port" field, leave the default value (22) which is the standard SSH port.
   • (Optional) Under "Connection -> SSH -> Auth," browse and select your private key file (.pem or .ppk) depending on your conversion choice.

4. Save Configuration (Optional):

   • To save these settings for future connections, navigate to "Session" and enter a descriptive name for your connection.
   • Click "Save" to store this configuration.

5. Connect to Your Instance:

• Click "Open" in the PuTTY window.

• The first time you connect, you may encounter a security alert from PuTTY regarding the server's fingerprint. This is normal, as you haven't connected to this instance before. Verify the fingerprint matches the one displayed in the AWS console for your instance and click "Yes" to continue.

• Enter the username for your instance (usually "ubuntu" or your custom username).

• If you converted your key pair to .ppk and added a passphrase in step 2, you'll be prompted to enter the passphrase here.

• If everything is configured correctly, you should be connected to your AWS instance and see a command prompt.

Additional Considerations:

• Security Groups: Ensure your security groups allow inbound SSH traffic on port 22 from your local machine's IP address. You can adjust security groups within the EC2 Management Console.
• Troubleshooting: If you encounter connection issues, double-check your connection information, ensure your key pair is valid, and verify that your security groups allow SSH access.

By following these steps, you should be able to connect to your AWS EC2 instance using PuTTY. This provides a secure way to manage your instance, install software, and perform various administrative tasks. Remember to keep your private key secure and update your security groups as needed to maintain a secure connection.