WordPress on AWS (Bitnami AMI)

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a free, open-source CMS for blogs, marketing sites, portfolios, and stores (often extended with plugins and themes). In production you still plan backups, updates, TLS, and scaling; this guide is a starting point on a single EC2 instance.

Launch WordPress on EC2

Log in to the EC2 console and follow the steps below.

1. Open the EC2 dashboard (search for EC2 in the console search bar if needed).

   

2. From the EC2 dashboard, open Instances (or the instances summary widget).

   

3. Choose Launch instances.

   

4. Under application or AMI search, find WordPress Certified by Bitnami and Automattic (AWS Marketplace). Open the listing and continue through any subscription or terms prompts the console shows.

   

5. Choose an instance type. For a small lab, t2.micro or another free-tier–eligible size may be available depending on your account and Region—check the console banner. Then continue to review.

   

6. Review storage, network, and security group rules. Allow HTTP from the internet for initial setup and SSH (22) from your IP if you will administer the server. Then launch.

   

7. Select an existing key pair or Create new key pair, download the private key, and confirm launch.

   

8. Wait until the instance state is Running, then copy its Public IPv4 address or public DNS name.

   

9. In a browser, open http://<public-ipv4-or-dns>/. You should see the default Bitnami WordPress splash or installer flow.

   

WordPress admin username and password

Bitnami images often print initial application credentials to the instance boot output. In the EC2 console, select the instance, open Actions, then Monitor and troubleshoot → Get system log (wording can vary slightly).

Scroll through the log and locate the lines that include the default user and password for the application (often clearly labeled by Bitnami). Use them once to sign in to /wp-admin, then change the password and enable MFA where possible.

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