AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Create an EC2 instance on Amazon Web Services to run Bearicorn.

For more detail, see the EC2 Getting Started guide.

Set up the server

Step 1 - Launch an EC2 instance

1. Open the EC2 console and click Launch Instance
2. Choose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or Debian 13 as the AMI
3. Select instance type t3.small or larger (minimum 2 GB RAM)
4. Create or select an SSH key pair — you will need this to log in
5. Set storage to at least 20 GB (30 GB+ recommended)

Step 2 - Configure the Security Group

Under Network settings, set the following inbound rules:

Type	Port	Source
SSH	22	Your IP
HTTP	80	Anywhere
HTTPS	443	Anywhere

TIP

Restricting SSH to your own IP prevents automated brute-force login attempts. Update the rule if your IP changes later.

Step 3 - Assign a static IP address

Without an Elastic IP, your server's public IP changes every time it restarts.

1. Go to Network & Security → Elastic IPs and click Allocate Elastic IP address
2. Click Actions → Associate Elastic IP address and select your instance

Step 4 - Connect to your instance

ssh -i /path/to/key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_ELASTIC_IP

Default usernames: ubuntu (Ubuntu AMI), admin (Debian AMI).

If you see a permissions error on the key file, run:

chmod 400 /path/to/key.pem

Step 5 - Configure DNS

In Route 53 or your domain registrar, create an A record pointing your subdomain at the Elastic IP address.

Next Steps

1. Install Docker — Debian/Ubuntu guide
2. Choose and deploy your stack