How to Deploy a Docker Container on AWS EC2 Instance (Step-by-Step Guide)

Docker and AWS are two of the most powerful tools in modern DevOps workflows. If you’re learning Docker or want hands-on cloud deployment experience, deploying a Docker container on an AWS EC2 instance is a perfect real-world exercise.

In this guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to deploy a Docker container on AWS EC2 instance — using a beginner-friendly and fully practical approach.

What You Will Learn

• How to launch an EC2 instance
• How to connect to EC2 using SSH
• Installing Docker on EC2
• Running a Docker container
• Exposing the container to the internet
• Configuring AWS security groups
• Troubleshooting common issues

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• An active AWS account (Free Tier is fine)
• Basic command line knowledge
• SSH client (Terminal on Linux/Mac or PuTTY for Windows)
• A basic understanding of Docker and containers

How to deploy a Docker container on AWS EC2

Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Launch an AWS EC2 Instance

1. Log in to the AWS Console
2. Go to EC2 → Launch Instance
3. Choose Amazon Linux 2 AMI (or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
4. Instance Type: Select t2.micro (Free Tier eligible)
5. Create a new key pair (download the .pem file securely)
6. Configure the Security Group:
   • Allow port 22 (SSH)
   • Allow port 80 or 8080 (for web traffic)
7. Click Launch

⚠️ Don’t share your private key. It gives full access to your server.

Step 2: Connect to EC2 via SSH

Open your terminal and run:

chmod 400 your-key.pem
ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@<EC2_PUBLIC_IP>

For Ubuntu:

ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@<EC2_PUBLIC_IP>

If you’re on Windows, open PuTTY and use the .ppk version of your key.

Step 3: Install Docker on EC2

For Amazon Linux 2:

sudo yum update -y
sudo amazon-linux-extras install docker -y
sudo service docker start
sudo usermod -aG docker ec2-user

Log out and reconnect to apply Docker group access.

For Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io -y
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu

Confirm Docker is installed:

docker --version

Step 4: Run a Docker Container

Let’s run a simple Nginx container:

docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx

To verify the container is running:

docker ps

You’ll see output like:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE     COMMAND   ...   PORTS
123abc456xyz   nginx     ...       0.0.0.0:80->80/tcp

Step 5: Configure AWS Security Group

If you didn’t already add HTTP access while creating the EC2:

1. Go to EC2 → Security Groups
2. Select the security group attached to your EC2 instance
3. Click Edit Inbound Rules
4. Add a new rule:
   • Type: HTTP | Port: 80 | Source: 0.0.0.0/0
   • OR use your custom port (e.g., 8080)

🔒 Tip: Only open the ports you need, and don’t expose sensitive services.

Step 6: Access the Container from the Browser

http://<EC2_PUBLIC_IP>

You should see the Nginx Welcome Page or your container’s application UI.

🎉 Congrats! Your Docker container is now running on the cloud!

Optional: Deploy Your Custom App

If you have your Docker image published on Docker Hub, run it like this:

docker run -d -p 8080:8080 your-dockerhub-user/your-app

Ensure that the port inside the image matches the exposed port.

Step 7: Make Docker Container Persistent Across Reboots

By default, if your EC2 instance reboots (or restarts), your running Docker containers will stop unless configured to restart.

To ensure your container starts automatically on reboot, use Docker’s restart policy:

docker run -d --restart unless-stopped -p 80:80 nginx

Common restart policies:

Policy	Description
no	Container won’t restart (default)
always	Restart only if the container exits with a non-zero code
unless-stopped	Restart unless manually stopped
on-failure	Restart only if container exits with a non-zero code

This is useful when you’re deploying production-grade apps and want uptime assurance.

Step 8: Secure Your EC2 and Docker Environment

Security is often ignored in basic deployments, but is critical for production setups. Here are a few things you must consider:

Don’t expose ports unnecessarily: Only open ports in the AWS Security Group that are required. For example, if your container listens on port 5000 and it’s not a public-facing API, keep it closed.

Keep Docker and system packages updated: Regularly update Docker and your EC2 OS:

# For Amazon Linux
sudo yum update -y
sudo yum upgrade docker -y

Avoid using the root user: Always create a non-root user and give minimal permissions.

Remove unused containers/images: Unused containers/images consume disk space and may have security vulnerabilities:

docker system prune -a

🛡 Tip: Set up automated security updates using unattended-upgrades in Ubuntu.

Step 9: Deploy a Sample Full-Stack App (Optional)

Let’s say you want to go beyond Nginx and run a real app, like a simple Node.js or Flask app containerized in Docker.

Example:

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 your-dockerhub-username/sample-node-app

Ensure your Dockerfile exposes port 3000 and your security group allows traffic to port 3000.

Then visit:

http://<EC2_PUBLIC_IP>:3000

🔄 This is great for testing your own applications or portfolio projects!

Step 10: Monitor and Manage Docker on EC2

Check Docker system usage:

docker system df

Logs of your container:

docker logs <container_id>

Stop and remove containers:

docker stop <container_id>
docker rm <container_id>

View CPU/memory usage:

Install htop or use:

docker stats

Use Case: When Should You Use EC2 to Deploy Docker?

While EC2 is great for learning and quick deployments, here’s when it makes the most sense:

Use Case	Use EC2?
Learning Docker	✅ Yes
Running small apps	✅ Yes
Microservices in production	❌ No — use ECS or Kubernetes (EKS)
Auto-scaling apps	❌ Better with ECS/Fargate
Full CI/CD workflows	✅ Paired with Jenkins

So if you’re running a personal project, testing environment, or staging setup, EC2 + Docker is cost-effective and flexible.

Bonus: Clean Up Resources After Testing

If you’re done testing, don’t forget to terminate your EC2 instance to avoid charges:

• Go to EC2 → Instances
• Select your instance → Click Actions → Instance State → Terminate

Also, delete the security group, key pair, and any EBS volumes if unused.

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Solution
Permission denied (public key)	Check file permissions: chmod 400 your-key.pem
Docker not installed	Reinstall using proper package manager
App not accessible in browser	Check if the correct port is open in the security group
SSH not working	Reinstall using the proper package manager
Container crashed	Ensure port 22 is allowed in the security group

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Summary

You’ve just completed a full cloud deployment workflow:

• Launch and configure an EC2 instance
• SSH into your instance and install Docker
• Deploy, expose, and secure a container
• Automatically restart Docker apps on reboot
• Troubleshoot and monitor your Docker setup
• Decide when to use EC2 vs managed services

Whether you’re testing, learning, or preparing for interviews, this hands-on guide is a practical starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Deploying Docker containers on AWS EC2 gives you the flexibility to test, build, and scale applications in the cloud. Whether you’re learning DevOps or preparing for production-ready deployment, this hands-on guide gives you a solid foundation.

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