First Impressions: Amazon S3 Hosting

Amazon S3 has been upgraded, and it now offers true web hosting.

Amazon S3 has always been a compelling option for hosting static files, but it lacked the features needed to host a full site (the ability to setup a root document, and the ability to specify error documents).

But Amazon recently added both of these features to its Amazon S3 service.

Amazon S3: What’s New?

Amazon S3 used to direct users to a directory listing if there was an error, and there was no function to add a custom home page.

People who wanted basic web hosting simply had to use an EC2 account instead.

Now, Amazon’s made S3 a true hosting service by tweaking its features.

How to Set Up a Site on Amazon S3

You can set up a site on S3 now, as long as it’s a static site (i.e. no scripts, so no content management systems like WordPress). Here’s how you go about setting it up.

1. Create a new bucket in your Amazon S3 account.
2. Using any Amazon S3 client, upload files, retaining the original structure.
3. Set the bucket to be publicly viewable. Use an S3 client or the web panel to do this.
4. Using the web panel, under Bucket Properties, set the bucket to be used as a website with the relevant index and error pages.
5. By using this chart, determine which endpoint your site is using and, from that, what the direct URL for the bucket is.
6. Test the site.
7. Log into your domain’s registrar or DNS provider and add a CNAME record to route traffic from www.yourdomain.com to your Amazon S3 account.

Amazon S3 Hosting Limitations

So where does S3 let us down?

Clearly, it’s only for static sites. That’s the first big problem.

Also, the cost is based on traffic and storage, so it varies. For large sites, it could get expensive fast.

Finally, you won’t be able to take advantage of Cloudfront and its ability to distribute content.

Should You Try Amazon S3 For Hosting?

Amazon S3 is clearly hoping to make its S3 product more powerful and useful, but we’re not convinced that it’s a substitute for a good web host.

For simple sites, it’s a cheap way to host. But dynamic content is out, as is anything that might trigger a viral traffic spike.

While it’s worth trying S3 for experimental ‘mini sites’, it’s not yet ready to replace your VPS hosting account.