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🔒 Deploying a Django Application on AWS EC2 with Gunicorn and Nginx (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)

This guide provides a detailed walkthrough for deploying a Django application on an AWS EC2 instance running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, using Gunicorn as the application server and Nginx as the reverse proxy.

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🎯 Technologies Used

• Cloud Provider: AWS EC2
• Instance Type: t2.medium (2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM)
• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
• Programming Language: Python (Django Framework)
• Web Server: Nginx
• Application Server: Gunicorn
• Database: SQLite (can be replaced with PostgreSQL/MySQL in production)
• Process Manager: systemd
• Firewall Management: UFW
• Version Control: Git

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📚 Table of Contents

• 🚀 Launch EC2 Instance
• 🛠️ Install Required Packages
• 📂 Clone Project & Set Up Virtual Environment
• 🔗 Configure Gunicorn
• ⚡ Set Up Nginx as Reverse Proxy
• 🔒 Secure the Application with SSL
• 🚀 Final Checks & Production Tips

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🚀 1. Launch EC2 Instance

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard and click on Launch Instance.
3. Choose the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS AMI (Amazon Machine Image).
4. Select t2.medium as the instance type (2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM).
5. Configure security groups to allow inbound traffic on:
   • Port 22 (SSH)
   • Port 80 (HTTP)
   • Port 443 (HTTPS)
6. Launch the instance and download the .pem key file for SSH access.

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🔗 2. Connect to Your EC2 Instance

Open your terminal and SSH into the instance:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip

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🛠️ 3. Install Required Packages

1. Update system packages and install required dependencies:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv nginx gunicorn git

2. Allow firewall rules for SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable

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📂 4. Clone Project & Set Up Virtual Environment

1. Create a project directory:

sudo mkdir /dj
cd /dj

2. Clone your Django project repository:

git clone https://github.com/sunilkumar0633/social_media.git
cd social_media

3. Set up a virtual environment and install dependencies:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

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⚙️ 5. Run Migrations & Collect Static Files

1. Run database migrations:

python manage.py migrate

2. Collect static files for production:

python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

3. Test the application:

python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Check by visiting:

http://your-ec2-public-ip:8000

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🔗 6. Configure Gunicorn

1. Install Gunicorn:

pip install gunicorn

2. Test Gunicorn by running:

gunicorn --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 social.wsgi

3. Create a systemd service for Gunicorn:

sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/gunicorn.service

4. Add the following configuration:

[Unit]
Description=Gunicorn daemon for Django app
After=network.target

[Service]
User=root
Group=root
WorkingDirectory=/dj/social_media
ExecStart=/dj/social_media/venv/bin/gunicorn --workers 3 --bind unix:/dj/social_media/social.sock social.wsgi:application

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

5. Start and enable Gunicorn:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gunicorn
sudo systemctl start gunicorn
sudo systemctl status gunicorn

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⚡ 7. Set Up Nginx as Reverse Proxy

1. Create a new Nginx configuration:

sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/social_media

2. Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;  # Replace with your domain or public IP

    location / {
        include proxy_params;
        proxy_pass http://unix:/dj/social_media/social.sock;
    }

    location /static/ {
        root /dj/social_media;
    }

    location /media/ {
        root /dj/social_media;
    }
}

3. Create a symbolic link to enable the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/social_media /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

4. Test and restart Nginx:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

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🔒 8. Secure the Application with SSL

1. Install Certbot for SSL configuration:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

2. Obtain and configure an SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

3. Verify SSL and reload services:

sudo systemctl restart gunicorn
sudo systemctl restart nginx

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🚀 9. Final Checks & Production Tips

✅ Check application status using:

sudo systemctl status gunicorn
sudo systemctl status nginx

✅ Visit your domain or public IP:

https://your-domain.com

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🎯 Expected Outcomes

• ✅ Successful deployment of the Django application on AWS EC2 with Gunicorn and Nginx.
• ✅ Properly configured SSL for secure HTTPS communication using Certbot.
• ✅ Application accessible via the domain name or public IP with HTTP and HTTPS.
• ✅ Hands-on experience in managing and deploying production-ready applications.
• ✅ Done! Your Django application is now successfully deployed on AWS EC2 with Gunicorn and Nginx!

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