Amazon Lightsail
The simple corner of AWS: a ready-made server for a flat monthly price.
Lightsail is AWS's answer for people who want one server and nothing more complicated. You pick a plan, pick what it should come with (plain Linux or Windows, or a ready-made setup like WordPress), and a minute later you have a running machine with a fixed IP address and a browser-based terminal. It is the AWS version of the classic "virtual private server" sold by hosting companies.
The main difference with Amazon EC2 is packaging. With EC2 you choose and pay separately for the machine, the disk, the network traffic and the public address, and you configure a VPC and security rules. With Lightsail all of that comes in one bundle at a predictable monthly price, with a much smaller set of options and a simpler console.
It suits a personal blog, a small business website, a test environment or a side project. Lightsail also offers simple managed databases, load balancers and container hosting in the same style. When a project grows beyond it, you can take a snapshot of the server and move it to EC2, where the full range of AWS options is available.
Keep in mind
- Virtual servers in fixed-price bundles: machine, disk, transfer and IP together.
- One-click setups for common apps like WordPress.
- Far fewer options than EC2, on purpose.
- Snapshots can be exported to EC2 when a project outgrows it.
