DNS Configuration, SSL, and HTTP Setup

Setting up a secure, production-ready web application requires proper DNS configuration and SSL certificates. This guide walks through the steps to configure DNS, obtain SSL certificates, and set up HTTPS.

Understanding the Stack

1. DNS Records Setup

Configure these records at your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Route53):

Type: A
Name: @
Value: your-ec2-public-ip

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: yourdomain.com

2. Installing Certbot

sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

3. Obtaining SSL Certificates

Certbot can automatically configure Nginx for you:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts to redirect HTTP to HTTPS (recommended).

4. Automatic Renewal

Let's Encrypt certs expire in 90 days. Verify the auto-renewal timer:

sudo systemctl status certbot.timer
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

5. Security Best Practices

Add these headers to your Nginx config for better security:

add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;

Verification

Visit your site at https://yourdomain.com and check for the padlock icon!