Production-Grade AWS Infrastructure Without the $20,000 DevOps Bill
I set up EC2, RDS, S3, and CloudFront for WordPress and custom stacks that need real infrastructure, not shared hosting dressed up with a dashboard. You get a server setup that handles traffic spikes, auto-backups, and security hardening from day one.
You're Paying for AWS but Getting Shared Hosting Performance
I've seen businesses spend $400/month on AWS and get worse performance than a $30 DigitalOcean droplet. The problem isn't AWS. It's the setup. Wrong instance types, no CDN, database running on the same box as the web server, and zero caching configuration. AWS gives you the building blocks. Someone still has to assemble them correctly.
You're running a t2.micro for a site with 50,000 monthly visitors, or paying for an m5.xlarge that's idle 90% of the time.
Database on the same box Your MySQL instance shares CPU and RAM with your web server. One traffic spike and both crash together.
Open security groups Port 22 is open to the world. IAM keys are hardcoded in config files. Your S3 bucket is publicly readable.
What You Get
EC2 instance with proper sizing, AMI, and auto-scaling rules
RDS database with Multi-AZ backup and point-in-time recovery
CloudFront CDN with S3 origin for static assets and media
SSL via ACM, security groups, and IAM role configuration
CloudWatch dashboards for CPU, memory, disk, and response time
Alert rules for downtime, high CPU, disk full, and SSL expiry
Automated backup verification with restore test documentation
Deployment runbook and SSH access documentation for your team
How I Work
Assessment
I review your traffic patterns, application stack, and growth projections. You'll know exactly which AWS services you need and what they'll cost monthly.
Provision
I set up EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront, and security groups. Everything is configured with proper IAM roles, not root credentials.
Deploy
I migrate your application, configure caching, and run load tests to verify the setup handles 3x your current peak traffic.
Handoff
I deliver a runbook covering SSH access, deployment steps, backup restoration, and escalation procedures. Your team can operate independently.
Proof and Outcomes
DigitalOcean Hosting
Cloudflare Cache Setup
Security Hardening
Common questions
Why host WordPress on AWS instead of a managed host?
Three reasons: scale, cost predictability at volume, and infrastructure you can actually inspect. Once you’re past 200K monthly visits or running multiple sites, AWS gets cheaper than Kinsta or WPEngine — and you stop hitting arbitrary plan caps. The trade-off is operational complexity, which is why you hire someone who has done it before.
What does the AWS hosting setup include?
EC2 instance provisioned (t3.medium to c6i.xlarge depending on traffic), Ubuntu LTS hardened, NGINX or OpenLiteSpeed, PHP 8.3+, MySQL on RDS or co-located depending on budget, Redis object cache, CloudFront in front, S3 for media offload, Route 53 for DNS, ACM for SSL, IAM roles set up correctly, and CloudWatch alerts for the things that matter.
How much does AWS hosting cost monthly?
Realistic monthly bills: $25–$60 for a small business site (t3.small + RDS micro + CloudFront), $80–$200 for mid-traffic (t3.medium + RDS small + S3 offload), $400+ for high-traffic ecommerce. AWS bills are pay-as-you-go, so traffic spikes show up on the bill — I configure cost alerts at $50, $150, $500 thresholds.
Do you handle migration from my existing host?
Yes. Full WordPress migration with zero downtime via DNS pre-warming. Database imported, files synced via rsync or S3, search-and-replace for the old domain, redirects in place, SSL issued via ACM, and a final cutover that takes seconds, not hours. Most migrations complete in 1–2 weeks.
What about backups, security, and updates?
Daily RDS automated snapshots with 7-day retention, weekly EC2 AMI snapshots, S3 versioning on the media bucket, fail2ban on SSH, AWS WAF in front of CloudFront, automatic security patches via unattended-upgrades, and WordPress core/plugin updates managed through your retainer or your team’s choice.
Can the setup handle traffic spikes from a viral post or campaign?
Yes. Auto Scaling Groups can spin up additional EC2 instances when CPU or request count crosses threshold, and CloudFront absorbs cached traffic before it ever hits origin. For sites that launch products or campaigns, I pre-warm the cache and stage a load test against the staging environment before the launch.
Will my site be fast on AWS?
Yes. Average TTFB is 120–250ms with CloudFront caching. LCP under 1.5s on the homepage. Core Web Vitals pass on every page out of the gate. AWS is fast when configured right — and the configuration is most of the work.
Do you offer ongoing AWS management?
Yes. Monthly retainer covers monitoring, security patching, cost optimization, scaling adjustments, and incident response. Starts at $200/month for single-site, scales up for multi-site or HA setups. You can also self-manage — every setup ships with a runbook and Loom walkthrough.
Start Your AWS Hosting Brief
Tell me your application stack, traffic numbers, and growth plans. I'll scope the right AWS setup for your budget.