The internet does not care for original content. Nor well-written content. Nor accurate content for that matter. The purpose of this entry is to create a reference for anyone that might ask me how to create a website. I recently created a website for my 7 year old daughter to encourage her entrepreneurial muscle. The most relevant audience for this has nominal frontend skills and is just looking to get something basic up and running.

I suggest the following steps, which will get you a website for less than $20 and a few hours of your time:

  • Create your website locally. Download a template from BootstrapMade for simple one-pagers or FreeFrontend for more complex designs. Edit using any code editor.
    • Cost: Free
    • Time: 1-2 hours
  • Push to GitHub. Optional but recommended for AWS Amplify integration. Follow GitHub's official documentation or this classic Stack Overflow guide.
    • Cost: Free
    • Time: 5 mins if experienced, ~30 mins for first-timers
  • Deploy with AWS Amplify. Connect to your GitHub repository:
    • Open AWS Amplify Console
    • Click "New App" → "Host Web App"
    • Select GitHub and your repository
    • Review build settings and deploy
    • Cost: Typically pennies per month for personal sites
    • Time: 30 minutes
    • Note that you might need to update the amplify.yml file to allow a bundle install.
  • Configure Domain Settings. Two key parts:
    • In AWS Route 53: Create a hosted zone for your domain
    • In GoDaddy: Update nameservers with Route 53's values
    • In Amplify: Add your domain under Domain Management
    • Cost: Free
    • Time: 5-60 mins (DNS propagation may take longer)