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WordPress on AWS Lightsail

A WordPress blog on a Lightsail instance with a static IP, a Let’s Encrypt certificate and automatic daily snapshots, for five dollars a month.

When
December 2025
Context
Personal project
Role
Solo build
  • AWS Lightsail
  • Bitnami
  • Linux
  • Let’s Encrypt
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The problem

A content site needs a predictable monthly bill, HTTPS and a backup story, without an EC2 and RDS build behind it.

Architecture diagram: readers reach a Lightsail instance through its static IP over HTTPS. The instance runs Bitnami WordPress with Apache, PHP and MySQL, and a Let’s Encrypt certificate. Lightsail takes daily snapshots.
The architecture, drawn with the official AWS icons. Open it full size.

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Instance and hardening

  • A Bitnami WordPress blueprint on the five dollar plan.
  • A static IP attached, so the address survives a reboot.
  • HTTPS issued with the Bitnami bncert tool and renewed automatically.
  • Automatic daily snapshots for recovery.

What went wrong, and what fixed it

  • The Bitnami application password lives on the instance and is read over SSH, not set in the console.
  • A Lightsail public IP changes on reboot until a static IP is attached, which is what broke the first DNS record.
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