How to SSH into your AWS WP site

Awesome! 🎉 Your EC2 instance is alive—now let’s crack it open and take a look under the hood like it’s a mini server garage. 🧰

Since AWS EC2 doesn’t come with cPanel (unless you buy an image that includes it $$$), we’ll use SSH to access your server and explore the WordPress files. Think of SSH like remote-controlling your server’s terminal.

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🔓 Step 1: Connect to Your EC2 Instance via SSH

🧾 What You Need:

• Your .pem key file (you downloaded this during setup)
• Your EC2 Public IPv4 address

🖥️ From Your Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Git Bash (Windows):

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem bitnami@your-ec2-public-ip

Example:

ssh -i ~/Downloads/my-key.pem bitnami@54.123.45.67

✅ If it says “Are you sure you want to continue connecting?” — type yes.

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📁 Step 2: Navigate the WordPress Files (Bitnami Stack)

Once inside, here’s where things live:

Folder	What’s Inside
/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs	👉 All your WordPress files (like wp-config.php, wp-content, etc.)
/opt/bitnami/	The full Bitnami stack (Apache, PHP, etc.)
/opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/	Apache logs (if you need to troubleshoot)

⌨️ Example Commands:

cd /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs
ls -la

Boom! You’ll see classic WordPress files like:

• wp-config.php
• wp-content/
• wp-admin/
• wp-includes/

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📥 Bonus: Want a GUI Like cPanel?

If you’re missing the comfy feel of cPanel, you’ve got two solid options:

🔸 Option A: Install Webmin (Free browser-based control panel)

It’s not cPanel, but pretty darn close for basic stuff:

• Manage files
• Create backups
• Monitor system usage

I can guide you through setting that up if you’re interested.

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🔸 Option B: Use SFTP (GUI File Access)

1. Download FileZilla or Cyberduck
2. Connect using:
   • Protocol: SFTP
   • Host: your-ec2-public-ip
   • Username: bitnami
   • Key file: your .pem file (FileZilla calls it “Keyfile”)

Now you’ll see your server files in a nice GUI window!

🔸 PART 1: Set Up SFTP with FileZilla (GUI File Access)

🧰 What You’ll Need:

• Your .pem file (private key)
• Your EC2 Public IPv4
• FileZilla (Download from filezilla-project.org)

🪜 Step-by-Step (Using FileZilla):

1. Open FileZilla

2. Go to Edit → Settings → SFTP

   • Click Add key file
   • Browse to your .pem file
   • FileZilla may convert it to a .ppk (no worries, accept it)

3. Now go to the main FileZilla window and fill in the top bar:

   • Host: sftp://<your-public-ip> (e.g., sftp://54.123.45.67)
   • Username: bitnami
   • Port: 22
   • Leave password blank (your key is doing the work)
   • Click Quickconnect

4. ✅ You’re in!

   • Go to: /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs to edit WP files
   • Drag/drop files like a local file manager

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🔸 PART 2: Install Webmin (Browser-Based Server Panel)

Webmin gives you GUI control over users, storage, Apache, and more. It’s kinda like diet cPanel.

🧱 Step-by-Step:

1. SSH into your EC2 instance:

   ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem bitnami@your-ec2-ip
   

2. Install required packages:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install wget curl -y
   

3. Download and install Webmin:

   wget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_2.103_all.deb
   sudo dpkg -i webmin_2.103_all.deb
   sudo apt --fix-broken install -y
   

4. Start Webmin (usually starts automatically):

   sudo systemctl start webmin
   

5. Access Webmin in your browser: Go to: https://your-ec2-public-ip:10000

6. ⚠️ You’ll likely get a browser warning (“not secure”):

   • It’s fine! Click Advanced → Proceed (it’s using a self-signed cert)

7. Login with your server username:

   • Username: bitnami
   • Password: You may need to set one:

     sudo passwd bitnami
     

     (Then create a password)

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🛡️ Security Tip: Open Port 10000 in Your Security Group

Webmin runs on port 10000, which is probably closed by default.

1. Go to your EC2 Security Groups
2. Edit the inbound rules
3. Add:
   • Type: Custom TCP
   • Port Range: 10000
   • Source: My IP (for security)

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🧠 TL;DR

Tool	Use It For	Access Method
FileZilla	File access/editing WP files	GUI (drag/drop)
Webmin	Server management dashboard	https://your-ip:10000

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