PrestaShop Installation on AWS - Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Deploy PrestaShop on AWS Free Tier with separate application and database servers.

Phase 1: Launch EC2 Instances

Step 1: Launch Application Server

1. Navigate to AWS Console → EC2 → Launch instance

1. Configure instance:

   • Name: prestashop-app-server

   • AMI: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS (HVM)

   • Instance type: t2.micro (Free Tier eligible)

   • Key pair: Create new prestashop-key.pem

   • Network settings:

     • Security group name: prestashop-app-sg

     • Inbound rules:

       • SSH (port 22) from 0.0.0.0/0

       • HTTP (port 80) from 0.0.0.0/0

1. Click Launch instance

Step 2: Launch Database Server

1. Launch another instance:

   • Name: prestashop-db-server

   • AMI: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS

   • Instance type: t2.micro

   • Key pair: Use existing prestashop-key.pem

   

   • Network settings:

     • Security group name: prestashop-db-sg

     • Inbound rules:

       • SSH (port 22) from EC2 Instance Connect range 18.206.107.24/29

       • MySQL (port 3306) from app server private IP 172.31.1.53/32

1. Click Launch instance

Step 3: Verify Both Instances

From EC2 Dashboard, confirm:

• Both instances show "Running"

• Status checks: 2/2 passed

• Note the IP addresses:

  • App server public IP: 100.55.84.213

  • App server private IP: 172.31.1.53

  • DB server private IP: 172.31.1.228

Phase 2: Configure Database Server

Step 1: Connect to Database Server

1. In EC2 Console, select prestashop-db-server

2. Click Connect → EC2 Instance Connect → Connect

Step 2: Install MySQL

# Update packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install MySQL server
sudo apt install mysql-server -y

# Check MySQL status
sudo systemctl status mysql

Step 3: Secure MySQL Installation

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Answer prompts:

• Validate password component: Y

• Password policy: 1 (MEDIUM)

• Set root password: Choose strong password

• Remove anonymous users: Y

• Disallow root login remotely: Y

• Remove test database: Y

• Reload privilege tables: Y

Step 4: Create Database and User

# Log into MySQL
sudo mysql

# Create database
CREATE DATABASE prestashop;

# Create user (allow from any host)
CREATE USER 'prestashop_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword123!';

# Grant privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON prestashop.* TO 'prestashop_user'@'%';

# Also grant for app server's hostname
CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'prestashop_user'@'ip-172-31-1-53.ec2.internal' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON prestashop.* TO 'prestashop_user'@'ip-172-31-1-53.ec2.internal';

# Also grant for app server's private IP
CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'prestashop_user'@'172.31.1.53' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON prestashop.* TO 'prestashop_user'@'172.31.1.53';

# Apply changes
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

# Verify
SHOW DATABASES;
SELECT User, Host FROM mysql.user WHERE User='prestashop_user';

# Exit MySQL
EXIT;

Step 5: Configure MySQL for Remote Access

# Edit MySQL config
sudo nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf

Find and change:

bind-address = 127.0.0.1

to

bind-address = 0.0.0.0

Save and exit (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)

Step 6: Restart MySQL

sudo systemctl restart mysql

# Verify MySQL is listening on all interfaces
sudo ss -tlnp | grep 3306
# Should show: 0.0.0.0:3306

Phase 3: Configure Application Server

Step 1: Connect to App Server

1. In EC2 Console, select prestashop-app-server

2. Click Connect → EC2 Instance Connect → Connect

Step 2: Install LAMP Stack

# Update packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Apache
sudo apt install apache2 -y

# Install PHP and extensions
sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-xml php-curl php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-intl php-cli php-soap unzip -y

# Enable Apache rewrite module
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

# Install MySQL client for testing
sudo apt install mysql-client -y

# Verify Apache is running
sudo systemctl status apache2

Step 3: Test Database Connection

# Test connection to database server
mysql -h 172.31.1.228 -u prestashop_user -p
# Enter password: YourStrongPassword123!
# If successful, type: EXIT;

Step 4: Download and Extract PrestaShop

# Navigate to web root
cd /var/www/html

# Remove default Apache page
sudo rm index.html

# Download PrestaShop
sudo wget https://github.com/PrestaShop/PrestaShop/releases/download/8.1.2/prestashop_8.1.2.zip

# Extract downloaded file
sudo unzip prestashop_8.1.2.zip

# Extract main PrestaShop archive (type 'A' when prompted to replace all)
sudo unzip prestashop.zip

# Clean up zip files
sudo rm prestashop.zip prestashop_8.1.2.zip

# Set correct permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/

Phase 4: Complete PrestaShop Installation via Web Browser

Step 1: Access the Installer

Open browser and navigate to: http://100.55.84.213

Step 2: Follow Installation Wizard

Screen 1: Choose Language

• Select English (English)

• Click Next

Screen 2: License Agreements

• Check agreement box

• Click Next

Screen 3: System Compatibility

• Verify all checks are green

• Click Next

Screen 4: Store Information

• Store name: My PrestaShop Store (or your choice)

• Main activity: Select from dropdown

• Country: Select your country

• First name: Your first name

• Last name: Your last name

• Email address: your-email@example.com

• Password: Create admin password

• Click Next

Screen 5: Content of Your Store

• Check both boxes for sample data

• Click Next

Screen 6: Database Configuration

Enter these values:

Database server address: 172.31.1.228
Database name: prestashop
Database login: prestashop_user
Database password: YourStrongPassword123!
Tables prefix: ps_

Click "Test your database connection now!"

• Verify: "Database is connected" message appears

• Click Next

Screen 7: Store Installation

• Wait for installation to complete (2-3 minutes)

• Do not close browser

Step 3: Installation Complete

Success screen shows:

• Email: Your admin email

• Password: Your admin password

• Buttons for Back Office (admin) and Front Office (store)

Step 4: Security Cleanup

Important: Delete the install folder

# On app server terminal
sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/install

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Phase 5: Verification

Test Front Office

1. Click "Discover your store" or navigate to http://100.55.84.213

2. Verify store homepage loads correctly

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Key Configuration Summary

Component	Configuration
App Server Public IP	100.55.84.213
App Server Private IP	172.31.1.53
DB Server Private IP	172.31.1.228
Database Name	prestashop
Database User	prestashop_user
Database Password	YourStrongPassword123!
Admin Email	gbayiadewaku@gmail.com

Project Successfully Completed!

In this project, I successfully deployed a fully functional PrestaShop e-commerce platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Free Tier, with a clear separation between the application and database servers as required.

Key Achievements:

1. Infrastructure Setup

   • Launched two EC2 instances (application server and database server) using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

   • Configured security groups to allow appropriate traffic (HTTP, SSH, MySQL)

   • Established secure communication between servers using private IPs

2. Database Configuration

   • Installed and secured MySQL on the dedicated database server

   • Created prestashop database and prestashop_user with proper permissions

   • Configured MySQL to accept remote connections from the application server

   • Successfully tested database connectivity

3. Application Deployment

   • Installed LAMP stack (Apache, PHP, extensions) on the application server

   • Downloaded and extracted PrestaShop 8.1.2

   • Set proper file permissions for web server access

4. Final Installation

   • Completed PrestaShop web installer with database connection

   • Created admin account for store management

   • Secured the installation by removing the install folder

   • Verified both front office and back office functionality