Student Number: 35190771
Project Title:
Secure Personal Portfolio Website on Amazon EC2
Project Description:
The project I propose is the development and deployment of a Secure Personal Portfolio Website hosted on an Amazon EC2 instance, utilizing the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model. This website will showcase my academic work, resume, and project portfolio in a professional manner, targeting potential employers, collaborators, and academic institutions.
To meet the learning outcomes, I have launched a Linux-based EC2 instance and configured it with Apache HTTP Server to serve static HTML content. The initial site includes my student number and a welcome message, but will later evolve into a fully functional personal site with secure HTTPS access, CSS styling, and downloadable documents. Configuration was completed using the Linux command-line environment.
This project was selected because it allows me to directly apply foundational server administration skills in a cloud environment. It requires configuring and securing an operating system, installing web server software, and managing security groups and SSH key access, fulfilling both learning outcomes.
In future phases, I plan to integrate a basic contact form using Python (Flask) and connect to a backend database, while ensuring best practices for security and performance. I will also explore automated deployment using cloud-init or shell scripts for future scalability.
This project will help me develop essential DevOps and cloud computing skills, applicable to real-world IT and cybersecurity environments, particularly in configuring and maintaining secure infrastructure in the cloud.
License Rationale:
This website project is licensed under the MIT License. I chose this license due to its simplicity and permissiveness—it allows others to freely use, modify, and distribute the code, even for commercial purposes, with minimal restrictions. This promotes collaboration, learning, and open-source contribution. The MIT License also ensures that I retain copyright and that users are required to include the license in all copies or substantial portions of the software. The license is marked clearly at the bottom of the website and in the source files, complying with standard open-source software practices.