Start EC2 Instance and Update Hosts System File

A Python script to start your AWS EC2 instance and update your computer's hosts file with the instance's public IP address for as many hosts as you want. All in one step!

What does it do?

1. Starts the EC2 instance.
2. Retrieves the instance's public IP.
3. Update the system hosts file with the public IP for the urls specified in the hosts.txt file (one per line).

Requirements

• Python 3.6 or higher.
• An AWS account with access key credentials. Learn how to create access keys in AWS.
• Administrator or root permissions to write the hosts system file.

Dependencies

Install the required dependencies using pip:

For Windows :

pip install boto3 python-dotenv pywin32

For Linux :

sudo pip install boto3 python-dotenv

Installation and Configuration

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/carloscolmenarez/start-ec2-instance-and-update-hosts-file.git
   cd start-ec2-instance-and-update-hosts-file

2. Create a .env file in the root directory of the project with the following content:

   INSTANCE_ID=your_instance_id
   AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key_id
   AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_access_key
   AWS_REGION=eu-west-1
   HOSTS_PATH=C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
   

   Replace your_instance_id, your_access_key_id, your_secret_access_key, and eu-west-1 with your instance ID, AWS credentials (Access Key), and region.

   In Linux , the HOSTS_PATH usually is /etc/hosts.

3. Create a hosts.txt file in the root directory of the project with the hosts you want to add/update in your hosts system file, using the public IP of the EC2 instance (one host per line) See hosts.txt.example for reference.

Usage

On Windows :

• Open a terminal as administrator an run:

python start_ec2_instance.py

On Linux :

sudo python start_ec2_instance.py

Create a Desktop Shortcut (Only for Windows ):

If you prefer not to use the terminal, you can create a Windows desktop shortcut:

• Run the create_windows_shortcut.py script to create a desktop shortcut called "Start EC2 Instance and Update Hosts". Then, you can run the script just clicking on the shortcut.

python create_windows_shortcut.py

Now you will have a shortcut in your desktop to run the script just in one click (or two).

Notes

• Ensure you have administrator permissions to modify hosts file.
• Do not share your AWS credentials. Use secure methods to manage them.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.