Amazon Route 53 Alias not working

Question

For some reasons I am not able to set up my static website in S3. I am trying to resolve this from last 2 weeks but its not working for me.

What I have done is:

1. Uploaded files within S3 bucket.
2. Set up routing policy - thats fine.
3. Alias target dropdown - I can see the S3 endpoints.
4. Created Hosted zones.
5. Set up both the alias with and without WWW.

Result - When I am typing URL in the address bar, it throws an error..either site is down or DNS related errors.

I tried implementing the same steps 6-7 times,No problems at all but domains are not working in the end. Absolutely clueless where I am going wrong?

Answer 1

Your hosted zone and domain name servers could be out of sync:

In Route 53, verify the Name Servers (NS) generated by your Hosted Zone match what's listed under your Registered Domains.

SCREENSHOT: AWS Route 53 Top Left Menu - Hosted vs Registered Domains

1. Click on "Hosted Zones"
2. Select your domain (example.com)
3. Select the "Record Set" with type NS

4. Copy each line item / name server from the value box

   ns1.amazon.com

   ns2.amazon.org

   ns3.amazon.net

   ns4.amazon.co.uk

5. Now click on "Registered Domains"

6. Select your domain

7. Past each entry in the upper right hand corner

SCREENSHOT: Paste example.com Name Server Entries

Answer 2

The major steps to create an Amazon Route 53 alias to an Amazon S3 bucket are:

• Create a bucket with the DNS name (eg images.my-company.com) -- note that the Bucket Name must match the DNS that you wish users to enter when accessing the URL
• Activate Static Website Hosting on the Amazon S3 Bucket
• In Route 53, create a Hosted Zone or use an existing Hosted Zone
• Create a Record Set in the Hosted Zone
  • Name: Match the subdomain to the name of your S3 Bucket
  • Type: A
  • Alias: Yes
  • Alias Target: Select your S3 website from the pull-down list

See: Setting Up a Static Website Using a Custom Domain

The most important part is that the Bucket must have the same name as the Route 53 domain name (eg images.my-company.com).

If problems are experienced, first try to access the content via the Static Website URL. If that works, resolve the URL (eg via DNSLOOKUP or PING) and compare the IP address to a resolution of your domain name. They should both return the same IP address.