I'm having issues with my web server EC2 instance. I initially set up a working EC2 instance using the AlmaLinux AMI, which serves as my SSH client to connect to another EC2 instance within the same VPC. After creating an AMI from this instance and configuring a second EC2 instance as my web server using a user data script, everything works great for several hours. However, then I run into a problem: the instance fails its status checks and my website goes down. This happens even though it worked perfectly at first.
The web server is running on a t3.medium instance with 4GB RAM, and while I can reboot it, that only provides a temporary fix. I need a solution to prevent this instance from failing. Are there any strategies I can employ to ensure the web server remains stable over the long run?
5 Answers
You might be experiencing memory exhaustion or CPU balance issues. Consider switching to a heavier instance type temporarily to see if that resolves your problems. It’s also worth monitoring the memory usage, as there could be a memory leak somewhere.
Don’t forget about swap space! By default, EC2 instances have no swap, and with the limited memory you're using, it could be causing some applications to stall. I've seen this with frameworks like NextJS where they just start eating up RAM and that's the end of the instance. Adding a swap file might help.
Definitely keep an eye on your RAM usage—you're likely running out of memory, causing issues with your applications. You could try increasing the instance size and setting up a swap file to enhance performance. This should give you a clearer idea of what's going on!
Sounds like you might be running low on CPU credits with that t3 instance. When you exceed 10% CPU usage, you'll start to drain your credits. Once that happens, it can cause the system to freeze. Keeping an eye on those CPU credits might help!
You should definitely check the Linux logs to see what’s happening. The problem might be due to a memory leak, which can occur and leave your system out of RAM. Also, take a look at your CloudWatch metrics for CPU usage—anything odd there?
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