Hosting 3CX PBX in Amazon Lightsail

Introduction

Amazon Lightsail is a simplified version of Amazon AWS, easier to use and more affordable. This would be suited for smaller installs. You will need to have an Amazon Lightsail account before you start 3CX deployment. You can get one here Amazon Lightsail page, click on “Get started for free”.

Step 1 - Get your API Access Keys

To create your API access key and allow the PBX Deployment wizard to create and provision an instance with 3CX:

  1. Log in to the Lightsail AWS console.
  2. Go to Amazon Lightsail and on the top right corner, click on your account name and then  “Account”.
  3. On the “Account” page, click on the “Advanced” tab and then on “Go to the IAM console”.
  4. In the “Security credentials” page and under the “Access keys” section click on “Create Access key”.
  5. Copy or download the created csv file for safekeeping.  It will be needed for the 3CX PBX Deployment Wizard.

Step 2 - Configure SSH access

  1. Open your Lightsail Console.
  2. Click on your account name “Account” > “Account”,
  3. Go to “SSH Keys”, click on “Create key pair” and select your preferred region.  
  4. Enter a name and then click on “Generate key pair” then download the private key. Save it somewhere safe as this cannot be retrieved again.
  5. This step can only be done after 3CX has been deployed! To access 3CX instance via SSH you’ll also need to configure an inbound rule for TCP port 22 in “Instances” > “Network tab” > “IPv4 Firewall” > “Add Rule”.  Add your source ip address for additional security.

Step 3 - Deploy 3CX

  1. Create a 3CX customer account here
  2. Select “Self Hosted (Private Cloud)” and click “Next”
  3. Choose your 3CX FQDN and click “Next”
  4. Set your extension digit length and click “Next”
  5. Set your System Preferences and click “Next”
  6. From the drop-down list, choose “Amazon - Lightsail” and paste your “Access Key ID” and “Secret Access Key”.  Click “Next”.
  7. Give your Lightsail machine a name and use the drop-down list to select your region, key pair, and machine type. Click “Next”.
  8. 3CX will now be deployed. Once done, you will see the login details.

Re-deploying your 3CX?

  1. Login to the customer portal.
  2. Go to “My Systems” find the subscription you want to have hosted and select "Install".
  3. Select “Self Hosted (Private Cloud)” and click “Next”.
  4. Select your extension digit length and on the next screen set your System Preferences then click on “Next”. These settings will be overridden if you restore a backup.
  5. From the dropdown choose “Amazon - Lightsail” and enter your “Access Key ID” and “Secret Access Key” obtained from your Amazon Lightsail account.
  6. Click “Yes” to upload your existing 3CX configuration backup and click “Next”.
  7. Give your Amazon Lightsail machine a name and use the drop-down list to select your region.
  8. Select your SSH key pair, choose your machine type, and click “Next”.

See Also

Last Updated

This document was last updated on 17 July 2024

https://www.3cx.com/docs/amazon-lightsail/