EC2 Bootstrap: Ubuntu Server Setup

This repository contains a simple, reliable bootstrap script for initializing a fresh Ubuntu server (e.g., an EC2 instance). The script installs base utilities, configures optional swap, and installs Docker using the official Docker repository.

• Script: ec2-bootstrap.sh

Requirements

• Ubuntu server with apt (tested on modern Ubuntu LTS images).
• A sudo-capable user (the script uses sudo).
• Internet access to reach Ubuntu and Docker repositories.

Quick Start Download directly from GitHub, make it executable, then run a command:

curl -fsSL -o ec2-bootstrap.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SachinAgarwal1337/server-setup/main/ec2-bootstrap.sh

chmod +x ec2-bootstrap.sh
./ec2-bootstrap.sh help

To run the full setup recommended for new EC2 instances:

./ec2-bootstrap.sh all

You can also run individual tasks:

./ec2-bootstrap.sh update    # Update and upgrade packages
./ec2-bootstrap.sh utils     # Install base utilities
./ec2-bootstrap.sh swap      # Interactive swap setup
./ec2-bootstrap.sh docker    # Install Docker + add user to docker group

What the Script Does

• update: Runs apt update -y and apt upgrade -y to bring the system current.
• utils: Installs common utilities: ca-certificates, curl, gnupg, lsb-release, unzip, git, htop.
• swap:
  • Prompts whether to configure swap.
  • Asks for swap size in GB and validates input.
  • Skips if a swapfile already exists.
  • Creates /swapfile, sets correct permissions, enables it, and appends an /etc/fstab entry for persistence.
• docker:
  • Installs Docker from the official Docker APT repository (adds keyring and repo).
  • Installs docker-ce, CLI, containerd, Buildx, and Docker Compose plugin.
  • Enables and starts the Docker service.
  • If needed, adds the current user to the docker group and reminds you to re-login for group changes to take effect.
• all: Runs update → utils → swap → docker in sequence.

Behavior and Notes

• The script runs with set -e and will exit on the first error.
• Re-running is safe: it skips Docker install if already present and detects existing swap.
• The swap step is interactive; you can choose to skip it.
• After docker adds your user to the docker group, you must log out and back in (or start a new session) for group membership to apply.

Verification After the script completes:

# Docker
docker --version
docker run --rm hello-world

# Swap
swapon --show

# Utilities
git --version
htop --version || htop --help

Troubleshooting

• If docker commands require sudo after running docker task, start a new login session or reboot to apply group changes.
• Ensure outbound HTTPS access is allowed to reach Docker and Ubuntu repositories.
• If using a non-Ubuntu distro, this script may not apply (it relies on apt).

Usage Summary

• Full bootstrap for new servers: ./ec2-bootstrap.sh all
• See available commands and descriptions: ./ec2-bootstrap.sh help