How to Create AWS CloudFront Distribution: Step-by-Step Guide

To create a CloudFront distribution, define the origin (where your content lives) and configure settings like caching and SSL. You can create it via the AWS Management Console or using AWS CLI with the create-distribution command specifying your origin domain and default cache behavior.

Syntax

The basic syntax to create a CloudFront distribution using AWS CLI involves specifying the origin domain and cache behavior settings in a JSON configuration file. Key parts include:

• Origins: The source of your content, like an S3 bucket or web server.
• DefaultCacheBehavior: How CloudFront handles requests, including allowed HTTP methods and caching.
• Enabled: Whether the distribution is active.

json

{
  "CallerReference": "unique-string",
  "Origins": {
    "Quantity": 1,
    "Items": [
      {
        "Id": "origin1",
        "DomainName": "example-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com",
        "S3OriginConfig": {"OriginAccessIdentity": ""}
      }
    ]
  },
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {
    "TargetOriginId": "origin1",
    "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "redirect-to-https",
    "AllowedMethods": {
      "Quantity": 2,
      "Items": ["GET", "HEAD"]
    },
    "ForwardedValues": {
      "QueryString": false,
      "Cookies": {"Forward": "none"}
    },
    "TrustedSigners": {"Enabled": false, "Quantity": 0}
  },
  "Enabled": true
}

Example

This example shows how to create a CloudFront distribution using AWS CLI with a JSON config file. It sets an S3 bucket as the origin and enables HTTPS redirect.

bash

# Save this JSON as config.json
{
  "CallerReference": "unique-12345",
  "Origins": {
    "Quantity": 1,
    "Items": [
      {
        "Id": "S3-origin",
        "DomainName": "my-example-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com",
        "S3OriginConfig": {"OriginAccessIdentity": ""}
      }
    ]
  },
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {
    "TargetOriginId": "S3-origin",
    "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "redirect-to-https",
    "AllowedMethods": {
      "Quantity": 2,
      "Items": ["GET", "HEAD"]
    },
    "ForwardedValues": {
      "QueryString": false,
      "Cookies": {"Forward": "none"}
    },
    "TrustedSigners": {"Enabled": false, "Quantity": 0}
  },
  "Enabled": true
}

# Run this command in terminal
aws cloudfront create-distribution --distribution-config file://config.json

Output

{
  "Distribution": {
    "Id": "E123ABC456DEF",
    "Status": "InProgress",
    "DomainName": "d123abc.cloudfront.net",
    "Enabled": true
  },
  "Location": "https://cloudfront.amazonaws.com/2020-05-31/distribution/E123ABC456DEF",
  "ETag": "E2QWRUHAPOMQZL"
}

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating CloudFront distributions include:

• Using incorrect origin domain names, causing CloudFront to fail fetching content.
• Not enabling the distribution after creation, so it stays inactive.
• Forgetting to set ViewerProtocolPolicy to redirect HTTP to HTTPS, which can cause security issues.
• Misconfiguring cache behaviors, leading to stale or missing content.

Always double-check your JSON config and test the distribution URL after creation.

json

Wrong example (missing Enabled flag):
{
  "CallerReference": "unique-123",
  "Origins": {"Quantity":1,"Items":[{"Id":"origin1","DomainName":"example.com","S3OriginConfig":{"OriginAccessIdentity":""}}]},
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {"TargetOriginId":"origin1","ViewerProtocolPolicy":"allow-all","AllowedMethods":{"Quantity":2,"Items":["GET","HEAD"]},"ForwardedValues":{"QueryString":false,"Cookies":{"Forward":"none"}},"TrustedSigners":{"Enabled":false,"Quantity":0}}
}

Right example (Enabled true):
{
  "CallerReference": "unique-123",
  "Origins": {"Quantity":1,"Items":[{"Id":"origin1","DomainName":"example.com","S3OriginConfig":{"OriginAccessIdentity":""}}]},
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {"TargetOriginId":"origin1","ViewerProtocolPolicy":"redirect-to-https","AllowedMethods":{"Quantity":2,"Items":["GET","HEAD"]},"ForwardedValues":{"QueryString":false,"Cookies":{"Forward":"none"}},"TrustedSigners":{"Enabled":false,"Quantity":0}},
  "Enabled": true
}

Quick Reference

Here is a quick summary of key CloudFront distribution settings:

Setting	Description	Example Value
CallerReference	Unique string to identify the request	"unique-12345"
Origins	List of origin servers for content	[{"Id":"origin1","DomainName":"example.com"}]
DefaultCacheBehavior	Rules for caching and request handling	{"ViewerProtocolPolicy":"redirect-to-https"}
Enabled	Whether distribution is active	true
ViewerProtocolPolicy	HTTP to HTTPS redirect policy	"redirect-to-https"
AllowedMethods	HTTP methods allowed	["GET", "HEAD"]

Key Takeaways

Always specify a valid origin domain when creating a CloudFront distribution.

Set Enabled to true to activate the distribution after creation.

Use ViewerProtocolPolicy 'redirect-to-https' to enforce secure connections.

Test your distribution URL to confirm content delivery works as expected.

Use AWS CLI with a JSON config file for repeatable and clear distribution setup.