Building the Website – Infrastructure Choices

When setting up buyquickbookslicense.com, I needed an affordable, scalable, and secure solution that could handle potential traffic growth without unnecessary complexity. AWS provided exactly that—offering a cost-effective way to host the website for less than a dollar a month while delivering enterprise-grade speed, security, and reliability.

Additionally, AWS consolidated multiple services that would typically require separate vendors. Instead of managing a hosting provider, a domain registrar, and a DNS management service separately, AWS allowed me to reduce vendor count from three to one, streamlining management and integration.

I chose AWS Route 53 for domain registration to avoid managing another vendor and to ensure seamless integration with AWS services. This made it easier to configure subdomains for key functionalities:

• www.buyquickbookslicense.com (CloudFront-hosted static website)
• auth.buyquickbookslicense.com (Cognito for authentication)
• api.buyquickbookslicense.com (API Gateway for backend functionality)

Having everything within AWS meant I could manage DNS settings directly in Route 53 without worrying about external registrars and third-party configurations.

Rather than using a traditional web server or managed hosting solution like WordPress, I opted for Amazon S3 + CloudFront to host the website as a static site. The reasons were clear:

• Low Cost: Hosting is almost free under the AWS Free Tier, costing less than a dollar per month.
• Security & Speed: CloudFront CDN provides enterprise-grade performance and DDoS protection, ensuring fast load times and a secure browsing experience.
• Simplicity: No need for a complex backend—just a lightweight, efficient, and scalable solution.

Handling payments securely was a priority. Instead of using PayPal or a traditional server-based integration, I chose API Gateway + Stripe, integrating with EventBridge and Lambda. This setup allows:

• Automated Payment Processing: Stripe webhook events trigger EventBridge, which calls a Lambda function to create the QuickBooks license data.
• Seamless Workflow: No need for manual intervention—the system is fully automated, reducing errors and improving efficiency.

To handle customer emails, Amazon SES was the best fit. The key benefits were:

• Easy Integration with Lambda: Automated emails for both contact form submissions and license deliveries were simple to set up.
• Delivery Tracking: SES provides insights on email delivery status, allowing me to track whether emails were received or bounced.
• Scalability: As the business grows, SES can handle increasing email traffic without added complexity.

Rather than purchasing SSL certificates from a third-party provider, I used AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) because:

• It's free: No extra cost for SSL certificates.
• Seamless Integration: ACM easily integrates with CloudFront, API Gateway, Cognito, and Route 53, reducing configuration overhead.
• Automated Renewals: No need to manually update SSL certificates—ACM handles it automatically.

Since this is an e-commerce website, scalability and security were crucial. AWS provided:

• Automatic Scaling: CloudFront and API Gateway handle traffic spikes without downtime.
• Low Operating Costs: The pay-as-you-go model ensures I only pay for what I use, making AWS the most cost-effective choice.
• Robust Security: CloudFront provides DDoS protection, while IAM roles and policies secure backend services.

With this setup, buyquickbookslicense.com is built for efficiency, security, and long-term growth, ensuring that as traffic increases, performance and reliability remain top-notch—all while keeping costs minimal.