Connect Custom Domain to AWS S3 Website using Route 53

Short answer. Route 53 replaces the long default S3 website endpoint with your own domain. You create a hosted zone for the domain, point your registrar at its nameservers, and add a record that resolves the domain to the bucket’s website endpoint.

Part 2 of 4 — static hosting on AWS, end to end:

Host it on S3
Add your own domain with Route 53 (you are here)
Automate deploys with GitHub Actions
Lock it down with CloudFront and a private bucket

Introduction

Hosting your static website on AWS S3 is simple, but by default you get a long AWS URL like:

http://myapp.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com

To make your site look professional, you need a custom domain (like myapp.com). In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

Buy/register a domain (Route 53 or third-party like GoDaddy/BigRock)
Create a hosted zone in Route 53
Configure S3 for website hosting
Point your domain to S3 using Route 53 records

By the end, you’ll have your app live on http://myapp.com

Step 1: Buy / Register a Domain

You can buy from Route 53 or another registrar like GoDaddy or BigRock.
In this example, we’ll use a domain from BigRock:
```
myapp.com
```

Step 2: Create a Hosted Zone in Route 53

Go to AWS Console → Route 53 → Hosted Zones → Create Hosted Zone.
Enter your domain name:
```
myapp.com
```
Choose Public Hosted Zone → Click Create Hosted Zone.
Route 53 will give you 4 NS (Name Server) records.
Copy these NS records → Go to your domain registrar (BigRock, GoDaddy, etc.) → Update your domain’s Nameserver settings with these 4 values.

Step 3: Configure S3 for Website Hosting

Create an S3 bucket with the exact name of your domain:
```
myapp.com
```
(If you want a subdomain, bucket name must be: www.myapp.com)
Enable Static Website Hosting in bucket properties.
Disable Block All Public Access.
Add a read-only bucket policy (same as in previous blog).
After saving, you’ll get a website endpoint like:

http://myapp.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com

Step 4: Create a Record in Route 53

Go to your Hosted Zone in Route 53.
Click Create Record.
Name: myapp.com (or www.myapp.com for subdomain).
Record Type: A – Route traffic to IPv4 & AWS resources.
Alias: Yes.
Route traffic to: S3 website endpoint.
Select the correct region.
Save the record.

Done! Now your domain points to your S3 bucket. Visiting http://myapp.com will show your hosted website

Conclusion

You’ve successfully connected your custom domain to an AWS S3 hosted site using Route 53.

This setup gives you:

A professional domain name
Easy DNS management inside AWS
A scalable static website hosting solution

Next Steps

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