AWS Blockchain Templates was discontinued on April 30, 2019. No further updates to this service or this supporting documentation will be made. For the best Managed Blockchain experience on AWS, we recommend that you use [ Amazon Managed Blockchain (AMB)](https://aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/). To learn more about getting started with Amazon Managed Blockchain, see our [ workshop on Hyperledger Fabric](https://catalog.us-east-1.prod.workshops.aws/workshops/008da2cb-8454-42d0-877b-bc290bff7fcf/en-US), or our [blog on deploying an Ethereum node](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/deploy-an-ethereum-node-on-amazon-managed-blockchain/). If you have questions about AMB or require further support, [contact Support](https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/case/create?issueType=technical) or your AWS account team.
# Setting Up AWS Blockchain Templates
Before you start with AWS Blockchain Templates, complete the following tasks:
+ [Sign Up for AWS](#blockchain-templates-sign-up-for-aws)
+ [Create an IAM User](#blockchain-templates-create-iam-user)
+ [Create a Key Pair](#blockchain-templates-create-a-key-pair)
These are fundamental prerequisites for all blockchain configurations. In addition, the blockchain network that you choose may have prerequisites, which vary according to your desired environment and configuration choices. For more information, see the relevant section for your blockchain template in [AWS Blockchain Templates and Features](blockchain-template-features.md).
For step-by-step instructions to set up prerequisites for a private Ethereum network using an Amazon ECS cluster, see [Getting Started with AWS Blockchain Templates](blockchain-templates-getting-started.md).
## Sign Up for AWS
When you sign up for AWS, your AWS account is automatically signed up for all services. You are charged only for the services that you use.
If you have an AWS account already, skip to the next task. If you don't have an AWS account, use the following procedure to create one.
**To create an AWS account**
1. Open [https://portal.aws.amazon.com/billing/signup](https://portal.aws.amazon.com/billing/signup).
1. Follow the online instructions.
Part of the sign-up procedure involves receiving a phone call or text message and entering a verification code on the phone keypad.
When you sign up for an AWS account, an *AWS account root user* is created. The root user has access to all AWS services and resources in the account. As a security best practice, assign administrative access to a user, and use only the root user to perform [tasks that require root user access](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_root-user.html#root-user-tasks).
Note your AWS account number. You need it when you create an IAM user in the next task.
## Create an IAM User
Services in AWS require that you provide credentials when you access them, so that the service can determine whether you have permissions to access its resources. The console requires your password. You can create access keys for your AWS account to access the command line interface or API. However, we don't recommend that you access AWS using the credentials for your AWS account; we recommend that you use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) instead. Create an IAM user, and then add the user to an IAM group with administrative permissions or grant this user administrative permissions. You can then access AWS using a special URL and the credentials for the IAM user.
If you signed up for AWS but have not created an IAM user for yourself, you can create one using the IAM console. If you already have an IAM user, you can skip this step.
To create an administrator user, choose one of the following options.
****
| Choose one way to manage your administrator | To | By | You can also |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| In IAM Identity Center (Recommended) | Use short-term credentials to access AWS.This aligns with the security best practices. For information about best practices, see [Security best practices in IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/best-practices.html#bp-users-federation-idp) in the *IAM User Guide*. | Following the instructions in [Getting started](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//singlesignon/latest/userguide/getting-started.html) in the AWS IAM Identity Center User Guide. | Configure programmatic access by [Configuring the AWS CLI to use AWS IAM Identity Center](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//cli/latest/userguide/cli-configure-sso.html) in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide. |
| In IAM (Not recommended) | Use long-term credentials to access AWS. | Following the instructions in [ Create an IAM user for emergency access](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/getting-started-emergency-iam-user.html) in the IAM User Guide. | Configure programmatic access by [Manage access keys for IAM users](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html) in the IAM User Guide. |
To sign in as this new IAM user, sign out of the AWS Management Console, then use the following URL, where *your\$1aws\$1account\$1id* is your AWS account number without the hyphens (for example, if your AWS account number is `1234-5678-9012`, your AWS account ID is `123456789012`):
```
https://your_aws_account_id.signin.aws.amazon.com/console/
```
Enter the IAM user name and password that you just created. When you're signed in, the navigation bar displays "*your\$1user\$1name* @ *your\$1aws\$1account\$1id*".
If you don't want the URL for your sign-in page to contain your AWS account ID, you can create an account alias. From the IAM dashboard, choose **Create Account Alias** and enter an alias, such as your company name. To sign in after you create an account alias, use the following URL:
```
https://your_account_alias.signin.aws.amazon.com/console/
```
To verify the sign-in link for IAM users for your account, open the IAM console and check under **IAM users sign-in link** on the dashboard.
For more information, see the [AWS Identity and Access Management User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/).
## Create a Key Pair
AWS uses public-key cryptography to secure the login information for the instances in a blockchain network. You specify the name of the key pair when you use each AWS Blockchain Template. You can then use the key pair to access instances directly, for example, to log in using SSH.
If you already have a key pair in the right Region, you can skip this step. If you haven't created a key pair already, you can create one using the Amazon EC2 console. Create the key pair in the same Region that you use to launch the Ethereum network. For more information, see [Regions and Availability Zones](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-regions-availability-zones.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.
**To create a key pair**
1. Open the Amazon EC2 console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/).
1. From the navigation bar, select a Region for the key pair. You can select any Region that's available to you, regardless of your location, but key pairs are specific to a Region. For example, if you plan to launch an instance in the US East (Ohio) region, you must create a key pair for the instance in the same Region.
1. In the navigation pane, choose **Key Pairs**, **Create Key Pair**.
1. For **Key pair name**, enter a name for the new key pair. Choose a name that is easy for you to remember, such as your IAM user name, followed by `-key-pair`, plus the region name. For example, *me*-key-pair-*useast2*. Choose **Create**.
1. The private key file is automatically downloaded by your browser. The base file name is the name that you specified as the name of your key pair, and the file name extension is `.pem`. Save the private key file in a safe place.
**Important**
This is the only chance for you to save the private key file. You provide the name of your key pair when you launch the Ethereum network.
For more information, see [Amazon EC2 Key Pairs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*. For more information about connecting to EC2 instances using the key pair, see [Connect to Your Linux Instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AccessingInstances.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.