# Access Lightsail


You can access Amazon Lightsail using a variety of interfaces and service endpoints.

**Topics**
+ [

## Lightsail service interfaces
](#access-lightsail-interfaces)
+ [

## Lightsail service endpoints
](#lightsail-endpoints)
+ [

## Examples of specifying an endpoint
](#specify-endpoint-examples)

## Lightsail service interfaces


You can create and manage your Lightsail resources with the following interfaces.

**Amazon Lightsail console**  
A simple web interface to create and manage Lightsail instances and resources. If you've signed up for an AWS account, you can either access the [Lightsail console](https://lightsail.aws.amazon.com/) directly or sign into the AWS Management Console and choose **Lightsail** from the console home page.

**AWS Command Line Interface**  
Enables you to interact with AWS services using commands in your command-line shell. It is supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux. For more information about the AWS CLI, see [AWS Command Line Interface User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/). You can find the Lightsail commands in the [Lightsail section of the AWS CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/lightsail/#cli-aws-lightsail).

**AWS CloudShell**  
CloudShell is a browser-based, pre-authenticated shell that you can launch directly from the AWS Management Console. You can run AWS CLI commands using your preferred shell, such as Bash, PowerShell, or Z shell. For examples of how to use AWS CloudShell to manage your Lightsail resources, see [Manage Lightsail resources with AWS CloudShell](amazon-lightsail-cloudshell.md).

**Query API**  
Lightsail provides a Query API. These requests are HTTP or HTTPS requests that use the HTTP verbs GET or POST and a Query parameter named `Action`. For more information about the API actions for Lightsail, see [Actions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lightsail/2016-11-28/api-reference/API_Operations.html) in the *Amazon Lightsail API Reference*.

**AWS SDKs**  
If you prefer to build applications using language-specific APIs instead of submitting a request over HTTP or HTTPS, AWS provides libraries, sample code, tutorials, and other resources for software developers. These libraries provide basic functions that automate tasks such as cryptographically signing your requests, retrying requests, and handling error responses, making it easier for you to get started. For more information, see [Tools to Build on AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/tools/).

**AWS Tools for PowerShell**  
A set of PowerShell modules that are built on the functionality exposed by the SDK for .NET. The Tools for PowerShell enable you to script operations on your AWS resources from the PowerShell command line. To get started, see the [AWS Tools for PowerShell User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/userguide/). You can find the cmdlets for Lightsail, in the [AWS Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/reference/Index.html).

## Lightsail service endpoints


An endpoint is a URL that serves as an entry point for an AWS web service. For programmatic access methods in the previously described interfaces, Lightsail supports the following endpoint types:
+ [IPv4 endpoints](#ipv4-endpoints)
+ [Dual-stack endpoints](#dual-stack-endpoints) (support both IPv4 and IPv6)

When you make a request, you can specify the endpoint to use. If you do not specify an endpoint, the IPv4 endpoint is used by default. To use a different endpoint type, you must specify it in your request.

### IPv4 endpoints


IPv4 endpoints support IPv4 traffic only. IPv4 endpoints are available for all Regions. For more information about the regional service endpoints, see [Service endpoints by Region](#service-endpoints).

IPv4 endpoint names use the following naming convention: 
+ `service.region.amazonaws.com`

For example, the IPv4 endpoint name for the `us-east-2` Region is `lightsail.us-east-2.amazonaws.com`.

### Dual-stack (IPv4 and IPv6) endpoints


Dual-stack endpoints support both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic. When you make a request to a dual-stack endpoint, the endpoint URL resolves to an IPv6 or an IPv4 address, depending on the protocol used by your network and client.
+ `lightsail.region.api.aws`

For example, the dual-stack endpoint name for the `us-east-2` Region is `lightsail.us-east-2.api.aws`.

### Service endpoints by Region


The following are the service endpoints for Lightsail. For more information about the Regions available for Lightsail, see [Regions and Availability Zones for Lightsail](understanding-regions-and-availability-zones-in-amazon-lightsail.md).

[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/lightsail/latest/userguide/access-lightsail.html)

## Examples of specifying an endpoint


This section provides some examples of how to specify an endpoint when making a request.

**Note**  
If you do not specify an endpoint, the IPv4 endpoint is used by default.

------
#### [ AWS CLI ]

The following examples show how to specify an endpoint for the `us-east-2` Region using the AWS CLI.
+ **IPv4**

  ```
  aws lightsail get-regions --region us-east-2 --endpoint-url https://lightsail.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
  ```
+ **Dual-stack**

  ```
  aws lightsail get-regions --region us-east-2 --endpoint-url https://lightsail.us-east-2.api.aws
  ```

------
#### [ AWS SDK for Java 2.x ]

The following examples show how to specify an endpoint for the `us-east-2` Region using the AWS SDK for Java 2.x.
+ **IPv4**

  ```
  LightsailClient client = LightsailClient.builder()
      .region(Region.US_EAST_2)
      .endpointOverride(URI.create("https://lightsail.us-east-2.amazonaws.com"))
      .build();
  ```
+ **Dual-stack**

  ```
  LightsailClient client = LightsailClient.builder()
      .region(Region.US_EAST_2)
      .endpointOverride(URI.create("https://lightsail.us-east-2.api.aws"))
      .build();
  ```

------
#### [ AWS SDK for Java 1.x ]

The following examples show how to specify an endpoint for the `us-east-2` Region using the AWS SDK for Java 1.x.
+ **IPv4**

  ```
  AmazonLightsail lightsail = AmazonLightsailClientBuilder.standard()
       .withEndpointConfiguration(new EndpointConfiguration(
            "https://lightsail.us-east-2.amazonaws.com",
            "us-east-2"))
       .build();
  ```
+ **Dual-stack**

  ```
  AmazonLightsail lightsail = AmazonLightsailClientBuilder.standard()
       .withEndpointConfiguration(new EndpointConfiguration(
            "https://lightsail.us-east-2.api.aws",
            "us-east-2"))
       .build();
  ```

------
#### [ AWS SDK for Go ]

The following examples show how to specify an endpoint for the `us-east-2` Region using the AWS SDK for Go.
+ **IPv4**

  ```
  sess := session.Must(session.NewSession())
  svc := lightsail.New(sess, &aws.Config{
      Region: aws.String(endpoints.UsEast2RegionID),
      Endpoint: aws.String("https://lightsail.us-east-2.amazonaws.com")
  })
  ```
+ **Dual-stack**

  ```
  sess := session.Must(session.NewSession())
  svc := lightsail.New(sess, &aws.Config{
      Region: aws.String(endpoints.UsEast2RegionID),
      Endpoint: aws.String("https://lightsail.us-east-2.api.aws")
  })
  ```

------