www.example.com doesn't work, but www.example.com/index.html does

Question

Hello,

I am setting up a static website with s3 and cloudfront, and my site `https://www.example.com/index.html` loads just fine, but `https://www.example.com` doesn't - it throws a 403 error.

I have a hosted zone in route 53 for `example.com` with 6 records: 
1) `example.com` type `A` routing to my cloudfront distribution, similar to `abcd123456789.cloudfront.net`
2) `www.example.com` type `A` again routing to my cloudfront distribution `abcd123456789.cloudfront.net`
3) `example.com` type `NS` routing to my 4 nameservers, similar to `ns-1234.awsdns-01.com`
4) `example.com` type `SOA` routing to the first nameserver of the `NS` record, so `ns-1234.awsdns-01.com` 
5)  `randomcharacters1.example.com` type `CNAME` routing to `randomcharacters2.tftwdmzmwn.acm-validation.aws`
6) `randomcharacters3.www.example.com` type `CNAME` routing to `randomcharacters4.tftwdmzmwn.acm-validation.aws`

The two CNAME records are pulled from aws CM > certificates > name of certificate > Domains, where it lists one of the records for `example.com` and the other for `www.example.com`.

Also, here is the complete list of what happens when I type these urls into the browser:

1) `example.com` - redirects to `https://example.com` - 403 error
2) `www.example.com` - redirects to `https://example.com` - 403 error  
3) `https://example.com` - 403 error
4) `https://www.example.com` - 403 error
5)  `http://example.com` - redirects to `https://example.com` - 403 error
6) `http://www.example.com` - redirects to `https://example.com` - 403 error
7) `example.com/index.html` - redirects to `https://example.com/index.html` - displays correctly 
8) `www.example.com/index.html` - redirects to `https://www.example.com/index.html` - displays correctly
9) `https://example.com/index.html` - displays correctly 
10) `https://www.example.com/index.html` - displays correctly
11)  `http://example.com/index.html` - redirects to `https://example.com/index.html` - displays correctly
12) `http://www.example.com/index.html` - redirects to `https://www.example.com/index.html` - displays correctly

So it's the case that whenever I add `/index.html` the site works, but when I don't, it doesn't. 
`Default root object` under **Cloudfront** > **Distributions** > **distribution name** > **General** > **Settings** is `example-com.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/index.html`. 
A link to an earlier related question I asked is [here](https://repost.aws/questions/QUlgzwFY2HSoy3y0w26X2ruw/https-response-times-out-http-delivers-content-though)

Accepted Answer

The default root object is configured incorrectly. According to the docs it should only be the object name relative to the bucket without any prefix `/`. In your case it should be `index.html`.

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudFront/latest/DeveloperGuide/DefaultRootObject.html

Answer

You could use a CloudFront Function to append `index.html` to requests that don't specify a filename: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudFront/latest/DeveloperGuide/example-function-add-index.html

Answer

I had a similar problem with the s3/cloud front configuration for my blog site. I had to use a custom origin in the cloudfront distribution.

If you look at https://headforthe.cloud/article/hosting-a-static-blog-in-aws/, it shares the terraform I used to deploy my site, specifically at https://headforthe.cloud/article/hosting-a-static-blog-in-aws/#cloudfront.

Answer

- Make sure that you have set up the S3 bucket to act as a static website
- Check if the "Origin Domain Name" is set to the S3 website endpoint (e.g., example-com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com) instead of the bucket's REST endpoint (e.g., example-com.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com). If not, update the "Origin Domain Name" to the S3 website endpoint.
- In the CloudFront Management Console, select your distribution and click on the "Distribution Settings" tab. Under "Default Root Object," set the value to "index.html" (without the bucket URL). This setting ensures that when users request the root URL of your website, CloudFront serves the "index.html" file.
and Please Check

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudFront/latest/DeveloperGuide/GettingStarted.SimpleDistribution.html

www.example.com doesn't work, but www.example.com/index.html does

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