Step 1: Log in to your AWS Management Console at https://aws.amazon.com/console/.
Step 2: In the top-left corner, select EC2 from the services menu to navigate to the EC2 Dashboard.
Step 3: Click Launch Instance to start the setup process.
Step 4: Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). For basic setups, you can select a free tier eligible AMI like Amazon Linux 2 AMI (HVM).
Step 5: Choose an instance type. t2.micro is a good choice for testing and is eligible for the free tier.
Step 6: Click Review and Launch to proceed. You can review security group settings, which control access to your instance, but defaults work for a basic setup.
Step 7: On the review page, click Launch. You will be prompted to create or select a key pair for SSH access. Choose Create a new key pair, download it, and keep it secure.
Step 8: Your instance will begin launching. You can monitor its progress on the EC2 Dashboard.
Step 9: Once the instance is running, you can connect to it by selecting Connect in the EC2 Dashboard and following the instructions.
Step 1: Log in to your Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com/.
Step 2: In the left sidebar, select Virtual Machines and then click Create to start setting up a new instance.
Step 3: In the Basics tab, select your subscription and resource group, then give your virtual machine a unique name.
Step 4: Select a region close to your location. Choose Image as Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS or another preferred operating system.
Step 5: For the instance size, choose a basic option like B1s (good for testing) or select an option eligible for Azure's free trial if available.
Step 6: In the Administrator Account section, create a username and select either SSH public key or password for login authentication. If using SSH, upload your public key.
Step 7: Review and adjust network settings in the Networking tab if necessary, but defaults are sufficient for a basic setup.
Step 8: Click Review + create, check the configuration summary, and click Create to launch the instance.
Step 9: Once deployment is complete, go to the Virtual Machines page, select your instance, and click Connect to view access options.