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🔍 Overview
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides over 200 fully
featured services for cloud computing, networking, security, storage,
AI/ML, and beyond. However, for beginners, there are a few core services
that form the foundation of most applications. Understanding and using these
services will allow you to build, deploy, and manage real-world cloud
solutions.
In this chapter, we will cover the following key services:
🖥️ 1. EC2 (Elastic
Compute Cloud)
💡 What it is:
EC2 allows you to launch virtual machines (instances)
in the cloud. You can install any operating system, configure your software,
and scale resources as needed.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: Launching EC2 via CLI
bash
aws
ec2 run-instances \
--image-id ami-0c02fb55956c7d316 \
--instance-type t2.micro \
--key-name MyKeyPair \
--security-groups MySecurityGroup
Feature |
Example |
Instance Type |
t2.micro (Free Tier
eligible) |
AMI |
Amazon
Machine Image (Linux/Windows) |
Storage |
Elastic Block Store
(EBS) |
🗃️ 2. S3 (Simple Storage
Service)
💡 What it is:
S3 is object storage for the internet. You can store and
retrieve any amount of data from anywhere.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: Upload File to S3 via
CLI
bash
aws
s3 cp my-image.jpg s3://my-first-bucket/
Feature |
Benefit |
Storage Class |
Standard, Intelligent
Tiering, Glacier |
Bucket Policy |
Fine-grained
access control |
Encryption |
SSE-S3, SSE-KMS,
client-side |
🧮 3. RDS (Relational
Database Service)
💡 What it is:
RDS is a managed service for relational databases like
MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and SQL Server.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: Create RDS Instance
(MySQL) via CLI
bash
aws
rds create-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier mydb \
--db-instance-class db.t2.micro \
--engine mysql \
--allocated-storage 20 \
--master-username admin \
--master-user-password mypassword
DB Engine |
Supported |
MySQL |
✅ |
PostgreSQL |
✅ |
Oracle |
✅ (License required) |
SQL Server |
✅
(License required) |
⚡ 4. Lambda (Serverless
Computing)
💡 What it is:
AWS Lambda lets you run code without provisioning servers.
You write your function, upload it, and AWS handles everything else.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: Python Lambda Function
python
def
lambda_handler(event, context):
return {
'statusCode': 200,
'body': 'Hello from Lambda!'
}
Trigger Source |
Use Case |
S3 |
Resize image after
upload |
API Gateway |
Create
serverless API |
CloudWatch Events |
Scheduled tasks (CRON
jobs) |
🔐 5. IAM (Identity and
Access Management)
💡 What it is:
IAM controls access to AWS services and resources. You can
create users, groups, roles, and policies.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: Create New IAM User
via CLI
bash
aws
iam create-user --user-name mynewuser
IAM Entity |
Purpose |
User |
Individual access |
Group |
Manage
permissions for teams |
Role |
Temporary access (for services
or EC2) |
🌍 6. CloudFront (Content
Delivery Network)
💡 What it is:
CloudFront speeds up delivery of static/dynamic content via
a global network of edge locations.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example Use Case:
Host images on S3, deliver globally via CloudFront for
faster loading.
🌐 7. VPC (Virtual Private
Cloud)
💡 What it is:
VPC allows you to launch AWS resources in an isolated
virtual network that you define.
🔧 Key Features:
Component |
Description |
Subnet |
Divides VPC into
isolated sections |
IGW |
Connects VPC
to the public internet |
SG / NACL |
Controls traffic at
instance/network level |
📈 8. CloudWatch
(Monitoring & Logging)
💡 What it is:
CloudWatch collects and visualizes metrics, logs, and events
from AWS resources and applications.
🔧 Key Features:
✅ Example: View EC2 Metrics
bash
aws
cloudwatch get-metric-statistics \
--namespace AWS/EC2 \
--metric-name CPUUtilization \
--dimensions
Name=InstanceId,Value=i-1234567890abcdef0 \
--start-time 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z \
--end-time 2024-01-02T00:00:00Z \
--period 3600 \
--statistics Average
🧠 Summary Table – Core
AWS Services
Service |
Description |
Common Use Case |
EC2 |
Virtual machines in
the cloud |
Host applications or
APIs |
S3 |
Object
storage |
File hosting,
backups, static sites |
RDS |
Managed relational
databases |
Web apps, business
data storage |
Lambda |
Serverless
compute |
Event-driven
automation |
IAM |
User & access
control |
Secure user and role
management |
CloudFront |
CDN for
global delivery |
Image
hosting, website acceleration |
VPC |
Network isolation |
Secure app deployment |
CloudWatch |
Monitoring
and alerts |
Performance
tracking, logging |
🏁 Final Thoughts
With a solid understanding of these core AWS services,
you're now equipped to build scalable, secure, and cost-effective applications
in the cloud. These services form the backbone of cloud architecture on
AWS and are widely used in enterprise, startup, and hobby projects.
Answer:
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a cloud computing platform that provides on-demand
access to computing power, storage, databases, networking, machine learning,
and more. It allows users to run applications, host websites, and store data
without owning physical servers.
Answer:
Yes, AWS offers a Free Tier that gives new users limited access to
services like EC2, S3, Lambda, and RDS for 12 months. However, exceeding usage
limits or using services not covered by the free tier may result in charges.
Answer:
Popular AWS services for beginners include:
Answer:
Answer:
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) allows you to run virtual machines (instances) in
the cloud. You can choose an operating system, configure storage, and scale
resources based on your needs.
Answer:
Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is used to store and retrieve any amount of
data at any time. It is ideal for backups, file hosting, media libraries, and
serving static content.
Answer:
Not necessarily. While programming helps in using services like Lambda and
automation via SDKs or the AWS CLI, many services can be managed through the
AWS web console with little to no code.
Answer:
No, but it’s helpful. Certifications like AWS Cloud Practitioner or Solutions
Architect Associate validate your skills and improve job prospects,
especially if you plan to work in cloud roles.
Answer:
Yes. You can host a static website using S3 and CloudFront or a dynamic
website using EC2, RDS, and Load Balancer. AWS offers flexible solutions
for all types of web hosting.
Answer:
Regions are geographical locations (like us-east-1, ap-south-1) where
AWS operates data centers. Each region contains Availability Zones (AZs)—isolated
locations for high availability and fault tolerance.
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