AWS Cloud Basics: The Ultimate Beginner’s Cheatsheet

Introduction: What is AWS and Why It Matters

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive cloud platform offering over 200 fully-featured services from data centers globally. As the market leader in cloud computing, AWS provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and packaged software as a service (SaaS) offerings.

Why AWS Matters:

• Scalability: Easily scale resources up or down based on demand
• Cost-Effectiveness: Pay only for what you use with no upfront costs
• Global Reach: Deploy applications worldwide in minutes
• Security: Enterprise-grade security and compliance features
• Innovation: Access to cutting-edge technologies without infrastructure investments

Core AWS Concepts

AWS Global Infrastructure

AWS Account Structure

• AWS Account: Base-level container for AWS resources
• AWS Organizations: Centrally manage multiple AWS accounts
• IAM: Identity and Access Management for security controls
• Root User: Account owner with complete access (use sparingly)

AWS Pricing Models

• Pay-as-you-go: Pay only for services you consume
• Reserved Instances: Discounted rates for 1 or 3-year commitments
• Spot Instances: Bid on unused EC2 capacity at up to 90% discount
• Savings Plans: Flexible pricing model for EC2, Fargate, and Lambda
• Free Tier: Limited free usage for new accounts (12 months)

Essential AWS Services by Category

Compute Services

Storage Services

Database Services

Networking Services

Security Services

Step-by-Step Processes

Setting Up an AWS Account

1. Visit aws.amazon.com and click “Create an AWS Account”
2. Provide email address and AWS account name
3. Enter contact information and payment method
4. Verify identity via phone call
5. Select a support plan (Free tier recommended for beginners)
6. Secure your root account with MFA
7. Create administrative IAM users

Creating a Secure VPC

1. Navigate to VPC service in AWS Console
2. Use “Create VPC” wizard
3. Define CIDR block (e.g., 10.0.0.0/16)
4. Create subnets across multiple AZs
   • Public subnets (with route to internet gateway)
   • Private subnets (no direct internet access)
5. Configure route tables
6. Set up security groups and NACLs
7. Create internet gateway and NAT gateway
8. Configure VPC endpoints for AWS services

Launching an EC2 Instance

1. Navigate to EC2 service in AWS Console
2. Click “Launch Instance”
3. Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
4. Choose instance type
5. Configure instance details (VPC, subnet, IAM role)
6. Add storage (EBS volumes)
7. Add tags for organization
8. Configure security group (firewall rules)
9. Review and create a key pair for SSH access
10. Launch the instance

Setting Up S3 Storage

1. Navigate to S3 service in AWS Console
2. Click “Create bucket”
3. Enter globally unique bucket name
4. Select region
5. Configure bucket settings:
   • Public access settings
   • Versioning
   • Encryption
   • Tags
6. Create bucket
7. Upload objects (files)
8. Configure permissions and access policies

Common Challenges and Solutions

Cost Management

Security Best Practices

Performance Optimization

AWS CLI Quick Reference

Installation

# macOS (using Homebrew)
brew install awscli

# Windows (download and run the MSI installer)
# https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.msi

# Linux
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install

Configuration

# Interactive configuration
aws configure

# Specify profile
aws configure --profile myprofile

Common AWS CLI Commands

# S3 Commands
aws s3 ls                             # List buckets
aws s3 ls s3://bucket-name/           # List objects in bucket
aws s3 cp file.txt s3://bucket-name/  # Upload file
aws s3 sync local-dir s3://bucket/    # Sync directory to S3

# EC2 Commands
aws ec2 describe-instances            # List EC2 instances
aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids i-12345678  # Start instance
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-12345678   # Stop instance

# IAM Commands
aws iam list-users                    # List IAM users
aws iam create-user --user-name john  # Create user

Best Practices

Cost Optimization

• Tag resources for cost allocation and tracking
• Set up billing alerts to monitor spending
• Use spot instances for non-critical workloads
• Implement auto-scaling to match capacity with demand
• Regularly review the AWS Trusted Advisor recommendations

Security

• Enable MFA for all users, especially root
• Rotate access keys regularly
• Use IAM roles instead of embedding credentials
• Implement CloudTrail for audit logging
• Regularly review security groups and IAM policies
• Use AWS Config for compliance monitoring

Reliability

• Design for failure by using multiple Availability Zones
• Implement health checks and auto-recovery
• Use managed services where possible
• Set up automated backups for critical data
• Document and test disaster recovery procedures

Performance

• Use CloudFront for content delivery
• Implement caching at multiple layers
• Choose the right instance types for workloads
• Monitor performance with CloudWatch
• Consider data transfer costs when designing architecture

Resources for Further Learning

Official AWS Resources

• AWS Documentation
• AWS Training and Certification
• AWS Architecture Center
• AWS Well-Architected Framework
• AWS Whitepapers

Certification Paths

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: Entry-level certification
2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate: Designing available, cost-efficient systems
3. AWS Certified Developer Associate: Developing and maintaining AWS applications
4. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate: Operations on AWS
5. Professional and Specialty certifications for advanced skills

Community and Learning Platforms

• AWS re:Invent – Annual conference videos
• A Cloud Guru – Learning platform
• AWS Workshops – Hands-on labs
• r/aws – Reddit community
• Stack Overflow – Q&A for AWS issues

Free AWS Resources

• AWS Free Tier – Try services for free
• AWS Solutions Library – Reference implementations
• AWS Samples on GitHub – Code examples
• AWS This Week – Weekly news series

Remember that AWS services evolve rapidly, so always refer to the official AWS documentation for the most up-to-date information.