Compute Services
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC2 | Virtual servers in the cloud | Instance types, AMIs, Auto Scaling | Web apps, development, batch processing |
| Lambda | Serverless functions | Event-driven, 15-min timeout, pay-per-use | Microservices, file processing, backends |
| ECS | Container orchestration | Task definitions, service auto scaling | Microservices, batch jobs, applications |
| EKS | Managed Kubernetes | Managed control plane, cluster auto scaling | Container orchestration at scale |
| Fargate | Serverless containers | No server management, pay-per-task | Containerized apps without infrastructure |
| Elastic Beanstalk | PaaS for web applications | Platform management, deployment automation | Web applications, development environments |
| Lightsail | Simple virtual servers | Fixed pricing, easy setup | Small websites, development environments |
| Batch | Managed batch processing | Job scheduling, compute environment management | High-throughput batch jobs, parallel processing |
| App Runner | Fully managed container app service | Automated deployments, auto scaling | Web applications and APIs |
Storage Services
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 | Object storage | Unlimited storage, 11 9’s durability | Data lakes, static websites, backups |
| EBS | Block storage for EC2 | SSD/HDD options, snapshots | EC2 root volumes, databases |
| EFS | Managed NFS file system | Elastic capacity, shared access | Content management, app development |
| FSx | Managed file systems | Windows, Lustre, NetApp, OpenZFS | Windows apps, HPC, business applications |
| S3 Glacier | Archive storage | Deep Archive, Flexible/Instant Retrieval | Long-term backups, compliance archives |
| Storage Gateway | Hybrid storage | File, Volume, Tape gateways | On-premises integration with cloud storage |
| Snow Family | Physical data transfer | Snowcone, Snowball, Snowmobile | Large-scale data migration, edge computing |
| Backup | Backup service | Policy-based, centralized | Multi-service backup management |
Database Services
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| RDS | Managed relational databases | MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MariaDB | Web apps, ERP systems, CRM systems |
| Aurora | MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible | 5x MySQL performance, distributed storage | Enterprise apps, high-performance databases |
| DynamoDB | NoSQL database | Single-digit millisecond latency, serverless | Mobile apps, gaming, serverless applications |
| ElastiCache | In-memory cache | Redis, Memcached | Real-time applications, caching layers |
| Neptune | Graph database | Property graph, RDF support | Social networks, recommendation engines |
| DocumentDB | MongoDB-compatible | MongoDB compatibility, scalable | Content management, catalogs, profiles |
| Keyspaces | Cassandra-compatible | Cassandra compatibility, serverless | Time-series data, industrial IoT |
| Timestream | Time series database | Time series optimized, auto scaling | IoT applications, DevOps, analytics |
| QLDB | Ledger database | Immutable, cryptographically verifiable | Financial records, supply chain, medical records |
| Redshift | Data warehouse | Columnar storage, petabyte scale | Business intelligence, analytics |
Networking & Content Delivery
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPC | Virtual network | Subnets, route tables, internet gateways | Network isolation, multi-tier apps |
| CloudFront | Content delivery network | Global edge locations, origin shield | Static/dynamic content, video streaming |
| Route 53 | DNS service | Domain registration, health checks, routing policies | Domain management, traffic routing |
| API Gateway | API management | REST/HTTP/WebSocket APIs, throttling | Microservices, serverless applications |
| Direct Connect | Dedicated network connection | Private connectivity to AWS | Hybrid environments, high-throughput workloads |
| Transit Gateway | Network transit hub | Connect VPCs and on-premises networks | Centralized network architecture |
| Global Accelerator | Network performance service | Anycast IP addresses, health checking | Global applications, gaming, IoT |
| Elastic Load Balancing | Load distribution | ALB, NLB, GLB, CLB | Distribute traffic across multiple targets |
| App Mesh | Service mesh | Service-to-service communication | Microservices monitoring and control |
| VPN | Virtual private network | Site-to-Site, Client VPN | Secure remote access, site connectivity |
Security, Identity & Compliance
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAM | Identity management | Users, groups, roles, policies | Access control, permission management |
| Cognito | Customer identity | User pools, identity pools | User sign-up/sign-in, social login |
| GuardDuty | Threat detection | Continuous monitoring, anomaly detection | Security monitoring, threat intelligence |
| Inspector | Vulnerability assessment | Network accessibility assessment, host assessment | Security assessments, vulnerability management |
| Macie | Data security | PII detection, data classification | Sensitive data discovery, compliance |
| Security Hub | Security posture management | Centralized security view, compliance checks | Security aggregation, compliance monitoring |
| WAF | Web application firewall | Rules, IP filtering, rate limiting | Protection against web attacks |
| Shield | DDoS protection | Standard (free), Advanced (paid) | Network/transport layer protection |
| Firewall Manager | Security policy management | Centralized rule management | Multi-account security management |
| KMS | Key management | Customer master keys, key rotation | Data encryption |
| CloudHSM | Hardware security modules | FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated | Regulatory compliance, cryptographic operations |
| Secrets Manager | Secrets management | Secret rotation, secure storage | Database credentials, API keys |
| Certificate Manager | SSL/TLS certificate management | Certificate issuance, renewal, deployment | HTTPS security |
| Directory Service | Managed Active Directory | AWS Managed Microsoft AD, Simple AD | Windows workload integration |
| IAM Identity Center | Single sign-on | SAML integration, permission sets | Centralized access management |
| Artifact | Compliance documentation | On-demand access to compliance reports | Audit support, compliance verification |
Analytics & Big Data
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athena | Interactive query service | Serverless, pay-per-query | Log analysis, ad-hoc queries |
| EMR | Big data processing | Hadoop, Spark, HBase | Data transformation, big data processing |
| Kinesis | Real-time data streaming | Data Streams, Data Firehose, Video Streams | Real-time analytics, IoT data processing |
| QuickSight | Business intelligence | ML-powered insights, embedded analytics | Business dashboards, data visualization |
| Glue | ETL service | Data Catalog, crawlers, ETL jobs | Data preparation, schema discovery |
| Lake Formation | Data lake service | Fine-grained access control, blueprints | Centralized data lake management |
| OpenSearch Service | Search and analytics | Full-text search, visualization | Log analytics, application monitoring |
| Data Exchange | Data marketplace | Third-party data sets, subscription management | Data acquisition, data monetization |
| MSK | Managed Kafka service | Kafka compatibility, serverless option | Stream processing, metrics collection |
| DataSync | Data transfer service | On-premises to AWS, between AWS services | Large-scale data transfers |
Machine Learning & AI
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| SageMaker | ML platform | Notebooks, model training, deployment | End-to-end ML workflows |
| Comprehend | Natural language processing | Language detection, entity recognition | Sentiment analysis, content analysis |
| Rekognition | Image/video analysis | Object detection, facial analysis | Content moderation, media analysis |
| Polly | Text-to-speech | Natural-sounding voices, SSML support | Accessibility, voice interfaces |
| Transcribe | Speech-to-text | Real-time transcription, medical transcription | Call analytics, content transcription |
| Translate | Machine translation | Neural machine translation, customization | Content localization, translation |
| Lex | Conversational interfaces | NLU, dialog management | Chatbots, virtual assistants |
| Kendra | Enterprise search | Natural language queries, semantic search | Document search, knowledge bases |
| Personalize | Recommendation engine | Real-time recommendations, A/B testing | Product recommendations, content personalization |
| Forecast | Time-series forecasting | AutoML forecasting, what-if analysis | Inventory planning, resource allocation |
| Textract | Document text extraction | OCR, form extraction, table extraction | Document processing, data extraction |
| Bedrock | Foundation models | Text, image, code generation | Generative AI applications |
Management & Monitoring
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| CloudWatch | Monitoring and observability | Metrics, logs, alarms, dashboards | Application monitoring, resource utilization |
| CloudTrail | API activity monitoring | API call history, log file integrity | Security analysis, compliance, troubleshooting |
| Config | Resource configuration tracking | Configuration history, compliance rules | Compliance auditing, change management |
| Systems Manager | Resource management | Run Command, State Manager, Parameter Store | Patch management, automation |
| Trusted Advisor | Best practice recommendations | Cost, performance, security, fault tolerance checks | Optimization guidance |
| Organizations | Account management | Service control policies, consolidated billing | Multi-account strategies |
| Control Tower | Landing zone setup | Account factory, guardrails | Enterprise cloud setup, governance |
| CloudFormation | Infrastructure as code | Templates, stacks, change sets | Environment provisioning, standardization |
| Service Catalog | Service portfolio management | Portfolios, products, constraints | Self-service provisioning |
| Cost Explorer | Cost management | Reports, forecasting, recommendations | Cost analysis, budgeting |
| Managed Grafana | Visualization service | Grafana compatibility, built-in data sources | Operational dashboards |
| Managed Service for Prometheus | Container monitoring | Prometheus compatibility, long-term storage | Kubernetes monitoring |
Developer Tools
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| CodeCommit | Source control | Git repositories, pull requests | Code storage, version control |
| CodeBuild | Build service | Environment customization, build specifications | Compile code, run tests |
| CodeDeploy | Deployment service | Blue/green deployments, rollbacks | Application deployment |
| CodePipeline | CI/CD service | Pipeline visualization, integrations | Release automation |
| CodeStar | Project management | Project templates, team management | End-to-end development |
| Cloud9 | Cloud IDE | Collaborative editing, terminal access | Remote development |
| X-Ray | Application tracing | Service maps, trace analysis | Request tracing, performance analysis |
| CodeArtifact | Artifact repository | Maven, npm, PyPI, NuGet support | Package management |
| CodeGuru | Code review and profiling | ML-based recommendations, profiling | Code quality, optimization |
| Amplify | Web/mobile development | CI/CD, authentication, storage | Full-stack applications |
| AppConfig | Feature flagging | Staged rollouts, configuration profiles | Feature deployment, A/B testing |
Application Integration
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQS | Message queuing | Standard and FIFO queues, dead-letter queues | Application decoupling, workload processing |
| SNS | Pub/sub messaging | Topics, subscriptions, push notifications | Application alerts, notifications |
| EventBridge | Event bus | Rules, targets, event buses | Event-driven architectures |
| MQ | Message broker | ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ support | Enterprise messaging |
| Step Functions | Workflow orchestration | Visual workflow editor, error handling | Business processes, data processing |
| AppFlow | Integration service | SaaS application integration | Salesforce, Zendesk integrations |
| AppSync | GraphQL interface | Real-time updates, offline sync | Mobile/web app data synchronization |
Mobile & Front-End Web
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplify | Mobile/web app platform | Authentication, storage, APIs | Full-stack applications |
| Device Farm | App testing | Physical devices, automation | Cross-device testing |
| Location Service | Location-based service | Maps, geocoding, routing | Mapping applications, asset tracking |
| Pinpoint | Customer engagement | Segmentation, analytics, personalization | Marketing campaigns, messaging |
IoT Services
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| IoT Core | IoT connectivity | MQTT/HTTP protocols, authentication | Device connection, messaging |
| IoT Analytics | IoT data analysis | Data collection, preprocessing, storage | Operational insights |
| IoT Events | Event detection | Event detection, alert notifications | Equipment monitoring |
| IoT SiteWise | Industrial IoT | Asset modeling, data collection | Industrial equipment monitoring |
| IoT Greengrass | Edge computing | Lambda at the edge, local messaging | Local processing, offline operation |
| IoT TwinMaker | Digital twin service | 3D visualization, real-time updates | Virtual representations of physical assets |
End User Computing
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| WorkSpaces | Virtual desktops | Windows/Linux desktops, persistent storage | Remote work, secure desktops |
| AppStream 2.0 | Application streaming | Stream desktop applications | Application access without installation |
| WorkLink | Secure web access | Secure browser for internal websites | Mobile access to internal web apps |
| WorkDocs | Document collaboration | File storage, version control | Team collaboration, document management |
| WorkMail | Business email | Email, contacts, calendars | Enterprise email solution |
Serverless Ecosystem
| Service | Category | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambda | Compute | Event-driven functions, pay-per-use | Microservices, event processing |
| Fargate | Compute | Serverless containers | Containerized applications |
| Aurora Serverless | Database | Auto-scaling, pay-per-use | Variable workload databases |
| DynamoDB | Database | Auto-scaling, on-demand capacity | Web applications, mobile backends |
| API Gateway | Networking | REST/HTTP/WebSocket APIs | API endpoints for Lambda |
| AppSync | Networking | GraphQL APIs | Real-time data synchronization |
| S3 | Storage | Object storage, event notifications | Static assets, data storage |
| EventBridge | Integration | Event routing | Event-driven architectures |
| Step Functions | Integration | Workflow orchestration | Serverless workflows |
| SQS/SNS | Integration | Messaging | Decoupled communication |
Migration & Transfer
| Service | Description | Key Features | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration Hub | Migration tracking | Migration tracking, tool integration | Planning and tracking migrations |
| Application Migration Service | Server migration | Lift-and-shift migration | Rehosting on-premises applications |
| Database Migration Service | Database migration | Homogeneous/heterogeneous migrations | Database platform changes |
| Transfer Family | File transfer | SFTP, FTPS, FTP support | Secure file transfer integration |
| DataSync | Data transfer | On-premises to AWS, between AWS services | Large-scale data transfers |
| Snow Family | Offline data transfer | Snowcone, Snowball, Snowmobile | Petabyte-scale data migration |
| Application Discovery Service | Discovery | Agentless/agent-based discovery | Application dependency mapping |
Pricing Models
| Model | Description | Best For | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-Demand | Pay for what you use | Variable workloads | None |
| Reserved Instances | Discounted for commitment | Steady-state workloads | 1 or 3 years |
| Savings Plans | Commit to usage amount | Variable workloads across services | 1 or 3 years |
| Spot Instances | Bid for unused capacity | Flexible, fault-tolerant workloads | None (can be terminated) |
| Dedicated Hosts | Physical host dedicated to you | Licensing, compliance | On-demand or reserved |
AWS Global Infrastructure
- Regions: Geographic areas with multiple Availability Zones
- Availability Zones: Isolated data centers within a Region
- Local Zones: Extension of a Region closer to end users
- Wavelength Zones: AWS infrastructure at 5G network edge
- Edge Locations: Content delivery endpoints for CloudFront
- Outposts: AWS infrastructure on-premises
Well-Architected Framework Pillars
| Pillar | Focus | Key Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Excellence | Running and monitoring systems | How do you run your workload effectively? |
| Security | Protecting information and systems | How do you secure your workload? |
| Reliability | Workload performing intended functions | How do you ensure your workload is reliable? |
| Performance Efficiency | Using resources efficiently | How do you use computing resources efficiently? |
| Cost Optimization | Avoiding unnecessary costs | How do you optimize your costs? |
| Sustainability | Minimizing environmental impact | How do you minimize environmental impact? |
Getting Started Resources
- AWS Free Tier: Free access to services for 12 months
- AWS Documentation: docs.aws.amazon.com
- AWS Well-Architected Tool: Review workloads against best practices
- AWS Solutions Library: Reference implementations
- AWS Workshops: workshops.aws
- AWS Skill Builder: Online learning platform
- AWS Certification: Validate cloud expertise