Ultimate Alibaba Cloud Cheatsheet: A Comprehensive Guide for Cloud Engineers

Introduction to Alibaba Cloud

Alibaba Cloud (also known as Aliyun) is China’s largest cloud service provider and a significant global player. Founded in 2009, it offers a full suite of cloud computing services including elastic computing, storage, database, networking, security, AI, and more. Alibaba Cloud is particularly important for businesses looking to establish or expand their digital presence in Asia, especially China, while offering competitive global solutions comparable to AWS, Azure, and GCP.

Core Concepts and Services

Compute Services

Storage Services

Database Services

Networking Services

Alibaba Cloud Global Infrastructure

Regions and Availability Zones

• Regions: Separate geographic areas (currently 24+ globally)
• Availability Zones: Physically separated locations within a region (87+ globally)
• Edge Locations: Points of presence for CDN services (2,800+ globally)

China-Specific Infrastructure

• Special considerations for operating in China (ICP licensing, data residency)
• Enhanced connectivity within Mainland China
• Compliance with Chinese regulations

Step-by-Step Processes for Common Tasks

Launching an ECS Instance

1. Sign in to Alibaba Cloud console
2. Navigate to Elastic Compute Service
3. Click “Create Instance”
4. Select billing method (Pay-As-You-Go or Subscription)
5. Choose region and zone
6. Select instance type and configure specifications
7. Select image (public, custom, or marketplace)
8. Configure network settings (VPC, security group)
9. Configure system disk and data disks
10. Set password or key pair for authentication
11. Configure instance name and host name
12. Review and create

Setting Up a VPC with Public and Private Subnets

1. Access VPC console
2. Click “Create VPC”
3. Configure VPC name and CIDR block (e.g., 172.16.0.0/12)
4. Create public subnet with CIDR (e.g., 172.16.0.0/24)
5. Create private subnet with CIDR (e.g., 172.16.1.0/24)
6. Create a NAT Gateway for private subnet internet access
7. Configure route tables for each subnet
8. Create and attach an Internet Gateway for the public subnet
9. Configure security groups for access control

Setting Up OSS for Static Website Hosting

1. Sign in to the OSS console
2. Create a bucket with public read access
3. Configure bucket for static website hosting
4. Set default homepage and error page
5. Upload website files to the bucket
6. Configure CDN (optional) for improved performance
7. Point custom domain to OSS endpoint or CDN domain

Key Tools and Management Interfaces

Management Tools

Alibaba Cloud CLI Essential Commands

# Configuration
aliyun configure

# ECS Operations
aliyun ecs DescribeInstances
aliyun ecs CreateInstance --InstanceType ecs.g6.large --ImageId m-bp1h17bm86iyn7tq****

# OSS Operations
aliyun oss ls
aliyun oss cp file.txt oss://mybucket/
aliyun oss rm oss://mybucket/file.txt

# RDS Operations
aliyun rds DescribeDBInstances

Comparison Tables of Alibaba Cloud vs Other Providers

Compute Service Comparison

Storage Service Comparison

Database Service Comparison

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: High Latency for Global Users

Solution:

• Deploy resources in multiple regions
• Implement Alibaba Cloud CDN for static content
• Use Global Accelerator for dynamic content
• Configure Smart Access Gateway for hybrid deployments

Challenge: Cost Management

Solution:

• Implement resource tags for cost allocation
• Use Auto Scaling to match capacity with demand
• Leverage reserved instances for predictable workloads
• Configure Cost Center to track department spending
• Set up budget alerts through Cloud Monitor

Challenge: Operating in China

Solution:

• Obtain required ICP license for hosting websites
• Address data residency requirements with China region deployment
• Implement China-specific compliance measures
• Partner with Alibaba Cloud local teams for regulatory guidance
• Use Alibaba Cloud Marketplace solutions designed for China

Challenge: Security and Compliance

Solution:

• Implement Security Center for threat detection
• Configure network isolation with VPC and security groups
• Use encryption for data at rest and in transit
• Set up ActionTrail for audit logging
• Implement identity management through RAM

Best Practices and Practical Tips

Architecture Best Practices

• Design for failure and implement redundancy across zones
• Use managed services where possible to reduce operational overhead
• Implement infrastructure as code for repeatable deployments
• Design loosely coupled components with microservices
• Leverage auto-scaling for cost efficiency and performance

Security Best Practices

• Follow the principle of least privilege with RAM policies
• Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit
• Regularly rotate access keys and credentials
• Enable multi-factor authentication for console access
• Implement network segmentation with security groups and ACLs

Cost Optimization Tips

• Right-size resources based on actual usage patterns
• Use Spot Instances for non-critical, interruptible workloads
• Implement auto-scaling to match capacity with demand
• Consider reserved instances for stable, predictable workloads
• Delete or stop unused resources promptly

Performance Optimization

• Use Alibaba Cloud CDN for content delivery
• Implement caching at multiple layers (application, database)
• Choose appropriate instance types for workloads
• Monitor and tune database performance
• Optimize storage choices based on access patterns

Resources for Further Learning

Official Documentation

• Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center
• Developer Resources
• Alibaba Cloud Academy

Certification Paths

• Alibaba Cloud Certified Associate (ACA)
• Alibaba Cloud Certified Professional (ACP)
• Alibaba Cloud Certified Expert (ACE)

Community Resources

• Alibaba Cloud Community
• Alibaba Cloud Blog
• GitHub Repositories

Learning Platforms

• Alibaba Cloud Academy
• Coursera Alibaba Cloud Courses
• Udemy Alibaba Cloud Training

Quick Reference: Important Service Limits and Quotas