Learn AWS by Yourself? 10 Services to Know

It can be challenging to know where to start since the AWS platform offers a multitude of services. However, by focusing your efforts on the basics, you can quickly acquire the necessary knowledge to deploy and manage cloud applications.

Here are the 10 essential services to master to fully leverage AWS.  

1. IAM (Identity and Access Management)  

IAM is the AWS service that allows you to manage access to your account’s resources. It plays a crucial role in security by controlling who can do what on your cloud infrastructure. With IAM, you can create individual users or group multiple users into groups. You can also define roles that allow other AWS services to interact with each other.

To get started, learn how to write and apply policies to restrict or allow specific actions. For example, you can limit a user to read-only access to an S3 bucket. Additionally, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a best practice to enhance account security.

2. EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)  

EC2 is AWS’s compute service, allowing you to rent virtual servers called instances. With EC2, you can choose from different instance types depending on your needs: lightweight machines for testing or high-performance servers for demanding applications. It’s like renting a computer that you can configure and resize as needed.

To get started, familiarize yourself with the process of launching an instance. You’ll need to choose an operating system (like Linux or Windows), configure security groups to set up network rules (like allowing SSH or HTTP), and connect to your instance to install your applications. Keep in mind that AWS offers free tier instances for new users.

3. S3 (Simple Storage Service)  

S3 is AWS’s object storage service, known for its flexibility and affordability. It’s designed to store files such as images, videos, documents, or even database backups. Data is organized into buckets, which are logical containers for storing and organizing your files. Each bucket is unique in AWS’s global scope and can be configured with specific rules, such as access permissions or lifecycle policies to automatically archive or delete data after a certain period.

One of S3’s advantages is its durability: your files are replicated across multiple data centers to prevent loss. When exploring this service, learn to create and configure a bucket, manage permissions to make files public or private, and use features like versioning to keep file history. S3 is a cornerstone of cloud projects due to its simplicity and integration with other services.

4. RDS (Relational Database Service)  

RDS simplifies the deployment and management of relational databases. Whether you’re using MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server, this service handles time-consuming tasks like backups, software updates, and fault tolerance. With RDS, you can focus on managing the data itself rather than the underlying infrastructure.

To get started, learn how to launch an RDS instance and configure options like automatic backups or Multi-AZ instances for high availability. This ensures your database remains functional even in the event of a failure.

5. Route 53  

Route 53 is AWS’s DNS service, designed to manage domain names and route traffic to your applications or servers. In addition to classic DNS functions, Route 53 offers advanced options such as latency-based or geolocation routing.

Start by registering a domain or configuring an existing domain with Route 53. Then learn how to create different types of DNS records (like A or CNAME) to direct users to your applications. This service is essential for web applications that require optimal performance and availability.

6. ELB (Elastic Load Balancer)  

ELB automatically distributes traffic across multiple EC2 instances to ensure balanced distribution and prevent overload. It also monitors the health of instances and redirects traffic if an instance fails.

To understand how it works, start by setting up a load balancer for a group of EC2 instances. Familiarize yourself with the different types of load balancers available (classic, network, and application) and understand their independent use cases. ELB is crucial for maintaining high availability and scalability of your instances.

7. CloudFront  

CloudFront is AWS’s Content Delivery Network (CDN) service. It improves the speed and efficiency of data delivery by caching it at strategic locations worldwide, reducing latency and enhancing the user experience.

To use it, set up a CloudFront distribution to deliver files stored in S3 or to accelerate your website. Learn how to enable HTTPS for secure connections and optimize caching rules to reduce costs. CloudFront is especially useful for high-traffic websites or applications requiring high performance.

8. VPC (Virtual Private Cloud)  

A VPC allows you to create a private, isolated network within the AWS cloud. It forms the foundation of AWS networking, offering complete control over your configuration.

Learn how to configure public and private subnets, define routes to connect your resources, and use NAT gateways to allow private instances to access the internet. Mastering VPC is essential for designing secure and scalable cloud architectures.

9. Lambda  

Lambda is a serverless compute service that runs code in response to events. You don’t need to manage infrastructure, making it ideal for one-off tasks or modern architectures based on microservices.

To get started, explore how to write a Lambda function in Python or Node.js, set up a trigger (like an S3 event or an API Gateway request), and monitor your executions via CloudWatch. Lambda is powerful and flexible, especially for automating tasks or processing data streams.

10. API Gateway  

API Gateway allows you to create, publish, and manage REST or WebSocket APIs. This service is often used with Lambda to deploy applications. It also enables securing your API through mechanisms like token authentication or SSL certificate management, ensuring secure communication between your clients and services.

Learn to create an API, define routes and methods (GET, POST, etc.), and integrate Lambda functions or other AWS services. You can also configure API keys and quotas to manage users.

Conclusion  

By mastering these 10 AWS services, you’ll be well-equipped to explore the AWS ecosystem and build robust, scalable solutions.

Start small, experiment, and don’t forget to consult the official documentation to deepen your knowledge.