How to Learn AWS: A Beginner’s Guide to the Cloud Computing Giant

As cloud computing takes over the tech industry, it’s become imperative to learn AWS, one of the top cloud computing platforms today. To do so, you must use the best resources available online which can be difficult to source. So, we bring you a comprehensive beginner’s guide on how to learn AWS. 

This article will help you understand what this platform is all about. We will cover its uses and which tech careers use it, after which we’ll give a rundown of the steps and online courses you can take to kickstart your AWS learning process. 

What Is AWS?

Amazon Web Services or AWS is a global cloud computing platform that offers a collection of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other cloud computing services designed to help organizations grow. These could be in the form of database, storage, content delivery, security, and big data management and analytics. 

What is cloud computing, you ask? In simple terms, cloud computing is the delivery of solutions and services via the Internet. Chief among the platforms that offer cloud computing services is AWS. AWS is used by companies to facilitate their server needs and manage their infrastructure. All of AWS’s features can essentially be divided into three main cost-effective groups.

• Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). EC2 instances offer computing capacity solutions for its clients. EC2 eliminates the need for brick-and-mortar servers through the creation of virtual servers, which are designed to run your applications faster and easier.
  
  
• Amazon Glacier. The Glacier feature of AWS provides affordable storage database systems solutions to companies. Companies use Glacier’s secure and reliable systems for long-term storage. It provides data centers and archiving services where you can store and access your data. The monthly Glacier prices can go as low as $0.004 per gigabyte every month. 
  
  
• Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). Like the Glacier feature, this cloud service offers S3 too. S3 is a tool that uses a web interface to offer data storage on the Internet. S3, like EC2, is primarily used to help minimize the tasks of a web developer. 
  
  

What Is AWS Used For?

Learning AWS is a great way to start your career in tech, primarily because the platform is so widely used in the industry. As of last year, AWS has garnered over 1,000,000 active users, making it the most popular cloud provider in the world above Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. 

While a majority of AWS’s client base is composed of small to midsize businesses, over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies also use the platform. According to the latest data, AWS controls around 32 percent of the cloud computing market. Among the well-known companies that use AWS are Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, ESPN, and Adobe. 

Companies use AWS to meet an array of virtual and cloud-based needs, including the following. 

AWS Reduces Computing Costs

AWS provides high-quality cloud computing services to companies at unbelievably low prices. Clients only pay for the AWS systems that they use for their server and storage needs, which is cheaper than using physical systems. 

AWS Secures Your Network, Data, and Accounts

As more companies move to cloud-based operations, the need for secure infrastructures has steadily grown. AWS comes with Amazon GuardDuty, a threat detection service that protects your AWS accounts and data from cyber threats at minimal cost and effort.

AWS Helps Businesses Expand Their Web Presence

AWS offers businesses scalability and adaptability. For instance, one can use AWS to launch a startup company and quickly move on to expanding the business. This is because AWS’s services already take care of the tedious tasks in management and systems administrations. This allows business owners to divert their attention to running and growing their companies.

Learn AWS: Step-by-Step

Learning AWS can be a very quick process depending on your background. You can learn the entire platform in around three days. But to understand the service, you must have an understanding of cloud-based computing as well as the related skills. 

We know that the best way to learn anything new is through structured learning. So, we have provided you with just that. Below is a step-by-step guide to learn AWS. 

1. Master the AWS Prerequisites

This is the first step to learning AWS. That is, mastering the necessary skills and concepts required for AWS domains. Familiarize yourself with client-server technology, programming languages, database management, and other prerequisites through tons of resources found online. For instance, learn to code for free using many reputable courses online. 

2. Enroll in an AWS Training Program

After familiarizing yourself with the basics, it’s time to learn what AWS is all about. Create an AWS account to learn the virtual machine systems, web applications, and operating systems the platform offers. While you’re at it, enroll in AWS courses to deepen your knowledge of the platform. You can also supplement your learning by reading an AWS beginner’s book. 

3. Join AWS Communities and Meetups

Expand your knowledge through interactions with people of different perspectives and experiences. Join AWS communities online and share or learn tips and tricks about AWS. To many, this step might not seem very important. But we believe interacting with other AWS gurus and learners is extremely helpful to broaden your knowledge of the platform. 

4. Practice

Practice the concepts you learned. AWS was designed to be used extensively so simply memorizing its features won’t take you far. Commit to practicing. Also, consider enrolling in hands-on courses so you can practice under the supervision of an instructor. 

5. Take the AWS Certification Exam

Now, take everything you learned and demonstrate how far you’ve come by getting certified. An AWS certification is a concrete way to showcase your mastery of the platform to prospective employers. 

The Best AWS Courses

The Internet is laden with online courses about AWS. While this is good, we know that whittling down the best courses from the not-so-good ones can be tedious. To help accelerate the process, we’ve listed our top picks for AWS courses below. 

AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate 2020

An official certification on AWS will do wonders for your career. Offered at $129.99, this course prepares you for the systems ops administrator exam. You will learn the topics covered in the exam before testing your knowledge in a practice test. 

If you aspire to become a certified AWS SysOps Administrator, we recommend taking this course to start building your cloud computing portfolio. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified- 4 Certifications!

Have you been looking for that all-inclusive course that prepares you for all the AWS certification exams? Then, look no more. This course by Udemy offers just that. Priced at $174.99, this course provides you with around 44 hours of on-demand content. 

It’s designed to prepare you for the Developer, SysOps Administrator, Solutions Architect, and Cloud Practitioner exams. But, if taking any of these exams is not on your agenda, enrolling in this course is still a great way to get an in-depth understanding of all these areas. 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate 2020

This course is meant for those who have a particular interest in managing AWS’s architecture. You’ll learn how to design scalable websites while ensuring their resilience. You will also learn about EC2, databases, and the advanced IAM on the platform. 

A computer and an AWS account are enough to take the course. The course is priced at $129.99 and provides 18 hours of on-demand videos with a certificate upon completion. 

AWS Essential Training For Architects

This course by LinkedIn Learning teaches the foundations of AWS’s architecture. You will learn how to decouple with SQS, SWF, and SNS, how to use elastic beanstalk, and how to create MySQL RD databases. The course will also teach you about EC2 regions, elastic load balancing, and general cloud concepts and practices.

Amazon Web Service (AWS) Fundamentals for System Administrators 

This introductory course on AWS walks you through the platform’s history and components. You’ll also learn about AWS’s infrastructure, security features, and storage systems. Offered by Pluralsight, this course comes with a 10-day free trial, during which you can complete this seven-hour-long AWS Administrator tutorial.  

AWS Serverless APIs & Apps – A Complete Introduction

This Udemy course will teach you about the applications and APIs present on the platform. You will learn how to build servers for APIs, host SPAs, and run on-demand code on AWS. The course will walk you through the setup process required for AWS and also teach you about data storage using DynaDB. You can take this course for $129.99 and earn a certification upon completion.  

AWS CloudFormation Master Class

This is another course offered by Udemy at $129.99. Through this, you’ll learn about cloud formation concepts and how to use YAML for cloud formatting templates. The course also offers ample hands-on projects and exercises for you to get familiar with EC2 and CFN Init. This course requires you to have a basic understanding of the AWS platform. 

AWS Fundamentals: Building Serverless Applications

This is a fantastic course offered by Coursera where you will learn everything about the serverless architecture present on the AWS platform. You will learn how the architecture applies to real-world business problems and how to choose which serverless solutions to create using AWS. You will also learn about Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, and Amazon Lex. 

Is Learning AWS Right for You?

If you were to seek any tech professional’s review of AWS, chances are, you’ll be met with positive feedback. Today, having an in-depth understanding of AWS is not only favored but also crucial. 

That’s because AWS remains the leading cloud computing service provider and its usage is only bound to go up. So, if you want to launch an IT career, increase your relevance by learning AWS.