Understanding cloud computing concepts and AWS fundamentals
Before diving into AWS services, you need to understand the fundamentals of cloud computing and why it matters.
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | What is Cloud Computing? |
| 2 | IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS |
| 3 | Public vs Private vs Hybrid Cloud |
| 4 | Introduction to AWS |
| 5 | AWS Global Infrastructure |
| 6 | Shared Responsibility Model |
| 7 | Well Architected Framework |
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Instead of buying, owning, and maintaining physical data centers and servers, you can access technology services (computing power, storage, databases) from a cloud provider like AWS.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| On-demand self-service | Provision resources without human interaction |
| Broad network access | Access from anywhere via internet |
| Resource pooling | Provider's resources shared among customers |
| Rapid elasticity | Scale up/down instantly based on demand |
| Measured service | Pay only for what you use |
Cloud services are categorized into three models based on what the provider manages vs what you manage.
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, Runtime, Apps, Data | Hardware, Networking, Virtualization | EC2, VPC, EBS |
| PaaS | Apps, Data | Everything else | Elastic Beanstalk, Lambda, RDS |
| SaaS | Just use it | Everything | Gmail, Slack, Salesforce |
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Applications │ ← You manage (IaaS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Data │ ← You manage (IaaS, PaaS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Runtime │ ← Provider manages (PaaS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Middleware │ ← Provider manages (PaaS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Operating System │ ← Provider manages (PaaS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Virtualization │ ← Provider manages (all)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Servers │ ← Provider manages (all)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Storage │ ← Provider manages (all)
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Networking │ ← Provider manages (all)
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Model | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Cloud | Resources owned by provider, shared across customers | Low cost, no maintenance, elastic | Less control, shared resources |
| Private Cloud | Dedicated infrastructure for one organization | Full control, security, compliance | High cost, limited scalability |
| Hybrid Cloud | Combination of public and private | Flexibility, gradual migration | Complexity, integration challenges |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's most comprehensive and widely adopted cloud platform.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2002 | AWS founded (originally for Amazon.com internal use) |
| 2006 | S3 and EC2 launched publicly |
| 2010 | All of Amazon.com moved to AWS |
| 2024 | 200+ services, 99 Availability Zones |
| Aspect | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Everything | Microsoft shops | Data/ML |
| Market share | ~32% | ~23% | ~10% |
| Services | 200+ | 200+ | 100+ |
| Strengths | Maturity, breadth | Enterprise, hybrid | ML, Kubernetes |
AWS infrastructure is designed for high availability and low latency.
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Region | Geographic location with multiple data centers (e.g., ap-south-1 = Mumbai) |
| Availability Zone (AZ) | One or more discrete data centers within a region |
| Edge Location | CDN endpoints for CloudFront (caching content close to users) |
| Local Zone | Extends a region closer to end-users for ultra-low latency |
Region: ap-south-1 (Mumbai)
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ AZ-1a │ │ AZ-1b │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ [EC2] │ │ [EC2] │ │
│ │ [RDS] │ ←──→ │ [RDS] │ Replica │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Best Practice: Deploy across multiple AZs for fault tolerance
AWS security is a shared responsibility between AWS and the customer.
| Responsibility | AWS ("Security OF the Cloud") | You ("Security IN the Cloud") |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Data centers, hardware, networking | - |
| Infrastructure | Compute, storage, database, networking | - |
| Platform | Managed services (RDS, Lambda) | Configuration, access control |
| Data | - | Encryption, access policies |
| Identity | - | IAM users, roles, MFA |
| Application | - | Code, patching (EC2), firewall rules |
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITY │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Customer Data │ │
│ │ Platform, Applications, Identity & Access │ │
│ │ Operating System, Network & Firewall Config │ │
│ │ Client-side & Server-side Encryption │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ AWS RESPONSIBILITY │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Software: Compute, Storage, Database, Network │ │
│ │ Hardware/AWS Global Infrastructure │ │
│ │ Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
AWS Well-Architected Framework helps you build secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure.
| Pillar | Focus | Key Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Excellence | Run and monitor systems | How do you respond to events? |
| Security | Protect data and systems | How do you manage identities? |
| Reliability | Recover from failures | How do you handle changes? |
| Performance Efficiency | Use resources efficiently | How do you select your resources? |
| Cost Optimization | Avoid unnecessary costs | How do you decommission resources? |
| Sustainability | Minimize environmental impact | How do you reduce impact? |
1. Operational Excellence
2. Security
3. Reliability
4. Performance Efficiency
5. Cost Optimization
6. Sustainability
| Topic | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|
| Cloud Computing | On-demand IT resources, pay-as-you-go, no hardware maintenance |
| IaaS/PaaS/SaaS | IaaS = most control, SaaS = least control, PaaS = balanced |
| Cloud Types | Public (shared), Private (dedicated), Hybrid (mix) |
| AWS | Market leader, 200+ services, global infrastructure |
| Infrastructure | Regions → AZs → Edge Locations (design for multi-AZ) |
| Shared Responsibility | AWS secures the cloud, you secure what's IN the cloud |
| Well-Architected | 6 pillars: Operations, Security, Reliability, Performance, Cost, Sustainability |
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