Claim: Amazon Web Services spanned a wide range of services.

Amazon Web Services -LRB- AWS -RRB- describes both a technology and a company . The company AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon.com and provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to both individuals , companies and governments , on a paid subscription basis with a free-tier option available for 12 months . The technology allows subscribers to have at their disposal full-fledged virtual cluster of computers , available 24/7/365 , through the internet . AWS ' version of virtual computers have most of the attributes of a real computer including hardware -LRB- CPU -LRB- s -RRB- & GPU -LRB- s -RRB- for processing , local/RAM memory , hard-disk/SSD storage -RRB- ; a choice of operating systems ; networking ; and pre-loaded application software such as web servers , databases , CRM ... nearly anything . Each AWS system also virtualizes its console I/O -LRB- keyboard , display , and mouse -RRB- , allowing AWS subscribers to connect to their AWS system using a modern browser . The browser acts as a window into the virtual computer , letting subscribers log-in , configure and use their virtual systems just as they would a real physical computer . They can choose to deploy their AWS systems to provide internet-based services for their own and their customers ' benefit .   The AWS technology is implemented at server farms throughout the world , and maintained by the Amazon subsidiary . Fees are based on a combination of usage , the hardware/OS/software / networking features chosen by the subscriber , required availability , redundancy , security , and service options . Based on what the subscriber needs and pays for , they can reserve a single virtual AWS computer , a cluster of virtual computers , a physical -LRB- real -RRB- computer dedicated for their exclusive use , or even a cluster of dedicated physical computers . As part of the subscription agreement , Amazon manages , upgrades , and provides industry-standard security to each subscriber 's system . AWS services operate from many global geographical regions including 6 in North America .   In 2016 , AWS comprised more than 70 services spanning a wide range including compute , storage , networking , database , analytics , application services , deployment , management , mobile , developer tools , and tools for the Internet of Things . The most popular include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud -LRB- aka `` EC2 '' -RRB- and Amazon Simple Storage Service -LRB- aka `` S3 '' -RRB- . Most services are not exposed directly to end users , but instead offer functionality through APIs for developers to use in their applications . Amazon Web Services ' offerings are accessed over HTTP , using the REST architectural style and SOAP protocol .   Amazon markets AWS to subscribers as a way of obtaining large scale computing capacity more quickly and cheaply than building an actual physical server farm . All services are billed based on usage , but each service measures usage in varying ways .