Part 1 - Create an account in AWS and start to play with some services
Tags: aws
Published: 2024-01-08 22:17:12

Hello!

First, this is my diary about my experience, learning the path to the cloud and the focus on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Don't forget that the account is a free tier, which means you have 12 months of almost 100 services to try.

I will update every time I continue this journey.

Happy cloud!

1.**Create an AWS account.**
- Go to the [https://aws.com/free](https://aws.com/free)
- Follow each of the steps
- Remember your credit card and your cell phone to validate your identity.
- After you receive the validation, go to the AWS Management Console.
- Because this is your first time logging, select Root user, and type your email and password.
    
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hfa5dpclzlbeaiji11l2.png)

2.**Set up MFA for the Root user**
- Extra larger protection for my account.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k4t1xsvy425880ee8cxq.png)
- Go to the service **IAM** **(Identity and Access Management)** to manage resource access.
- Click on Add MFA
- Add a name on the device name
- Select an MFA device, in my case I use the Authenticator app.
- Click on the Next button.
- **Note**: I fill both MFA codes with two different values.
- Add MFA.
- After all of this, refresh if you do not see any change in the security recommendations:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/eyy89k9f67qrnbua51u5.png)

3.**Create a new user admin detached from the root user**.
- Go to users on the left menu.
- Click Add User.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/aqjaoji3hgdjgva4c9lk.png)
- Next.
- Set permissions: this is because I’m the same root and admin user 😉
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cu9km4pq0ixg7s9rdet1.png)
- Then next,  create a user, and next.
- After this step, AWS will show a Retrieve password, that has 3 things →
        1. Console sign-in URL (Save in some bookmark)
        2. User name
        3. Console password
- The first is the URL with the ID associated with the user. We will use this to access the AWS Console.

4.**Enable billing alarm**: This is important to monitor your cost, even if there is a free tier.
- Go to the service Billing and cost management
- Next, in the left menu, Preference → Billing preferences
- On the box Alert Preferences, click on the Edit button.
- Select Receive AWS Free Tier alerts, it is not necessary to type the email.
- Select Receive CloudWatch alerts.
- Click on the Update button.
- This will show this message.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9kvox7hre4brxiik50c0.png)

5.**Create a billing alarm using the CloudWatch console:**
- Go to the service CloudWatch
- Choose alarms
- Create Alarm
- **Note:** Select the us-east-1 region if you do not see the Billing/Total Estimated Charge
- Select metric → choose Billing → and choose Total Estimated Charge → select USD

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/e9tho6hho8n6tuqo3jzb.png)

- Then Select the metric
- Let's almost like this show, and type the maximum amount of money, in this case, 5 USD
- If the amount of money exceeds 5 USD, then an email will be sent to you
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/15327oqhdr9m25ngz80l.png)
- Click Next.
- Create  a Notification and a new topic:
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ennn3o32cscsx5g3jlut.png)

- Click on Create topic.
- Click on Next.
- Add a Name to the alarm Name → Click on Next.
- Check everything is fine and click on Create alarm.
- Check your email and confirm the subscription on the topic.
- Refresh the dashboard alarm.

6.**Add MFA for the admin user**

- log-in with the link provided when it was created.
- Go to the IAM service
- Select Assign MFA
- It is the same process that we did for the root user.

7.**Set up the AWS CLI**

- Go to [https://aws.amazon.com/cli/?nc1=h_ls](https://aws.amazon.com/cli/?nc1=h_ls)
- Download the CLI for Windows in my case.
- Install the console.

8.**Link the AWS CLI with your account AWS**

- Go to the IAM service.
- Select Users on the left menu.
- In the Right menu select My Security credentials
- Go to the section Access keys
- Click on Create access keys
- Select Command Line Interface (CLI)
- Select: I understand the above recommendation and want to proceed to create an access key checkbox.
- Click Next → Click the Create access key button.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qk4li71q4sc1ax16w9zn.png)

- Validate AWS CLI is installed 
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nk7qhjdak7e22w1c1twt.png)

- you can use the aws —version command too.
- Now configure the connection with the previous access keys.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/83k27zqfhsilsf94xoi9.png)


See you next time!