Deep dive into AWS architecture
Published: 2023-03-09 15:45:34

Author: Rajat Goel

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has emerged as a leader in cloud infrastructure services. AWS is a comprehensive platform offering a vast range of cloud services such as storage, computing, networking, database, and analytics to customers around the world. In this blog, we will dive deep into the architecture of AWS, its components, and how it operates.

Overview of AWS Architecture

AWS architecture is designed to provide customers with a secure, flexible, and scalable cloud computing environment. AWS infrastructure consists of a global network of data centers, edge locations, and points of presence (PoPs) connected via high-speed fiber-optic networks. AWS provides a range of services that can be categorized into four primary groups, namely Compute, Storage, Database, and Networking. These services work together to enable customers to deploy and run applications in the cloud, store and manage data, and access network resources.

AWS Compute Services

AWS offers various compute services such as EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud), Lambda, ECS (Elastic Container Service), and more. EC2 is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It allows users to create, launch, and manage instances of virtual servers in the cloud. Lambda, on the other hand, is a serverless compute service that allows users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. ECS is a container management service that allows users to run Docker containers on a scalable infrastructure.

AWS Storage Services

AWS storage services include S3 (Simple Storage Service), EBS (Elastic Block Store), and Glacier. S3 is a highly scalable and durable object storage service that allows customers to store and retrieve data from anywhere on the web. EBS provides block-level storage volumes for EC2 instances and is optimized for low-latency and high-throughput workloads. Glacier is a low-cost storage service that is designed for data archiving and backup.

AWS Database Services

AWS offers a range of database services, including RDS (Relational Database Service), DynamoDB, Aurora, and more. RDS is a managed database service that supports multiple database engines such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle. DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service that provides fast and predictable performance with seamless scalability. Aurora is a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database engine built for the cloud.

AWS Networking Services

AWS networking services include VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), ELB (Elastic Load Balancer), and Route 53. VPC allows customers to launch AWS resources into a virtual network that they define. It provides complete control over the network topology, including IP address range, subnets, and routing tables. ELB distributes incoming traffic across multiple instances of an application or service, ensuring that no single instance is overwhelmed. Route 53 is a highly available and scalable Domain Name System (DNS) service that provides a reliable way to route end-users to Internet applications.

AWS Architecture Components

AWS architecture is comprised of several components that work together to provide a scalable and highly available cloud infrastructure. These components include:

Regions - AWS is divided into multiple geographic regions around the world, each of which contains multiple availability zones. Each region is a separate geographic area that has multiple data centers.

Availability Zones - An availability zone (AZ) is a data center or a cluster of data centers that are physically separated from each other. Each AZ is isolated from other AZs and has its own power source, networking, and connectivity.

Edge Locations - AWS edge locations are data centers that are distributed around the world and are used to cache content and deliver low-latency content to end-users.

Points of Presence (PoPs) - AWS PoPs are locations where AWS has deployed infrastructure to provide a low-latency connection to the AWS network.