How to Start Learning AWS: The First Step
Tags: aws, cloud, learning
Published: 2023-04-12 22:00:00


If you are interested in cloud computing and want to learn AWS, you might be wondering where to start. AWS is a huge platform that offers hundreds of services and features for various use cases and scenarios. It can be overwhelming to navigate through all the options and decide what to learn first.

The good news is that there is no one right answer. Depending on your background, goals, and interests, you can choose different paths and resources to start learning AWS. However, there is one common step that everyone should take before diving into any specific service or topic: setting up your AWS account and environment.

Why is this important? Because having your own AWS account and environment will allow you to:

- Access all the services and features that AWS offers
- Experiment with different configurations and settings
- Practice your skills with hands-on exercises and projects
- Monitor your usage and costs
- Learn best practices for security and governance

How do you set up your AWS account and environment? Here are some basic steps:

1. Create an AWS account. You will need an email address, a phone number, a credit card, and an identity verification process. You can use the free tier for 12 months to access some services without charge.
2. Create an IAM user. IAM stands for Identity and Access Management. It allows you to create users, groups, roles, policies, etc., that control who can access what resources in your account. You should create an IAM user for yourself with administrator permissions instead of using the root user, which has full access to everything.
3. Set up a billing alarm. This will notify you if your monthly charges exceed a certain amount that you specify. This way, you can avoid unexpected bills or fees if you use more resources than expected.
4. Choose a region. A region is a geographical area where AWS has data centers that host its services. You can choose any region that suits your needs based on factors such as latency, availability, cost, etc.
5. Install the AWS CLI. The CLI stands for Command Line Interface. It allows you to interact with AWS services using commands in your terminal or shell instead of using the web console, which is the graphical user interface (GUI) for AWS.
6. Install an IDE. An IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. It is a software application that helps you write code faster and easier by providing features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging tools.

Congratulations! You have completed the first step to learn AWS: setting up your account and environment.

What's next? Now that you have your own sandbox to play with AWS services and features,
you can start exploring different topics based on your interests.

Some popular topics include:

- Compute: Learn how to run applications on servers or serverless platforms using services such as EC2, Lambda, ECS
- Storage: Learn how to store data on different types of storage systems such as S3⁴, EBS⁴, EFS, Glacier
- Database: Learn how to work with relational or non-relational databases using services such as RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora
- Networking: Learn how to connect different resources within or across regions using services such as VPC, ELB, Route 53 
- Security: Learn how to protect your data and resources from unauthorized access or attacks using services such as KMS, WAF, Shield

Of course, these are just some examples of topics that you can learn about AWS.

There are many more topics that cover various aspects of cloud computing such as analytics,
machine learning, devops, etc.

You can find many online courses, tutorials, books, podcasts, blogs, that offer quality content on these topics.

Some recommended resources include:

- Udemy: A popular online learning platform that offers hundreds of courses on various topics related to AWS certifications and skills at affordable prices and flexible schedules
- A Cloud Guru: A leading cloud learning platform that offers comprehensive courses, labs, exams, and community events on all things cloud including AWS certifications and skills at
a monthly or annual fee.
- AWS Training and Certification: The official source of AWS learning content that offers free digital training, paid classroom training, and certification exams on various AWS topics and roles
- FreeCodeCamp: A nonprofit organization that offers free online courses, articles, podcasts, and projects on various web development and cloud computing topics including AWS

These are just some of the many resources that you can use to start learning AWS.

The important thing is to find what works best for you and stick with it.

Remember, learning AWS is a journey, not a destination. You will always find new things to learn and improve as you go along. So, don't be afraid to take the first step and set up your account and environment.

Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions.