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Web DevelopmentDecember 1, 2025

AWS Beginners Complete Guide

By admin•
#Amazon Web Services tutorial#AWS cost management#AWS EC2 guide#AWS for beginners#AWS Lambda serverless
AWS Beginners Complete Guide

Table of Contents

Introduction to AWS

Cloud computing has transformed how we build and deploy applications. Amazon Web Services (AWS) leads this revolution. It powers some of the biggest websites and applications in the world.

Learning AWS opens countless career opportunities. Companies of all sizes use AWS to run their infrastructure. Whether you want to be a developer, system administrator, or architect, AWS skills are valuable.

This guide will teach you AWS basics. You will understand core services and learn how to use them. By the end, you will be ready to build your first cloud application.

What is Amazon Web Services?

Amazon Web Services is a cloud computing platform. It provides over 200 services covering compute, storage, databases, networking, and more. You rent these services instead of buying physical hardware.

AWS launched in 2006. Amazon needed infrastructure to support its e-commerce platform. They realized other companies had similar needs. So they opened their infrastructure to the public.

Today, AWS serves millions of customers worldwide. Startups, enterprises, and government agencies all rely on AWS. It handles everything from simple websites to complex machine learning applications.

How AWS Works

AWS operates data centers around the world. These data centers are organized into regions and availability zones. You choose where to run your applications based on your needs.

You access AWS services through:

  • AWS Console – Web interface for managing services
  • AWS CLI – Command line tools for automation
  • AWS SDKs – Libraries for programming languages
  • Infrastructure as Code – Tools like CloudFormation and Terraform

Why Choose AWS for Cloud Computing?

1. No Upfront Costs

You pay only for what you use. No need to buy expensive servers. No contracts or minimum fees. Start small and scale as you grow.

2. Global Infrastructure

AWS has data centers worldwide. Deploy your application close to your users. This reduces latency and improves performance.

3. Reliability

AWS offers industry-leading uptime guarantees. Multiple availability zones provide redundancy. Your applications stay online even if one data center fails.

4. Security

AWS meets strict security standards and compliance requirements. They handle physical security. You focus on securing your applications.

5. Scalability

Scale up or down based on demand. Handle traffic spikes automatically. Pay only for resources you actually use.

6. Innovation

AWS releases new services and features constantly. Access cutting-edge technology without massive investments.

Core AWS Services You Need to Know

Compute Services

  • EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) – Virtual servers in the cloud
  • Lambda – Run code without managing servers
  • ECS/EKS – Container orchestration services
  • Elastic Beanstalk – Easy application deployment

Storage Services

  • S3 (Simple Storage Service) – Object storage for files and data
  • EBS (Elastic Block Store) – Persistent block storage for EC2
  • EFS (Elastic File System) – Managed file storage
  • Glacier – Long-term archival storage

Database Services

  • RDS (Relational Database Service) – Managed SQL databases
  • DynamoDB – NoSQL database
  • ElastiCache – In-memory caching
  • Aurora – High-performance MySQL/PostgreSQL

Networking Services

  • VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) – Isolated network environment
  • Route 53 – DNS service
  • CloudFront – Content delivery network
  • API Gateway – Manage APIs

Getting Started with AWS

Step 1: Create an AWS Account

Visit aws.amazon.com and click “Create an AWS Account”. You need a valid email address and credit card. AWS offers a free tier that includes many services.

The free tier includes:

  • 750 hours of EC2 t2.micro instances per month
  • 5 GB of S3 storage
  • 750 hours of RDS databases
  • 1 million Lambda requests

Free tier benefits last 12 months for new accounts.

Step 2: Set Up IAM Users

Never use your root account for daily tasks. Create IAM (Identity and Access Management) users instead.

Here is how:

  1. Go to IAM service in AWS Console
  2. Click “Users” then “Add Users”
  3. Create a username and select access type
  4. Attach appropriate permissions
  5. Save the access keys securely

Step 3: Enable MFA

Multi-Factor Authentication adds extra security. Enable it on your root account and IAM users. Use an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy.

Step 4: Set Up Billing Alerts

Avoid surprise charges by setting up billing alerts. Go to AWS Budgets and create alerts for spending thresholds.

EC2: Your First Virtual Server

EC2 lets you run virtual servers in the cloud. These are called instances. You choose the operating system, CPU, memory, and storage.

Launching Your First EC2 Instance

Step 1: Choose an AMI

AMI stands for Amazon Machine Image. It is a template for your instance. Choose from Amazon Linux, Ubuntu, Windows, and more. For beginners, Amazon Linux 2 is a good choice.

Step 2: Select Instance Type

Instance types determine CPU, memory, and network capacity. For testing, use t2.micro (free tier eligible).

Common instance types:

  • t2/t3 – General purpose, burstable performance
  • m5 – Balanced compute and memory
  • c5 – Compute optimized
  • r5 – Memory optimized

Step 3: Configure Instance

Choose the number of instances, network settings, and IAM role. For now, keep default settings.

Step 4: Add Storage

Default storage is usually sufficient for testing. You can add more later if needed.

Step 5: Configure Security Group

Security groups act as firewalls. They control what traffic can reach your instance. For a web server, allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443). Also allow SSH (port 22) for Linux or RDP (port 3389) for Windows.

Step 6: Review and Launch

Review your settings and click Launch. AWS will ask you to create a key pair. Download and save this file securely. You need it to connect to your instance.

Connecting to Your Instance

For Linux instances, use SSH:

ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@your-instance-ip

For Windows instances, use Remote Desktop. Get the password by decrypting it with your key pair.

Basic EC2 Management

You can start, stop, and terminate instances from the console:

  • Stop – Shuts down the instance, you pay only for storage
  • Start – Restarts a stopped instance
  • Terminate – Permanently deletes the instance

S3: Simple Storage Service

S3 stores files in the cloud. You can store anything: images, videos, backups, logs, and more. S3 is highly durable and scalable.

Key Concepts

  • Buckets – Containers for objects (files)
  • Objects – Files stored in buckets
  • Keys – Unique identifier for each object
  • Regions – Physical location where buckets are stored

Creating Your First S3 Bucket

  1. Go to S3 service in AWS Console
  2. Click “Create bucket”
  3. Enter a unique bucket name (must be globally unique)
  4. Choose a region close to your users
  5. Configure settings (keep defaults for now)
  6. Click “Create bucket”

Uploading Files

Click on your bucket name, then click “Upload”. Drag files or click “Add files”. You can upload files up to 5 TB in size.

Access Control

By default, S3 buckets are private. To make files public, you need to:

  1. Disable “Block Public Access”
  2. Add a bucket policy or object ACL

Example bucket policy for public read access:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [{
    "Sid": "PublicReadGetObject",
    "Effect": "Allow",
    "Principal": "*",
    "Action": "s3:GetObject",
    "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
  }]
}

S3 Storage Classes

S3 offers different storage classes for different use cases:

  • Standard – Frequently accessed data
  • Intelligent-Tiering – Automatically moves data between tiers
  • Standard-IA – Infrequently accessed data
  • Glacier – Long-term archival, cheaper but slower retrieval

RDS: Managed Database Service

RDS provides managed relational databases. AWS handles backups, patches, and scaling. You focus on your application.

Supported Database Engines

  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • MariaDB
  • Oracle
  • SQL Server
  • Aurora (AWS’s own high-performance engine)

Creating an RDS Database

  1. Go to RDS service
  2. Click “Create database”
  3. Choose database engine
  4. Select “Free tier” template for learning
  5. Set database name, username, and password
  6. Choose instance size (db.t2.micro for free tier)
  7. Configure storage and backups
  8. Set up security group to allow connections
  9. Launch database

Connecting to RDS

After creation, AWS provides an endpoint. Use this to connect from your application:

Host: your-database.region.rds.amazonaws.com
Port: 3306 (MySQL) or 5432 (PostgreSQL)
Username: your-username
Password: your-password
Database: your-database-name

RDS Best Practices

  • Enable automated backups
  • Use Multi-AZ deployment for production
  • Create read replicas for read-heavy workloads
  • Monitor performance with CloudWatch
  • Encrypt data at rest and in transit

Lambda: Serverless Computing

Lambda runs code without servers. You upload your function and Lambda handles everything else. You pay only when your code runs.

When to Use Lambda

  • API backends
  • Data processing
  • Scheduled tasks
  • Event-driven automation
  • Image or video processing

Creating Your First Lambda Function

  1. Go to Lambda service
  2. Click “Create function”
  3. Choose “Author from scratch”
  4. Enter function name
  5. Choose runtime (Node.js, Python, etc.)
  6. Click “Create function”

Simple Lambda Example (Node.js)

exports.handler = async (event) => {
  const name = event.name || 'World';
  
  const response = {
    statusCode: 200,
    body: JSON.stringify({
      message: `Hello, ${name}!`
    })
  };
  
  return response;
};

Lambda Triggers

Lambda functions can be triggered by many AWS services:

  • API Gateway (for REST APIs)
  • S3 (when files are uploaded)
  • DynamoDB (when data changes)
  • CloudWatch Events (on a schedule)
  • SNS/SQS (message queues)

Lambda Pricing

You pay for:

  • Number of requests
  • Duration of execution
  • Memory allocated

Free tier includes 1 million requests and 400,000 GB-seconds per month.

AWS Security Best Practices

1. Use IAM Roles Instead of Access Keys

IAM roles provide temporary credentials. They are more secure than long-term access keys.

2. Follow the Principle of Least Privilege

Grant only the permissions needed. Start with minimal permissions and add more as needed.

3. Enable CloudTrail

CloudTrail logs all AWS API calls. This helps with auditing and troubleshooting.

4. Use Security Groups Carefully

Do not open ports to 0.0.0.0/0 (the entire internet) unless necessary. Restrict access to specific IP addresses when possible.

5. Encrypt Data

Use encryption for data at rest and in transit. Many AWS services support encryption by default.

6. Regular Security Audits

Use AWS Security Hub and AWS Config to monitor security. Fix issues promptly.

7. Keep Software Updated

Regularly update operating systems and applications running on EC2 instances.

Managing AWS Costs

Understanding AWS Pricing

AWS uses pay-as-you-go pricing. Different services have different pricing models:

  • EC2 – Hourly or per-second billing
  • S3 – Per GB stored and transferred
  • Lambda – Per request and execution time
  • RDS – Hourly instance charges plus storage

Cost Optimization Tips

1. Use Reserved Instances

For long-running workloads, reserve capacity for 1-3 years. You save up to 75% compared to on-demand pricing.

2. Stop Unused Resources

Stop EC2 instances when not in use. Delete unused EBS volumes and snapshots. Remove old S3 files.

3. Right-Size Your Instances

Monitor resource usage. Downgrade to smaller instances if you are not using full capacity.

4. Use Auto Scaling

Automatically add or remove instances based on demand. Pay only for what you need.

5. Set Up Cost Alerts

Create budgets and alerts in AWS Budgets. Get notified when spending exceeds thresholds.

6. Use the AWS Calculator

Estimate costs before deploying. The AWS Pricing Calculator helps you plan budgets.

Cost Monitoring Tools

  • Cost Explorer – Visualize and analyze spending
  • AWS Budgets – Set custom cost and usage budgets
  • Cost and Usage Reports – Detailed billing data

Conclusion

AWS provides powerful tools for building modern applications. This guide covered the fundamentals you need to get started.

Start with simple projects. Launch an EC2 instance. Store files in S3. Create a Lambda function. As you gain confidence, explore more advanced services.

The AWS ecosystem is vast. Do not try to learn everything at once. Focus on services relevant to your projects. Build real applications. That is how you truly learn.

AWS offers extensive documentation and tutorials. Use them when you need help. Join AWS communities to connect with other learners. Many resources are free.

Cloud computing skills are in high demand. Learning AWS opens career opportunities in development, operations, and architecture. The investment in learning pays dividends for years.

Start small, experiment often, and do not be afraid to make mistakes. That is how you become proficient with AWS.

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