Getting Started with AWS
In this chapter, we'll set up your AWS environment and learn about the fundamental concepts of AWS cloud computing.
AWS Account Setup
Creating an AWS Account
- Visit aws.amazon.com
- Click "Create an AWS Account"
- Follow the registration process
- Add payment information (required, but using free tier)
Security Best Practices
# Install AWS CLI
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.pkg" -o "AWSCLIV2.pkg"
sudo installer -pkg AWSCLIV2.pkg -target /
# Configure AWS CLI
aws configure
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Creating an IAM User
- Navigate to IAM in AWS Console
- Create a new user
- Set permissions
- Generate access keys
# Test AWS CLI configuration
aws iam get-user
IAM Best Practices
- Use MFA for root account
- Create individual IAM users
- Use groups for permissions
- Follow least privilege principle
- Regularly rotate credentials
AWS Regions and Availability Zones
Understanding Global Infrastructure
import boto3
# List all AWS regions
ec2 = boto3.client('ec2')
regions = ec2.describe_regions()
for region in regions['Regions']:
print(f"Region: {region['RegionName']}")
Choosing the Right Region
Factors to consider:
- Latency to users
- Service availability
- Data sovereignty
- Pricing
Core AWS Services Overview
Compute Services
- EC2 (Virtual Servers)
- Lambda (Serverless)
- ECS/EKS (Containers)
Storage Services
- S3 (Object Storage)
- EBS (Block Storage)
- EFS (File System)
Database Services
- RDS (Relational)
- DynamoDB (NoSQL)
Hands-on Exercise
Create Your First EC2 Instance
# Create key pair
aws ec2 create-key-pair --key-name MyKeyPair --query 'KeyMaterial' --output text > MyKeyPair.pem
# Launch EC2 instance
aws ec2 run-instances \
--image-id ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0 \
--instance-type t2.micro \
--key-name MyKeyPair
# Check instance status
aws ec2 describe-instances
Cost Management
Free Tier Usage
- Monitor usage in AWS Console
- Set up billing alerts
- Understand service limits
# Get billing information
aws ce get-cost-and-usage \
--time-period Start=2024-01-01,End=2024-01-31 \
--granularity MONTHLY \
--metrics "UnblendedCost" "UsageQuantity"
Next Steps
In the next chapter, we'll dive deeper into:
- VPC networking
- Security groups
- EC2 instance management
- Storage configuration
Remember to always follow AWS best practices and security guidelines as you continue your cloud journey.