Cloud Computing & AWS Foundations

What you will be able to do

• Explain cloud service and deployment models, AWS global infrastructure and the shared responsibility model
• Set up an AWS account safely with MFA, budgets, cost alerts and an awareness of free tier limits
• Grant access with IAM users, groups, roles and least-privilege policies
• Launch and manage EC2 instances, load balancers, Auto Scaling groups and Lambda functions
• Store and protect data in S3, EBS and EFS, and choose between RDS and DynamoDB
• Build a VPC with public and private subnets, route tables and security groups
• Monitor workloads with CloudWatch and CloudTrail and apply core security practices
• Deploy a small web application on AWS, estimate its cost and remove every resource afterwards

About this course

Syllabus

This syllabus is a draft awaiting instructor review. Topics, order and schedule may change before the first batch is announced.

1. 01Cloud concepts and a cost-safe AWS account+3 live sessions · 6 hours · What the cloud is, how AWS is organised, and how to set up an account that cannot surprise you with a bill.

   Learning objectives

   • Explain IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and serverless, and public, private and hybrid cloud
   • Describe regions, Availability Zones and edge locations, and the shared responsibility model
   • Secure the root user with MFA and create a budget with email alerts
   • Read the current free tier and credit terms and recognise services that charge immediately

   Live sessions

   1. 01What cloud computing is2 hOn-premises versus cloud, elasticity and pay-as-you-go, service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, serverless) and deployment models; where AWS fits among cloud providers.
   2. 02AWS global infrastructure and the shared responsibility model2 hRegions, Availability Zones and edge locations, choosing a region, what AWS secures and what you secure; a guided tour of the console and CloudShell.
   3. 03Account safety, budgets and free tier limits2 hRoot user protection and MFA, AWS Budgets with alerts, Cost Explorer, reading the free tier and credit terms, the clean-up habit; doubt-clearing.

   Practice

   Create or secure your AWS account, enable MFA, set a monthly budget with alerts and record your account’s current free tier or credit status.

   Assessment

   Quiz on cloud models, global infrastructure and shared responsibility (auto-marked), plus a screenshot checklist of your account safety settings.

   You will be able to

   You can explain what the cloud offers and work in an AWS account that is protected and watched for cost.

2. 02Identity and access management+2 live sessions · 4 hours · Control who can do what in an AWS account, and stop using the root user.

   Learning objectives

   • Create IAM users and groups and attach managed policies
   • Read and write a simple JSON policy and apply least privilege
   • Use roles for services and temporary credentials instead of long-lived access keys

   Live sessions

   1. 04Users, groups, roles and policies2 hIAM identities, managed and inline policies, policy JSON (effect, action, resource, condition), IAM Identity Center for day-to-day sign-in, configuring the AWS CLI.
   2. 05Least privilege lab and doubt-clearing2 hWriting a policy that allows one bucket only, the policy simulator, roles for EC2 and Lambda, why access keys leak and how to rotate them; open questions.

   Practice

   Create an admin user for yourself, a read-only group and a role for EC2; test each with the CLI and the policy simulator.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a least-privilege policy for a given scenario, with a short note explaining each statement.

   You will be able to

   You can grant access in AWS deliberately and explain why each permission exists.

3. 03Compute: EC2, load balancing and Lambda+3 live sessions · 6 hours · Run applications on virtual machines, spread traffic across them, and run code without servers.

   Learning objectives

   • Launch, connect to and stop EC2 instances, choosing instance types and AMIs
   • Put instances behind an Application Load Balancer and an Auto Scaling group
   • Write and trigger a simple Lambda function and compare it with EC2

   Live sessions

   1. 06EC2 instances, AMIs and key pairs2 hInstance types and pricing models, AMIs, key pairs and SSH or Session Manager, user data scripts, stopping versus terminating, what keeps costing money after you stop.
   2. 07Elastic Load Balancing and Auto Scaling2 hApplication Load Balancers, target groups and health checks, launch templates, Auto Scaling groups and scaling policies; why load balancers charge by the hour and how to delete them cleanly.
   3. 08Serverless compute with Lambda, and doubt-clearing2 hFunctions, triggers and execution roles, a small Lambda behind a function URL, timeouts and memory, when serverless suits a workload and when it does not; open questions.

   Practice

   Launch a web server with a user data script, place two instances behind a load balancer, write a Lambda function, then delete everything and check the bill.

   Assessment

   Assignment: screenshots and a short write-up of the load-balanced setup and its clean-up, plus a compute quiz (auto-marked).

   You will be able to

   You can run an application on EC2 or Lambda and choose between them for a simple workload.

4. 04Storage: S3, EBS and EFS+2 live sessions · 4 hours · Store objects, disks and shared files, and keep them private and affordable.

   Learning objectives

   • Create S3 buckets, upload objects and control access with bucket policies and Block Public Access
   • Use versioning, storage classes and lifecycle rules to manage cost
   • Attach EBS volumes, take snapshots and explain when EFS is the right choice

   Live sessions

   1. 09S3 buckets, objects and access2 hBuckets and objects, Block Public Access, bucket policies, presigned URLs, server-side encryption, hosting a static website and why public buckets are a common data leak.
   2. 10EBS, EFS, storage classes and doubt-clearing2 hEBS volume types and snapshots, EFS for shared files, S3 storage classes, versioning and lifecycle rules, orphaned volumes and snapshots as hidden costs; open questions.

   Practice

   Host a static page from S3, share a private file with a presigned URL, add a lifecycle rule and snapshot an EBS volume.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a storage plan for a given application explaining which storage service holds what, and how it is protected.

   You will be able to

   You can choose the right AWS storage service and keep its data private.

5. 05Networking: VPC, security groups and DNS+3 live sessions · 6 hours · Build the private network your applications run in and control what can reach them.

   Learning objectives

   • Design a VPC with public and private subnets across two Availability Zones
   • Control traffic with route tables, internet gateways, security groups and network ACLs
   • Explain NAT gateways, VPC endpoints and their cost, and the basics of Route 53 and CloudFront

   Live sessions

   1. 11VPCs, subnets and route tables2 hCIDR blocks in plain terms, public and private subnets, internet gateways, route tables, the default VPC and why we build our own.
   2. 12Security groups, network ACLs and NAT2 hStateful security groups versus stateless network ACLs, allowing only what is needed, NAT gateways and their hourly and data charges, VPC endpoints for S3.
   3. 13DNS, content delivery and networking doubt-clearing2 hRoute 53 hosted zones and records, CloudFront in front of S3, troubleshooting connectivity step by step; open questions.

   Practice

   Build a two-tier VPC by hand, place a web server in a public subnet and a private instance behind it, and prove which connections are allowed.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a labelled network diagram of your VPC with the security group rules and the reason for each.

   You will be able to

   You can build a basic, secure AWS network and troubleshoot why something cannot connect.

6. 06Databases: RDS and DynamoDB+2 live sessions · 4 hours · Run managed relational and NoSQL databases and choose between them.

   Learning objectives

   • Create an RDS database in a private subnet and connect to it from an application server
   • Configure backups, snapshots and Multi-AZ, and understand their cost
   • Model a simple table in DynamoDB and compare it with a relational design

   Live sessions

   1. 14Managed relational databases with Amazon RDS2 hEngines and instance classes, subnet groups and security groups, connecting from EC2, automated backups, snapshots, Multi-AZ and read replicas, stopping and deleting safely.
   2. 15DynamoDB, choosing a database and doubt-clearing2 hTables, partition and sort keys, on-demand capacity, reading and writing items from the CLI and Lambda, choosing between relational and key-value storage; open questions.

   Practice

   Create a small RDS database reachable only from your web server, load sample data, then build the same lookup in DynamoDB and compare.

   Assessment

   Quiz on database services and their trade-offs (auto-marked), plus a short written database choice for a given scenario.

   You will be able to

   You can run a managed database on AWS and justify which kind of database fits a workload.

7. 07Monitoring and security+3 live sessions · 6 hours · See what your workloads are doing, record who changed what, and apply core security practices.

   Learning objectives

   • Collect metrics and logs in CloudWatch and create alarms that notify you
   • Use CloudTrail to answer who did what, and when
   • Encrypt data with KMS, store secrets in Secrets Manager and review an account against basic security practices

   Live sessions

   1. 16CloudWatch metrics, logs and alarms, and CloudTrail2 hMetrics and dashboards, the CloudWatch agent and log groups, alarms with SNS notifications, log retention and its cost, CloudTrail event history and trails.
   2. 17Security essentials2 hEncryption at rest and in transit, KMS keys, Secrets Manager versus hard-coded credentials, security group and S3 reviews, an introduction to the security pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
   3. 18Course review and doubt-clearing2 hReview of modules 1–7 with a practice quiz, a cost review of everyone’s accounts, the deployment lab brief walked through; open questions.

   Practice

   Add an alarm for high CPU and a log group to an instance, find your own actions in CloudTrail and move a database password into Secrets Manager.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a short security and cost review of your own account with the issues found and the fixes applied.

   You will be able to

   You can monitor an AWS workload, investigate changes and remove the most common security mistakes.

8. 08Deployment lab+2 live sessions · 4 hours · Put everything together: deploy, monitor, estimate and then clean up a small web application.

   Learning objectives

   • Deploy a two-tier web application using VPC, EC2, a load balancer, RDS, S3 and IAM roles
   • Estimate the running cost with the AWS Pricing Calculator
   • Present and defend the design, then remove every resource and confirm the bill

   Live sessions

   1. 19Deployment lab: building the application stack2 hGuided build of the final project architecture with one-to-one help; checking security groups, roles and alarms; tracking every resource on a clean-up checklist.
   2. 20Final presentations, clean-up review and final assessment2 hLive project presentations with feedback, confirming every resource is deleted and the budget shows no ongoing charges; final assessment.

   Practice

   Complete the deployment, write the design note and cost estimate, and rehearse the clean-up before presenting.

   Assessment

   Final project submission and a final assessment (pass mark 60%).

   You will be able to

   You can deploy a small application on AWS end to end, explain its design and cost, and leave nothing running.

Teaching formats and fees

Every format teaches the full syllabus live, with the same projects, assessments and certificate rules. The fee is per student for the whole course.

Launch fee — GST treatment to be confirmed.

Fees are set in Indian rupees. Amounts in other currencies are estimates; the amount and currency you would pay are shown before payment once online enrolment opens.

Schedules and batches

Choose the schedule that fits your week. Both teach the same syllabus and the same 40 live hours; only the number of weeks differs.

• Weekday Intensive classes are one hour, so each 2 h syllabus session is taught across consecutive weekday classes.
• Weekend Evening classes run on Saturday and Sunday evenings; the exact time and time zone are set before a batch is confirmed.
• Public holidays are not class days unless the instructor confirms a class. Holidays, instructor leave and cancelled classes move the end date later so no live hours are lost.
• Plan about 4 hours a week of exercises, assignments and project work outside class.
• Group, Duo and One-to-One courses all follow one of these two schedules.

Final project

Certificate

Tools and skills

Where these skills apply

• Cloud support and operations work
• Deploying and running applications on AWS
• Developer work that uses cloud storage, databases and serverless functions
• IT administration moving on-premises systems to the cloud
• Monitoring and cost oversight of cloud workloads
• A foundation for further study in DevOps, cloud architecture or cloud security

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Questions about Cloud Computing & AWS Foundations