AWS Cloud Practitioner Study Guide

May 28, 2024

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AWS Cloud Practitioner Study Guide by Derek

Objective

  • Introduction to cloud computing using AWS
  • Preparation for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam
  • Overprepare to pass the test on the first attempt

About Derek

  • 3X AWS Certified (Cloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect, SysOps Admin)
  • I.T. Support Engineer (ERP applications)
  • 4 years of industry experience
  • Writes extensively about AWS

Course Overview

  • Key concepts for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam
  • Understanding major AWS services and business value
  • Test-taking strategies and confidence building

Test Coverage

  • Explain the value of the AWS Cloud
    • For both technical and non-technical professionals
  • Understand AWS Shared Responsibility Model
    • Your responsibilities vs. AWS responsibilities
  • Understand the Five Pillars of the Well-Architected Framework
    • Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization
  • Familiarize with common AWS services
  • Identify appropriate AWS services for various use cases

General Tips for Passing the Exam

  • Rule out 1-2 obviously incorrect answers
  • All answer options are real AWS services
  • Identify keywords in questions
  • Avoid options with "always", "never", "manually"
  • Understand key AWS principles (e.g., operational excellence)
  • Understand what each section of the test consists of (Cloud Concepts, Security, Technology, Billing/Pricing)

Cloud Computing Overview

  • Definition: On-demand delivery of IT resources over the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing
  • Common Resources: Compute, Storage, Database, Networking
  • Provider: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
  • Consumer: Users and businesses
  • Trading CapEx for OpEx
  • Business Benefits: Speed, Agility, Availability

Shared Responsibility Model

  • AWS Responsibilities: Hardware, global infrastructure, software (compute, storage, database, networking)
  • Customer Responsibilities: Data encryption, infrastructure configuration, software configuration
  • Key focus: Security in the cloud vs. Security of the cloud

Benefits of Using the Cloud

  • Increased agility and innovation
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing model
  • Economies of scale
  • Global reach
  • Enhanced security and reliability
  • High availability and fault-tolerance

AWS Global Infrastructure

  • Regions: Geographical locations with clusters of data centers
  • Availability Zones (AZ): Physically separate data centers within regions
  • Edge Locations: Data centers for caching data

Well-Architected Framework

  • Operational Excellence: Automate and monitor systems
  • Security: Protect data and systems
  • Reliability: Recover from disruptions
  • Performance Efficiency: Use resources effectively
  • Cost Optimization: Lowest cost while meeting requirements

AWS Key Services and Concepts

Compute Services

  • EC2: Virtual machines/instances for computing
  • Lambda: Serverless computing
  • Auto Scaling: Adjust capacity automatically
  • Load Balancers: Distribute incoming traffic
  • Containers: ECS, EKS, Fargate

Storage Services

  • S3: Object storage with virtually unlimited capacity
  • EBS: Block storage for EC2
  • EFS: Scalable file storage
  • Glacier: Long-term archival storage
  • Snowball: Physical device for data transfer

Database Services

  • RDS: Relational database service
  • DynamoDB: NoSQL database
  • Aurora: Serverless MySQL and PostgreSQL
  • Redshift: Data warehousing
  • ElastiCache: In-memory caching

Networking Services

  • VPC: Isolated network in the cloud
  • Route 53: DNS service
  • Direct Connect: Physical connection to AWS
  • VPN: Secure connection between on-premises and AWS

Security and Identity Management

  • IAM: Manage users and permissions
  • Inspector: Security assessment service
  • Shield: Protects against DDoS attacks
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects web applications
  • GuardDuty: Monitor for malicious activity

Test Taking Strategies

  • Rule out obvious wrong answers
  • Know the context of the service
  • Understand common service abbreviations
  • Don’t flag too many questions for review
  • Relax the day before the test

Scheduling the Exam

  • Options to take at testing center or at home
  • Recommended: Testing center
  • Discounts on future exams upon passing

Conclusion

  • Overprepared to pass the test on the first attempt
  • Utilize Hands-On Labs and practice exams linked
  • Contact Derek via his website or YouTube for further queries

Good luck with your exam!