Top 10 AWS Services Every Beginner Should Know

Introduction

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Amazon Web Services(AWS) has become a cornerstone of modern cloud computing, offering a vast suite of services that enable businesses, developers, and beginners alike to build robust applications without the need for physical hardware. As a beginner stepping into the world of cloud computing, it can be overwhelming to navigate the countless AWS services. However, understanding the core services will lay a strong foundation for your cloud journey. In this blog, we will explore 10 essential AWS services that every beginner should know about.

Listing down the essential AWS services

1. Amazon EC2(Elastic Compute Cloud).

2. Amazon S3(Simple Storage Service).

3. Amazon RDS(Relational Database Service).

4. AWS Lambda.

5. Amazon CloudFront.

6. Amazon VPC(Vehicle Private Cloud).

7. Amazon IAM(Identity and Access Management).

8. Amazon CloudWatch.

9. Amazon SQS(Simple Queue Service).

10. AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

1. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)

Amazon EC2 is the heart of AWS's compute services. It provides scalable virtual servers, known as instances, which you can use to run applications, host websites, and execute processes. EC2 gives you complete control over the operating system, software, and the configuration of your instances. Its key features include the ability to scale up or down based on demand, various instance types optimized for different workloads, and integration with other AWS services like Elastic Load Balancing(ELB) and Auto Scaling. 

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Why Beginners should know EC2? 

• It is fundamental to understanding cloud computing infrastructure.

• Allows hands-on experience with virtual machines, networking, and scaling concepts.

• It offers flexibility in operating system choice and instance configuration.

Key Use Cases

It is used in hosting web applications, running backend services, data processing, and analysis.

2. Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)

Amazon S3 is one of the most popular AWS services that is used for storing and retrieving data. It provides scalable object storage, which means you can store virtually unlimited amounts of data in a cost-effective manner. S3 is highly durable and is often used for storing backups, media files, and large datasets. Data is organized into "buckets", and permissions can be controlled at a granular level, allowing for secure storage.

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Why beginners should know S3?

• It is easy to use, with simple APIs for uploading and retrieving files. 

• It teaches essential cloud storage concepts like data durability, availability, and security. 

• It is often integrated with other AWS services like EC2, AWS Lambda, and CloudFront.

Key Use Cases

It is used in backup and restoring, for website hosting, data lakes and analytics.

3. Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service)

Amazon RDS is a fully managed service for relational databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and Amazon Aurora. RDS simplifies database administration tasks such as patching, backups, scaling, and replication. As a beginner, understanding how managed database services work can be crucial when developing applications that require relational data storage without the complexity of managing database servers.

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Why beginners should know RDS?

• It offers a simple, managed way to deploy and scale relational databases.

• It provides an introduction to database management and best practices.

• It helps understand how to configure high availability and backups in cloud environment.

Key Use Cases

Web applications requiring a database and in E-commerce platforms.

4. AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service that lets you run code without provisioning or managing servers. With Lambda, you only pay for the compute time you use, making it cost-effective for small, infrequent tasks. It integrates with a wide range of AWS services, enabling developers to trigger functions in response to events like file uploads to S3, changes in databases,  or HTTP requests via API Gateway.

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Why beginners should know AWS Lambda:

• It simplifies cloud development by removing the need to manage infrastructure.

• It introduces event-driven architectures and  serverless computing.

• It offers cost-effective solutions for low-traffic applications.

Key Use Cases

It is used in automated backups, real-time file processing, and building APIs with minimal infrastructure.

5. Amazon CloudFront

Amazon CloudFront is a Content Delivery Network(CDN) service that delivers data, videos, applications, and APIs to users globally with low latency and high transfer speeds. CloudFront integrates seemlessly with other AWS services like S3, EC2, and Lambda, ensuring that content is distributed efficiently across multiple edge locations worldwide.

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Why beginners should know CloudFront?

• It introduces the concept of CDNs and global content distribution.

• It helps optimize website and application performance.

• It provides security features like DDoS protection and encryption.

Key Use Cases

CloudFront helps in speeding up website delivery, streaming video content, and distributing API requests globally.

6. Amazon VPC(Virtual Private Cloud)

Amazon VPC allows you to create isolated virtual networks in the AWS cloud. You have full control over your network environment, including IP address ranges, subnets, route tables, and network gateways. VPC enables you to securely connect your AWS resources to the internet or your on-premises data center.

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Why beginners should know VPC?

There are certain key points that a beginner should know about VPC.

• It introduces essential networking concepts in the cloud, like subnets, routing, and security groups.

• It helps in understanding the isolation and security of cloud environments.

• It provides hands-on experience with private networking in the cloud.

Key Use Cases

VPC helps in hosting secure applications, building hybrid cloud architectures, and managing access control with firewalls and VPNs.

7. Amazon IAM(Identity and Access Management)

Security is paramount in the cloud, and Amazon IAM is the service that helps manage access to AWS resources securely. With IAM, you can create and manage AWS users and groups, and define granular permissions using policies. It supports Multi-Factor Authentication(MFA) and integrates with other AWS services to enforce security best practices.

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Why beginners should know IAM?

• It teaches the fundamentals of cloud security and access control.

• It helps beginners understand the principle of least privilege.

• Introduces best practices for manages users, roles, and policies.

Key Use Cases

IAM helps in controlling access to AWS resources, implementing secure authentication and authorization, auditing and monitoring user activity.

8. Amazon CloudWatch

Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring and observability service for AWS resources and applications. It provides metrics, logs, and events to track the performance and health of your infrastructure. Cloudwatch allows you to set alarms, create dashboards, and automate responses to change in your environment.

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Why beginners should know CloudWatch?

• CloudWatch provides insights into application performance and resource utilization.

• It helps understand the importance of monitoring in a cloud environment.

• It introduces automation through alerts and remediation.

Key Use Cases

With CloudWatch, you can monitor application logs and metrics, set up automated alerts, responses, and visualize cloud infrastructure health.

9. Amazon SQS(Simple Queue Service)

Amazon SQS is a fully managed message queuing service that enables decoupling of components in distributed systems. It allows you to send, store, and receive messages between services without losing them. SQS ensures that messages are processed asynchronously, making it an essential service for building scalable and fault-tolerant applications.

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Why beginners should know SQS?

• SQS teaches the principles of messaging, decoupling, and event-driven architectures.

• It helps in building reliable, scalable, and distributed applications.

• It integrates well with Lambda and other AWS services to build serverless workflows.

Key Use Cases

Amazon SQS is used in queuing tasks for background processing, decoupling microservices, and implementing reliable, fault-tolerant workflows.

10. AWS Elastic Beanstalk

AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a platform-as-a-service(PaaS) that simplifies deploying and scaling web applications. It abstracts the infrastructure management, allowing developers to focus on code. Elastic Beanstalk automatically handles deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and monitoring, making it an excellent choice for beginners looking to deploy applications with minimal effort.

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Why Beginners should know Elastic Beanstalk?

• It simplifies application deployment without needing  deep infrastructure knowledge.

• It introduces key DevOps concepts like scaling and load balancing.

• It offers an easy transition from traditional application deployment to cloud-native practices.

Key Use Cases

It helps in rapid deployment of web applications, scaling applications automatically, and simplifying development pipelines.

Conclusion

AWS offers a wealth of services, and understanding these ten core services will set you on the right path  to mastering the cloud. From compute and storage to networking and security, these services form the backbone of many cloud-based applications and infrastructures. As you continue your cloud journey, you will discover more specialized AWS services, but a fine understanding of these essential tools will help you build, deploy, and manage applications effectively in the cloud. As you are familiar with these tools, you will gain the confidence to design and implement scalable, secure, and efficient cloud solutions.

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