Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers pay-as-you-go cloud computing platforms and APIs to people, businesses, and governments. AWS server farms provide a variety of networking, compute, storage, middleware, IOT, and other processing capacity services, as well as software tools. These cloud computing web services free clients from managing, scaling, and patching hardware and operating systems. AWS has become the most successful cloud infrastructure company on the planet, garnering more than 30 percent of the market.
In this blog, we will be Exploring the basics of Amazon Web Services.
History
The origins of AWS as a developer tool can be traced all the way back to 2002 when an initial beta was released (named Amazon.com Web Service) that offered SOAP and XML interfaces for the Amazon product catalogue1. In 2006, AWS was officially launched with two core services: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), which allows users to have at their disposal a virtual cluster of computers, and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), which provides online storage space. Amazon had almost 180,000 developers sign up in 2007. Amazon.com’s retail web services were transferred to AWS in 2010, therefore Amazon.com is currently running on AWS. Since then, Amazon has expanded its portfolio of services and regions and has attracted millions of customers from startups to enterprises to public sector organizations.
AWS Introduction
AWS is a cloud computing platform that provides various services that can be used to build and deploy applications on the Internet. AWS allows users to access these services through web-based interfaces, command-line tools, or software development kits (SDKs). Users can choose from a wide range of services that cover different aspects of cloud computing, such as:
- Compute: Services that provide processing power for running applications and workloads. Examples include Amazon EC2, Lambda, and Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS).
- Storage: Services that provide online storage space for data and objects. Examples include Amazon S3, Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), and Amazon Glacier.
- Networking: Services that enable users to connect their applications and resources across different regions and locations. Examples include Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Route 53, and AWS Direct Connect.
- Middleware: Services that provide common functionality and features for applications. Examples include Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS).
- IOT: Services that enable users to connect and manage devices and sensors on the internet. Examples include AWS IoT Core, IoT Greengrass, and IoT Analytics.
- Other: Services that provide specialized capabilities for specific use cases or domains. Examples include Amazon Machine Learning, Amazon Lex, and Amazon Polly.
AWS Global Infrastructure
Amazon operates from many global geographical regions including seven in North America. Each region consists of multiple isolated locations called availability zones (AZs), which are connected by low-latency links. Each AZ contains one or more data centers that house the servers and hardware that run the AWS services. Users can choose which region and AZ they want to use for their applications and data, depending on factors such as latency, cost, compliance, and redundancy. Users can also leverage services such as Amazon CloudFront and Global Accelerator to distribute their content and traffic across multiple regions.
AWS Region
An AWS region is a physical location in the world where Amazon has multiple AZs. Each region has a name that indicates its geographic areas, such as us-east-1 (US East N. Virginia) or eu-west-1 (EU Ireland). Users can select the region that best suits their needs based on factors such as proximity to their customers or users, regulatory requirements, or pricing differences. Users can also use multiple regions for disaster recovery or high availability purposes.
AWS Availability Zones
In an AWS area, an availability zone (AZ) is one or more separate data centers with redundant power, networking, and connectivity. Each AZ is designed to be isolated from other AZ failures. Users can launch their resources in one or more AZs within a region to achieve fault tolerance and high availability. For example, users can launch their EC2 instances in two different AZs within the same region and use a load balancer to distribute traffic between them.
Ways To Access Services
There are a few different ways to access AWS services. One way is to use the AWS Management Console, which is a web-based interface that provides access to each service console and offers a single place to access the information you need to perform your AWS-related tasks. You can also customize the Console Home page by adding, removing, and rearranging widgets, such as recently visited, AWS Health, Trusted Advisor, and more.
Another way is to use the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), which is a tool that allows you to interact with AWS services from a command prompt. You can use the AWS CLI to automate common tasks and scripts, as well as to access advanced features that are not available in the console. The AWS CLI supports multiple platforms, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.
A third way is to use Amazon Software Development Kits (SDKs), which are libraries that enable you to integrate AWS services into your applications using your preferred programming language. Amazon SDKs provide high-level APIs that simplify common tasks, such as authentication, request signing, and error handling. Amazon SDKs are available for various languages, such as Java, Python, Ruby, .NET, Node.js, and more.
Advantages
Amazon Web Services offers many advantages for users who want to leverage cloud computing for their applications and workloads. Some of these advantages are:
- Scalability: Amazon allows you to scale your resources up or down according to your demand and pays only for what you use. You can also use services such as Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling and Amazon Elastic Load Balancing to automatically adjust your capacity and distribute your traffic across multiple instances.
- Reliability: Amazon provides high availability and durability for your data and applications by using multiple AZs within each region and replicating your data across them. You can also use services such as Amazon S3 and Amazon Glacier to store your data with 99.999999999% durability.
- Security: Amazon provides various features and tools to help you secure your resources and data on the cloud. You can use services such as Amazon VPC, Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM), Amazon Key Management Service (KMS), and Amazon Shield to control access, encrypt data, manage keys, and protect against DDoS attacks.
- Cost-effectiveness: Amazon allows you to reduce your capital expenditure and operational costs by eliminating the need for upfront investments in hardware and software. You can also benefit from economies of scale and pay lower prices as your usage increases. You can also use services such as Amazon Cost Explorer and Amazon Budgets to monitor and optimize your spending.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Amazon Web Services is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services to help individuals and businesses run their applications and store their data securely. AWS operates a global infrastructure that is made up of regions and availability zones, and it offers a wide range of services that are designed to meet the needs of different customers. Some of the advantages of using AWS include scalability, cost-effectiveness, security, and reliability. AWS is a powerful tool for anyone looking to build and deploy applications in the cloud, and it is likely to remain a dominant player in the cloud computing space for many years to come.
Related Links/References:
- Overview of Amazon Web Services & Concepts
- How to create a free tier account in AWS
- Amazon Web Services
- AWS Management Console Walkthrough
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-CO3
Next Task For You
Begin your journey towards an AWS Cloud by joining our FREE Informative Class on Amazon Cloud Free Class by clicking on the below image.
Neelakandan says
Hi,
I am planing to learn IBM Soft layer cloud computing .
What is the different between AWS and IBM SL services.
Could you please let me course fees and duration.
Thanks
Neela
Atul Kumar says
Thanks Neela but we don’t have IBM SL expertise right now, wish you all the best
Atul
Harshi says
Hi Atul,
I am planning to complete AWS Certified Solutions Architect – professional Certification, Please let us know is there any help from your end and I already completed AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials.
Thanks,
Harshi
Rohit Pathak says
Hi Harshi,
Thanks for your comment!
Currently we are not planning for AWS, however, if we launch AWS will definitely let you know.
I would also suggest you check other clouds too as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is also in demand.
To know more about it check at https://k21academy.com/iaas03
Thanks & Regards,
Rohit(TeamK21)
Rashmi says
Hi , I am looking to learn Aws . Can you please more details about your training.
Thanks
celina says
Good Post! Thank you so much for sharing this pretty post, it was so nice to read and useful to improve my knowledge as an updated one, keep blogging.
Surbhi Sharma says
Hello Celina,
Glad you liked our post, please stay tuned for more informative blogs & content!
Regards,
Team K21