Cloud Platforms
AWS provides cloud infrastructure and platform services for DevOps.
On this page
Use this page for fast recall. Use Full documentation when you want the complete end-to-end path.
A simple 5-step flow you can follow when using AWS in real work.
1) Setup
Install/run the tool and confirm version. Create a minimal config.
2) Small change
Do one small action end-to-end to prove the workflow.
3) Validate
Check output, logs, and status. Catch mistakes early.
4) Automate
Convert it into a repeatable script or pipeline step.
5) Productionize
Add safety: secrets, rollback, observability, and docs.
These are practical sequences you can copy into your own checklist or runbook.
Goal: Create a clean dev/stage/prod environment with least privilege.
- Set up IAM roles and avoid long-lived access keys where possible.
- Create networking (VPC, subnets, routes) with IaC.
- Deploy compute (ECS/EKS/EC2) with monitoring and logs.
- Add backups, alerts, and cost budgets.
- Document access patterns and incident response basics.
- IAM
- Networking
- Compute
Learning path (high-level):
- Secure account setup
- Deploy workloads
- Automate with IaC
Configure CLI
Command
aws configureCheck identity
Command
aws sts get-caller-identityList buckets
Command
aws s3 lsShort descriptions and practical intent. Search, filter, copy, and reuse.
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aws sts get-caller-identityShow current identity/account.
aws configureConfigure credentials and default region.
aws s3 lsList S3 buckets.
aws s3 cp file s3://bucket/pathCopy file to S3.
aws ec2 describe-instancesList EC2 instances.
aws ec2 describe-security-groupsList security groups.
aws ecr get-login-password | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin <account>.dkr.ecr.<region>.amazonaws.comLogin Docker to ECR.
aws eks list-clustersList EKS clusters.
aws eks update-kubeconfig --name <cluster>Configure kubectl for EKS.
aws iam list-usersList IAM users.
aws iam get-userGet current IAM user.
aws cloudformation list-stacksShow CloudFormation stacks.
aws cloudwatch describe-alarms --max-records 20List CloudWatch alarms.
aws logs tail /aws/lambda/my-fn --followStream CloudWatch logs.
Small blocks you can drop into your terminal, config, or runbook.
ECR login (example)
bash
aws ecr get-login-password | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin <account>.dkr.ecr.<region>.amazonaws.comWhen things break, follow this order to stay calm and move fast.
- If API calls fail: check region, credentials, and IAM permissions.
- If networking is broken: verify security groups/NACLs and route tables.
- If deployments fail: check service logs (CloudWatch) and resource quotas.
The common mistakes that slow people down when using AWS.
- Copy-pasting commands without understanding inputs/outputs and side effects.
- Not documenting defaults (ports, paths, credentials) and then getting stuck in prod.
- Skipping logs and metrics when troubleshooting; always collect evidence first.
Do these tasks in order. You will feel the tool instead of just reading about it.
- Install or run the tool locally (or in Docker) and verify it works with a hello-world action.
- Create a minimal config and run the most common command 3 times (with a small change each time).
- Break something on purpose and document how you debugged it in your Notes.
Use these to test if you truly understand the basics (and can explain them clearly).
- Explain the tool’s role in a real CI/CD pipeline from commit to production.
- Describe the most common failure you’ve seen with this tool and how you fixed it.
- What would you monitor/alert on for this tool in production?