Overview

Launch your AWS journey with this hands-on lab package. Through six practical exercises, you'll gain experience working with fundamental AWS services. Start by creating static websites with S3, then advance to implementing monitoring solutions with CloudWatch. Learn to build secure networks using VPC, manage systems with AWS Systems Manager, and perform database migrations. Finally, optimize content delivery using CloudFront. Perfect for beginners and those seeking to improve their AWS fundamentals, this package translates directly to common cloud computing scenarios.

Syllabus

Welcome to the course

This introductory module provides an overview of your hands-on learning journey through six essential AWS services. You'll learn what to expect from each lab, how the series is structured, and the practical skills you'll develop.

Create a Static Website with Amazon S3

In this lab, you, as a new Amazon Web Services (AWS) user, learn the process for creating a static website by using Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). You learn how to configure an S3 bucket policy, which is required to allow public access. By the end of this lab, you gain hands-on experience with the AWS Management Console and develop a better understanding of the AWS Cloud overall.

Configure Metrics and Alarms in Amazon CloudWatch

The lab simulates common operational challenges you might encounter in production environments. You’ll set up monitoring that goes beyond basic metrics, demonstrating how to create meaningful alerts that provide actionable insights. By the end of the exercise, you’ll understand how to use CloudWatch as a powerful tool for maintaining operational awareness and implementing proactive infrastructure management strategies. Your newfound skills help you address critical monitoring needs across AWS services. Whether you’re tracking storage access patterns, monitoring application performance, or establishing early warning systems for potential issues, the techniques you’ll learn are fundamental to effective cloud infrastructure management. These competencies are increasingly valuable as organizations rely more heavily on cloud technologies and require sophisticated monitoring approaches.

Introduction to AWS Systems Manager

This lab demonstrates the use of Run Command, a capability of AWS Systems Manager. You also practice configuring a Command document.

Introduction to AWS Database Migration Service

This lab will provide you with a basic understanding of using the AWS Database Migration Service. In this lab you will migrate data from a MySQL database running on an Amazon EC2 instance to an Amazon Aurora RDS instance. This lab has a longer startup time of at least 15 minutes to allow the lab resources to fully launch and initialize.

Building Your First Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

In this lab, you create a basic Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) without using the VPC Wizard. Amazon VPC lets you provision a logically isolated section of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud where you can launch AWS resources in a virtual network that you define. You have complete control over your virtual networking environment, including selection of your own IP address range, creation of subnets, and configuration of route tables and network gateways. You can use both IPv4 and IPv6 in your VPC for secure and easy access to resources and applications.

Caching Static Files with Amazon CloudFront

This lab demonstrates how to start distributing your web content with Amazon CloudFront by taking a simple static website in Amazon S3 and integrating it with Amazon CloudFront to deliver your website content from AWS edge locations. The majority of this lab will focus on creating an Amazon CloudFront distribution with the AWS Management Console, and then adapting the existing web pages to use Amazon CloudFront.