Introduction to Cloud & AWS

Duration: 45 min

Cloud computing has transformed how organizations build and deploy applications. AWS is the leading cloud provider with a global infrastructure spanning 33 regions and 105 availability zones. This module introduces cloud models, AWS regions, and the global infrastructure that powers millions of applications.

Cloud Computing Models

Cloud computing offers three primary service models:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. You manage applications, data, and runtime; AWS manages infrastructure, storage, and networking. EC2 is AWS's primary IaaS offering.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) abstracts infrastructure management. You focus on code; AWS handles servers, databases, and scaling. Elastic Beanstalk and App Runner are PaaS services.

Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers fully managed applications. Users access via browser; AWS manages everything. Salesforce and Microsoft 365 are examples.

AWS Regions and Availability Zones

AWS infrastructure is organized hierarchically. A Region is a geographic area containing multiple isolated data centers. Each region has at least 3 Availability Zones (AZs) — physically separate data centers with independent power, cooling, and networking.

This architecture provides high availability and disaster recovery. If one AZ fails, applications in other AZs continue running. Regions are isolated for compliance and latency optimization.

Global Infrastructure

Beyond regions and AZs, AWS operates Edge Locations for content delivery via CloudFront CDN, and Local Zones for ultra-low latency applications near major cities.

Hands-On: Explore AWS Regions

List all available regions:

aws ec2 describe-regions --query 'Regions[*].[RegionName,Endpoint]' --output table

Get availability zones in your default region:

aws ec2 describe-availability-zones --query 'AvailabilityZones[*].[ZoneName,State]' --output table

Check your current AWS account and region:

aws sts get-caller-identity
aws configure get region

Set default region for CLI:

export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
aws configure set region us-west-2

Verify region configuration:

aws ec2 describe-regions --region-names us-east-1 us-west-2 --output json

AWS Global Services

Some AWS services are global and don't require region selection: IAM, CloudFront, Route 53, and AWS Organizations. Most services are region-specific.

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