6 decks to understand the Amazon Web Services ecosystem: global infrastructure, compute and storage services, security, costs and architecture. A solid foundation to reason about AWS, no technical prerequisite required.
This guide covers AWS fundamental concepts without going into technical implementation (CLI, Terraform, console). The goal: understand the services, trade-offs and vocabulary of AWS.
Cloud computing basics applied to AWS: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS models, regions and availability zones, elasticity.
AWS's global physical infrastructure and the essential services: EC2, S3, VPC, IAM.
Overview of AWS compute, storage and database services, and the criteria for choosing between them.
The AWS shared responsibility model, identity and access management, and security best practices.
AWS billing logic, cost optimization levers and financial cloud governance best practices.
Key AWS architecture patterns, high availability and operational best practices.
Recommended progression: from cloud fundamentals to architecture, through core services, security and costs.
Essential cloud computing basics applied to AWS: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, regions, availability zones and elasticity. Recommended starting point for all levels.
AWS's global physical infrastructure and the fundamental services: EC2, S3, VPC, IAM. The backbone of the platform.
Overview of the main AWS compute (EC2, Lambda), storage (S3, EBS) and database (RDS, DynamoDB) services, and the criteria for choosing between them.
The AWS shared responsibility model, identity and access management (IAM), encryption and cloud security best practices.
AWS billing logic, cost optimization levers and financial governance best practices for the cloud.
Key AWS architecture patterns, high availability, resilience and operational best practices.
Allow 3 to 5 weeks with regular practice of 15 to 20 minutes a day to go through the 6 decks.
Decks 1 and 2: Cloud Fundamentals then Global Infrastructure. These 75 cards cover AWS vocabulary and essential services. If you already know another cloud provider, focus on AWS-specific content.
Decks 3, 4 and 5: Compute/Storage/Networking, Security & IAM, Pricing & Governance. These three decks cover the core of AWS services and trade-offs.
Deck 6: Architecture, Reliability & Operations. This last deck connects previous concepts to concrete architecture choices.
This guide covers AWS fundamentals — services, security, costs, architecture — to build a solid understanding of the platform. It does not replace official AWS training or hands-on labs, which remain necessary to properly prepare for an AWS certification.
No. The decks are designed to be accessible without prior AWS experience, as long as you are comfortable with basic cloud concepts (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS). The Cloud Fundamentals deck establishes these basics from the start.
Recommended order: Cloud Fundamentals → Global Infrastructure → Compute/Storage/Networking → Security & IAM → Pricing & Governance → Architecture. This order follows a pedagogical logic, from basics to the most advanced topics.
Yes. The Azure Fundamentals, Google Cloud and AWS guides share a similar structure (fundamentals, services, security, costs), which makes it easier to compare providers. Many learners explore all three to build a multi-cloud perspective.
Allow 3 to 5 weeks with 15 to 20 minutes a day, for a total of 235 cards spread across 6 decks. The FSRS algorithm automatically manages the review frequency of each card.
30 free Cloud Fundamentals cards. Immediate access to all 6 decks, no credit card required.
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