Chapter 1. Cloud and AWS Fundamentals

Before you can build anything with cloud technology, it’s important to understand what the cloud actually is. That’s where we’ll start. You’ll get a clear picture of how cloud computing compares to older, on-premise infrastructure—and why more and more teams are making the shift.

From there, we’ll explore different ways in which the cloud can be used. You’ll learn what it means when someone talks about a public vs. private cloud, or says something like IaaS or SaaS. We’ll keep the terms simple and focus on how each model works in real scenarios.

Once those foundations are set, we’ll move into the world of AWS. You’ll see how Amazon’s cloud platform is organized and what kind of services it offers—even if you’ve never logged into the AWS Console before. We’ll also show you a few beginner-friendly use cases so you can start connecting the dots between AWS features and real applications.

At the end of this chapter, we’ll take a look at how AWS compares with Azure and Google Cloud. If you’ve wondered how these providers stack up, or which one is right for your project, this side-by-side view will help make things clearer.

If you're brand new to cloud computing, take your time going through each section. If you already have some background in it, feel free to jump ahead to the AWS-specific parts.