Exploring AWS Further: Rise of AI Services

We've covered a lot together—from setting up AWS accounts and building virtual servers to managing storage, databases, security, and performance. But the truth is, everything we've explored so far is just the beginning. AWS is enormous. As of April 2025, AWS offers over 250 distinct services, and that list keeps growing. While we've covered the essentials, there's still plenty left to discover. In this section, I'll guide you through more advanced capabilities of the services you already know, introduce practical projects you can try next, and show you how AWS is powering the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

Exploring more features

You've gotten comfortable with services like IAM, EC2, VPC, S3, RDS, AMIs, and CloudWatch—but there's much more depth hidden within each. Let's peek under the hood and look at a few advanced features you might find useful.

IAM: Enhanced access control
We’ve set up basic user access, but IAM offers even richer tools to secure your environment. You can set policies that allow temporary access for specific tasks or use conditions based on context—like accessing resources from certain locations or during particular times. IAM can also seamlessly integrate with external identity providers, letting users log in via Google or Microsoft credentials, making your app even more user-friendly and secure.

EC2: Specialized instances for every task
You’ve launched standard web servers, but EC2 also has specialized instances tailored to various tasks—whether it’s graphics-intensive workloads using GPUs, memory-heavy analytics, or quick data processing. Additionally, EC2 Spot Instances allow you to access excess AWS capacity at lower costs, which is perfect for tasks that aren’t time-sensitive but require lots of computing power. For stable workloads, Reserved Instances help lock in lower prices, making long-term planning more affordable.

VPC: Building stronger networks
Our initial VPC setup was straightforward, but AWS allows you to create more sophisticated networks. Adding NAT Gateways can help you secure private subnets while still allowing them to access the internet safely. Beyond NAT, VPC Peering lets different VPCs communicate securely, and AWS PrivateLink provides secure connections to AWS services without exposing data to the public internet—making your architecture safer and more flexible.

S3: Smarter storage management
Beyond storing and retrieving objects, S3 lets you automate data management. Using lifecycle policies, you can automatically transition older data into cheaper storage tiers over time. S3 also supports cross-region replication for redundancy, object versioning to track changes, and object locking for regulatory compliance, ensuring your data is safe, secure, and cost-effective.

AMI: Streamlining your deployments
Instead of repeatedly configuring servers from scratch, you can create custom Amazon Machine Images (AMIs). Preconfigured AMIs allow you to launch consistent, identical servers in seconds, making scaling faster and reducing configuration errors. This can significantly simplify deployments, especially for complex or frequently updated environments.

More use cases for practice

As you grow your confidence with AWS, the next logical step is applying your skills to practical projects. Here are several valuable use cases to explore next:

Configuring custom domains with Route 53

After building your web app, personalize it by linking your custom domain. Route 53 simplifies DNS management, reliably directing visitors to your AWS resources. It’s straightforward and makes your app feel polished and professional.

Implementing SSL/HTTPS

Securing your website with HTTPS is now essential. AWS Certificate Manager provides free, easy-to-use SSL certificates, ensuring data remains encrypted in transit. Transitioning to HTTPS not only protects your users but also boosts your site's credibility.

Improving performance with ElastiCache (Redis)

Speed is crucial. Caching frequently used data with Redis via ElastiCache reduces database queries and dramatically improves your app’s response times. It’s easy to set up, so your users can enjoy faster response time immediately.

Scaling the application with Auto Scaling Groups

Handle traffic fluctuations smoothly. Auto Scaling Groups adjust the number of active servers automatically, ensuring your app handles varying loads efficiently without manual intervention. It's an essential step in preparing your app for real-world demands.

Securing access with Bastion Hosts

To further secure your application, set up a Bastion Host as a single, secure gateway into your private networks. This reduces exposure to potential threats and helps you manage and secure remote access more effectively.

Beyond basics: powering AI with AWS

Artificial intelligence continues to transform businesses, driving innovation and requiring powerful infrastructure. AWS is perfectly positioned to support these next-generation, AI-driven solutions. Here are three of the most impactful AWS tools you can use to support AI-related projects:

Amazon SageMaker

Machine learning might sound intimidating at first, but Amazon SageMaker simplifies it dramatically. SageMaker provides tools to quickly build, train, and deploy ML models, removing the heavy lifting of infrastructure setup. Whether predicting customer behavior, detecting fraud, or automating insights, SageMaker helps you get started easily—even if you’re not a data scientist.

For instance, SageMaker Studio gives you a user-friendly environment for developing, debugging, and deploying ML models without infrastructure headaches, letting you focus solely on your data and models.

Amazon Bedrock

Generative AI, like ChatGPT or image-generation models, has taken center stage. AWS Bedrock brings these sophisticated AI models within easy reach. You can quickly integrate pre-built generative AI models into your apps, customizing them with your data for advanced chatbots, automatic content creation, or virtual assistants. Bedrock dramatically simplifies what used to be complex tasks, making innovative AI-driven features accessible to all developers.

Amazon Rekognition and Comprehend

AWS Rekognition allows apps to quickly analyze visual content, automatically identifying faces, objects, and even inappropriate imagery, perfect for apps that need automated moderation or tagging.

Amazon Comprehend focuses on text data, uncovering sentiment, key phrases, and topics without manual effort. Imagine quickly analyzing user reviews, customer feedback, or massive document collections, and automatically extracting valuable insights. Together, these services simplify handling vast amounts of data and uncovering actionable insights.

Taking your AWS journey further

The skills you’ve developed so far have set the stage for exploring even more advanced capabilities. AWS continuously evolves, offering more opportunities for developers to innovate and build exciting applications. Your next step could be working toward AWS certifications, solidifying your knowledge, and ensuring you remain ahead in this ever-changing cloud landscape.

As we wrap up, remember your journey with AWS is far from over. Keep experimenting, keep building, and most importantly—keep learning. The cloud, particularly AWS, holds immense potential. It’s now up to you to explore, innovate, and build what's next.