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Mohamed Zaatar Blog


A Readify developer/consultant. Passionate about Software development, IT and cars. This blog for my technical and personal views.


AWS simpler

I’m studying and exploring AWS (Amazon Web Service). I found AWS services too much to memorize. So, I created a list AWS Simpler. Breifly, I define all AWS services and products within groups with very simple words.

My main source for these definitions is ACloudGuru course.

And I want to share it with the internet!

  • General
    • Region: geographic place for AWS Services
    • Availability zone: simply a data centre
    • Edge location: CDN endpoint (for Content Delivery Network)
  • Network
    • VPC: Virtual Private Cloud. Private data centre which is isolated set of resources
    • DirectConnect: a service to install on premises to connect you directly to your data centre
    • Route53: Amazon DNS (Why 53? because it is DNS port)
  • Compute
    • EC2: Simply a virtual server
    • ECS: EC2 Container Service - for docker containers
    • Elastic beanstalk: web app hosting
    • Lambda: provisioning code without running a server. Most powerful service, pay for running computing time
  • Storage
    • S3: object-based storage. Not block-based storage. Pay for the storage that you use.
    • Cloud Front: CDN endpoint to cache your files in edge locations
    • Glacier: archiving low cost storage and backups. Around 4 hours to access files
    • EFS: Elastic File System as NAS in the cloud. Block level storage
    • Snowball: Import/export. Send your own hard disk and import data into cloud. Enterprise level. It looks like a suitcase. Pay on daily basis
    • Storage Gateway: integration between on premiss and cloud. Virtual machine that run on your premises and replicate your data into the cloud
  • Database
    • RDS: cloud db service, including Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, Aurora, Maria db
    • Dynamo DB: NoSQL Amazon service
    • Elastic cache: caching your db service,
    • Redshift: Amazon db warehouse. Great performance
    • DMS: Database Migration Service. migrating db into AWS and convert from Oracle to MySQL
  • Analytics
    • EMR: Elastic Map Reduce, processing big data
    • Data pipeline: move data from service to into another service
    • Elastic Search: Open source search analytics service. Monitor data
    • Kinesis: Streaming data
    • Machine Learning: simply a machine learning service
    • Quick Sight: new service. BI service. Fast, power, cloud based ad-hoc analysis
  • Security and Identity
    • IAM: control your users, groups, password, MFA
    • Directory Services: it has different types and think of it as Microsoft Active Directory
    • Amazon Inspector: install agent on VM and inspect security
    • WAF: Web Application Firewall
    • Cloud HSM: Hardware security Module
    • KMS: Key Management Service
  • Management Tools
    • Cloud Watch: Monitor application and resources
    • Cloud Formation: best thing in AWS. JSON and UI based
    • Cloud Trail: provide Audit access on AWS
    • OpsWorks: configure application using Chef
    • AWS Config: fully resource inventory for governance
    • Service Catalogue:
    • Trusted Advisor: automated scan for your service and how to save money. Two tiers (free and enterprise)
  • Application Service
    • API gateway: for developers to create and publish API
    • AppStream: stream your windows screen. For tablets, windows. AS XenApp
    • CloudSearch: Managed service to set up search solution for your website. Highlighting and search
    • Elastic Transcoder: High scalable to convert media formats from mobile etc
    • SES: Simple Email Service, Send and receive emails
    • SQS: Simple Queue Service. First service introduced by AWS
    • SWF: Simple WorkFlow, used by Amazon when buying something
  • Developer Tools
    • CodeCommit: source control. As Github
    • CodeDeploy: Automate code deploy
    • CodePipeLine: continuous delivery service
  • Mobile Service
    • Mobile Hub: Monitor and test your mobile app usage
    • Cognito: Save your mobile data, app preference as settings
    • Device Farm: enable testing mobile app in AWS
    • Mobile Analytics.
    • SNS: Simple Notification Service
  • **Enterprise Applications
    • Workplaces: virtual desktop in the cloud
    • WorkDocs: safe place to safe your files. As DropBox, OneDrive
    • WorkMail: AWS exchange
  • IoT
    • Internet of Things: IoT platform for IoT devices