This is the level most should begin at. It takes you from the beginning, through the fundamentals of AWS in the cloud, core AWS services, security, pricing, architecture, and support, and does not require any technical skills as prerequisite knowledge. It’s designed for those new to the cloud or filling non-technical positions, and it can also serve as study for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, if you choose to take it later.

You will learn the principles of cloud computing, cloud computing concepts, AWS global infrastructure, core services, security, pricing, support, cloud architecture basics, use cases and cloud economics.

Students, absolute beginners, business people, developers or IT users who need to have a solid understanding prior to working directly with EC2, S3 or Lambda.

Why you should take it: It is a legitimate AWS course designed for newbies and is a nice way to get ready for the rest of this list without getting overwhelmed on day one.

Worried about the sequence in which to study things? This learning plan addresses this issue by providing you a recommended sequence of services to use, as opposed to you making your own guesses as to which service you should focus on. It provides you with an explanation of the concepts behind cloud, the benefits of AWS, the major services, and pricing and security in an orderly fashion that is designed for people with an interest in a cloud job path, not to the techie who stumbles upon it.

The learning outcomes of this course are: Cloud Concept, Core AWS Services, AWS benefits, Cloud Economics, Security, Pricing, Architecture and Career Fundamentals.

Complete beginners, students and career changers looking for structure rather than a random selection of training courses from AWS training catalog.

Why it’s worth doing: The guided sequence takes away the mystery of ordering the services in a specific sequence – a process which is far more important than people think when beginning from scratch.

This one will get your hands dirty first with Amazon S3. You don’t just learn about cloud storage, you actually create a storage solution and host a static webpage on S3 — a small, but satisfying win for the beginning guy. AWS Educate allows you to do this without needing to put your credit card in the ring, so there is no need to worry if you’re still on the fence about cloud and just want to get your hands dirty.

You’ll learn about the basics of cloud storage, about Amazon S3, about S3 buckets and the objects they contain, how to upload and download files, how to manage your storage and how to host a static website.

It’s for: beginners who are looking for practical, hands-on experience instead of theory; developers who want to know how to store and serve files in the cloud.

The benefits: Real-life experience is better than theory and this course provides you with both without any pressure to pay for a method.

Learners who finish this course will receive a digital badge.This course is considered a Beginner course, is hands-on, and is free but will award a digital badge to the learner at completion.

Rather than just reading about virtual machines in abstraction, this course enables you to create and operate your own EC2 instance, the foundation of AWS compute. It’s a guided setting, which means that you’ll have less risk of accidentally damaging something or getting a surprise charge while you’re learning.

What you’ll achieve: Understand basic concepts of cloud computing, Amazon EC2, virtual servers, EC2 instances, computing resources, instance management and AWS console.

For whom: All AWS compute beginners, students and developers looking for their first real hands-on experience with AWS compute.

Why it’s worth doing: You have actually walked away with something to start, not just a video to watch and take notes on.

Networking is intimidating from the get-go, but this course introduces you by using Amazon Virtual Private Cloud. They will be creating the secure cloud network one by one, making it much easier to understand than having to read a diagram or a glossary entry.

Who it’s for: Beginners, developers and system administrators who want to understand the networking layer sitting underneath the rest of AWS.

Why it’s worth doing: It makes VPC approachable without requiring any prior networking background, which is exactly the gap most beginner guides skip.

This is a hands-on, free, beginner course that culminates with a certificate option using a digital badge.

This is a great next step after knowing about compute and storage when you want to launch a database instance on Amazon RDS and connect a web application to it. It demonstrates how those pieces actually play within an actual application, not as three individual, siloed lessons.

You will learn: Cloud databases, Amazon RDS, database instances, relational databases, application connection to databases and database configuration.

This is AWS’s own official tutorial for launching and connecting to an EC2 instance. It walks you through launching an instance, finding it inside the console, checking its configuration, and terminating it once you’re done. AWS also has a fuller EC2 guide covering key pairs, VPCs, security groups and EBS volumes.

What you’ll learn: Amazon EC2, virtual servers, EC2 instances, Amazon Machine Images, key pairs, security groups, EBS and basic instance management.

Who it’s for: Anyone launching their first real server in AWS and wanting to see it working end to end.

Why it’s worth doing: It takes you from zero EC2 experience to a running cloud instance in roughly ten minutes using the actual console.

This is the official tutorial from AWS to get your EC2 instance started and connected to. It guides you through starting up an instance, locating it in the console, inspecting its configuration, and shutting it down when finished. AWS also has a much more detailed EC2 guide on key pairs, VPCs, security groups and EBS volumes.

What you’ll learn: Amazon EC2, virtual servers, EC2 instances, Amazon Machine Images, key pairs, security groups, EBS and basic instance management.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites other than being beginning a first real server in AWS and wishing to see it working end to end.

Why it’s worth doing: You’ll learn how to start a running cloud instance in about 10 minutes, using the real console

This is an official Amazon S3 tutorial to help you get started in the creation of a bucket, uploading objects, downloading files and cleaning up after you’re finished. AWS uses the term bucket to describe a container for objects and objects as the file and its associated metadata.

You will learn about Amazon S3, buckets, objects, file uploads and downloads, storage management, S3 security basics, storage classes and static website hosting.

For whom it is for: Anyone starting out, those who want to learn about AWS object storage well, and students.

Why it’s worth doing: It covers one of AWS’ most fundamental services, but in a hands-on rather than reading-any-thing-you-can-understand way. One mistake beginners make early on is giving every user full admin access just to avoid permission errors, which defeats the purpose of an AWS security course like this one.

IAM controls access to what’s in your AWS account and it’s one of the more important things to know early rather than later. This guide will discuss IAM users, roles, and permissions, as well as how identities are actually granted access to AWS resources. IAM is free to use, so why not now?

What you’ll learn: AWS IAM, users, roles, permissions, policies, authentication, authorization and secure AWS access.

For: AWS beginners, cloud engineers, developers, sysadmins and security professionals who want to grasp AWS access control.

Why it is worth doing: Early learning about security prevents this from being an afterthought after services are already up and running.

Cloud operations is about ensuring that resources are running smoothly given that they are deployed – and this course provides you with a safe and guided setting in which to practice this rather than plunging you straight into the middle of a real production account from day one. It’s not exciting to talk about monitoring, managing and maintaining resources, but it’s most of the job.

What you’ll learn: Cloud operations, AWS infrastructure, resource management, cloud monitoring, basic troubleshooting and cloud administration concepts.

Audience: Students or beginners and aspiring cloud administrators who are seeking hands-on experience in AWS operations work.

Why it’s worth doing: Because it’s a practical approach that doesn’t require a deep understanding of architecture.

This quick hands-on course helps students build and deploy a basic web app on Amazon Web Services (AWS) using only the AWS free tier.

You can create isolated networks on AWS via VPC, and it’s important to understand VPC since many other AWS services are either contained in a VPC or rely on one to communicate with it. This guide is aimed at subnets, route tables, internet gateway and security controls and it’s a logical sequel after playing around with EC2.

Students will learn: Amazon VPC, virtual networks, subnets, route tables, internet gateways, IP addressing, and network security, EC2 networking.

For whom it is for: Developers, sysadmins, and students who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of AWS networking rather than superficial.

Why it is valuable: When you’re working on more advanced architecture and security later, it will help you build a foundation of networking.

Amazon RDS takes care of the arduous task of maintaining relational databases without having to manage the infrastructure. This tutorial guides you through creating and connecting to an RDS database, particularly if you’re familiar with EC2 and networking.

Learning objectives: Amazon RDS, Relational databases, database instances, database connectivity, managed databases and database security.

For: Developers, database beginners and students wishing to learn about managed relational databases in a real environment.

Why it is worthwhile to do: It illustrates the ability to manage databases easily with AWS, even with relational database functionality that you are already familiar with.

DynamoDB is AWS’ fully managed NoSQL database designed for maximum performance and predictable performance, without the traditional server management hassle. It gives you a great idea of how tables, items and attributes work with noSQL, rather than just reading about it, with hands-on examples.

You’ll learn: DynamoDB concepts, NoSQL databases, tables, items, attributes, and primary keys.

For whom it is for: Developers, students and cloud professionals wanting to learn about cloud-native NoSQL databases.

Why it’s worth doing: It brings one of AWS’s largest database services into existence while settling the debate between relational and NoSQL with real-world experience.

After going live with your applications, you need to be aware of the moment it breaks. CloudWatch offers monitoring and observability of AWS resources, and this guide will explain AWS metrics, dashboards, logs and alarms in order to really see what’s going on under the hood rather than just guessing.

You will learn: Amazon CloudWatch, Metrics, Logs, Dashboards, Alarms, Monitoring and Application Observability.

For whom: Developers, DevOps newbies as well as sysadmins keen to understand the actual usage of AWS monitoring.

So why it is important: It’s the monitoring layer you will want when you begin deploying anything people depend on.

The AWS CLI enables you to interact with services through the terminal without clicking through the console each time. It is an official guide that includes installation, configuration and example commands, and is only useful once you start automating anything repetitive.

You will learn: How to install and configure AWS CLI, how to use the command syntax, how to use AWS service commands, how to use profiles, and basics of automation.

For: Developers, sysadmins and DevOps learners looking to manage AWS resources using the command line and not a browser.

Why it’s worth it: It’s also a natural stepping stone if you’re eyeing an AWS DevOps course down the line, since most automation and CI/CD pipelines lean on the CLI rather than the console.

This approach isn’t about just a single service, but about a whole AWS system. It’s organized around six pillars: operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization and sustainability. It can be most helpful after you have already learned about a few individual services and are looking to coordinate them correctly, rather than patching things together.

You will learn: AWS architecture principles, operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, sustainability and workload reviews.

Best for: cloud engineers, cloud architects and DevOps engineers looking to pursue roles in architecture in the future.

Why it’s worth doing: It’s not the same type of skill, and it moves one’s thought away from individual services towards well-designed systems. Solutions Architect roles are consistently among the highest-demand and highest-paid positions in cloud, which is part of why this AWS solutions architect course path attracts so many career changers.

Security pervades almost all aspects of AWS and this collection covers identity and infrastructure protection, data protection and monitoring. Once you understand the basics of IAM, you’ll be able to see how other tools, such as IAM, AWS Key Management Service, and Amazon GuardDuty, fit into a larger security picture.

You will learn: AWS security basics, identity and access management, data protection, infrastructure security, encryption and threat detection.

Why it matters: Security knowledge is more than a parochial skill just for the security team; it’s a valuable asset in almost every cloud job.

This learning plan includes 10 foundational hands-on labs covering Amazon VPC, S3, EC2, IAM, KMS, DynamoDB, CloudFront, Lambda, API Gateway, and an AWS environment security audit. AWS says the labs are designed to provide guided, practical experience in a real AWS environment. (Amazon Web Services, Inc.)

Who it’s for: Beginners, students, developers, career changers, and anyone looking to build practical AWS skills.

What you’ll learn: AWS networking, storage, compute, identity and access management, encryption, databases, content delivery, serverless computing, APIs, and basic cloud security.

Why it’s worth doing: Unlike purely theoretical AWS courses, this learning plan lets beginners practice core AWS services through guided hands-on labs. (builder.aws.com)

Containers bundle an app and its requirements into a lightweight, portable bundle and AWS supports containers in two ways: Amazon Elastic Container Service and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service. This resource will be helpful when you are familiar with EC2 and looking to learn about more contemporary deployment methods.

In this course, you’ll learn the basics of containers, Docker concepts, and how to deploy and scale containers using Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS, as well as learn about container deployment, orchestration, and scaling applications.

For: Developers and DevOps novices who want to learn how to deploy to AWS using containers.

Why it’s valuable: Containers are the bridge between old school virtual machines and new cloud-native application design.

AWS provides all the essentials for implementing a full machine learning lifecycle – from data preparation, to model development, deployment and monitoring. As one of the hottest spots in the cloud right now, this collection provides an introduction to machine learning concepts and services such as Amazon SageMaker.

What you will gain: Machine learning basics, AWS AI Services, Amazon SageMaker, ML Workflows, Data Preparation, Model Development and Model Deployment.

For whom: Users developing with machine learning, data professionals and students who are interested in machine learning, particularly on AWS.

Why it’s worth doing: It’s at the intersection of two places where most of the growth is occurring: cloud and AI.

Solutions Architect is one of the most sought after AWS job paths for individuals who prefer to create cloud infrastructure instead of using individual AWS services. This training includes Compute, Storage, Networking, Databases, Security, Reliability, Scalability and Cost optimization. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is also available as an official exam prep material, but it’s not included in the AWS cost.

The skills you will acquire: AWS Architecture, EC2, S3, VPC, RDS, IAM, HA, Scalability, Fault Tolerance, Cost Optimization and Cloud Architecture Design.

Target audience: Developers, sysadmins, cloud engineers and IT professionals seeking a career in cloud architecture.

Why it’s worth it: It bundles together almost all of the rest of this list into full, scalable and secure architectures.

While AWS is known for infrastructure services, there are many services to collect, store, process and analyze data that create opportunities beyond that of infrastructure. This is a collection of Amazon Redshift, Amazon Athena, AWS Glue and Amazon Kinesis, and how cloud platforms can transform raw, messy data into something that’s actually useful for a business.

You will learn about cloud data analytics, data lakes, data warehouses, Amazon Redshift, Amazon Athena, AWS Glue, Amazon Kinesis and Analytics architecture.

It’s designed for: Data analysts, data engineers, and cloud practitioners who have a focus on analytics instead of just infrastructure.

Why people should care: It provides an opportunity for data enthusiasts to explore the data side of AWS beyond infrastructure and into insights.

In this course, you will learn about the concept of serverless computing, and you’ll do so by building your own applications without having to manage the underlying servers; instead, you will utilize the AWS services that enable you to create event-driven applications.

You will learn: AWS service integration, application deployment, event-driven applications, cloud application development and serverless computing with AWS Lambda.

It’s for: Students and new developers who are learning to develop serverless apps for the first time.

Why it’s worth doing: This is not a “single-service” demo but rather a look at how various AWS services fit into a serverless application.