10 tech articles our gurus loved in 2022
These were the articles that resonated most with our talented cloud gurus (that's you!) in 2022. We've also listed some top editorial picks to check out.
Jun 20, 2023 • 7 Minute Read
Welcome to our yearly recap of the top 10 most read articles on the A Cloud Guru blog! We compiled a list of all the pieces that resonated most with readers in 2022, according to page views.
Check out the list below to see what our talented tech gurus found the most useful, along with a brief summary of what each article covers.
1. What’s free at ACG
Let’s be honest, everybody loves free stuff. It’s honestly no surprise that this list of free courses was the most popular. We update this article every month, so check it out! This list often includes free courses for AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, cloud security, Kubernetes, DevOps training, and more!
Read the article: What's free at ACG
2. 8 AWS jobs you can get with an AWS certification
You know what people love almost as much as free stuff? Certifications — and at the top of that list is usually AWS certs. But after you get one, what then? This article answers just that, such as the jobs you might be qualified for and can land with your shiny new certificate, and how much you can expect to earn.
Read the article: 8 AWS jobs you can get with an AWS certification
3. Serverless showdown: AWS Lambda vs Azure Functions vs Google Cloud Functions
Here at A Cloud Guru, we love us some Serverless! But between all the offerings — AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions — it can be hard to tell which one is the “King of Serverless” (Yes, this is an official title, and there’s a belt and everything). That’s why in this article, we pit these offerings against each other to determine which service reigns supreme. After all, there can only be one!
4. How to keep your AWS Lambda functions warm
This was an incredibly popular article this year! In it, we share how you can schedule CloudWatch Event Rules to thaw AWS Lambda functions and help reduce response times from three seconds to a couple hundred milliseconds. However, the age of Lambda cold starts may be over given the latest news from AWS re:Invent 2022, where AWS released Lambda SnapStart.
We’ve written up a summary of the details here on our blog at Lambda SnapStart: What we know from re:Invent 2022, and there’s a great blog detailing this release by Jeff Barr himself, titled Accelerate your Lambda Functions with Lambda SnapStart.
Read the article: How to keep your AWS Lambda functions warm
5. Microsoft certification renewals and expirations explained
In 2021, Microsoft made some big (and welcome) changes to the way they handle certification expirations and renewals. Our man on all things Microsoft, Lars Klint, explains everything you need to know about how it impacts your Azure certifications in this article. In his words, ‘What are you waiting for? Go on, read it!’
Read the article: Microsoft certification renewals and expirations explained
6. How to troubleshoot 5 common Terraform errors
Terraform was our most searched-for term in 2021, and it’s still plenty popular today. If you’ve got Terraform state and language errors, make sure to read this article by Jess Hoch. It covers the five most common Terraform errors you’re likely to encounter while managing infrastructure (and how to troubleshoot them).
Read the article: How to troubleshoot 5 common Terraform errors
7. CDK vs Terraform vs CloudFormation: A guide to IaC on AWS
Another comparison article, this time by Jared Short! He compares CDK against Terraform and CloudFormation, and answers which one is best for you when it comes to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools on AWS. He even provides a handy chart on the situations you should consider using each offering.
Read the article: CDK vs Terraform vs CloudFormation: A guide to IaC on AWS
8. How to build a multi-region active-active architecture on AWS
This is a great article, not only because it starts with a quote from Arthur C. Clarke. It explains the why and how of designing a multi-region active-active architecture in AWS. It’s worth noting this is the second entry in a series on building this kind of architecture (The first of which you can find here).
Read the article: How to build a multi-region active-active architecture on AWS
9. Serverless browser automation with AWS Lambda and Puppeteer
Programmatically controlling a web browser enables you to automate many useful tasks with code. For many of these, you can use Lambda to minimize infrastructure overhead and simplify scaling. This handy blog post shows how to deploy an example application that uses a headless browser to take periodic screenshots of a webpage.
Read the article: Serverless browser automation with AWS Lambda and Puppeteer
10. An Inside Look At AWS Secrets Manager vs AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
AWS Secrets Manager is a service that helps you protect access to your apps, services, and IT resources. In this article, Craig Arcuri explains how it compares to Parameter Store, including the similarities and differences between the two.
Editor’s Picks from 2022
It’s hard for us to pick out the best articles of 2022 — if we don’t like them, we don’t publish them! But with great effort, we've made a list of the stand-out articles we feel you should check out.
1. Cloud Adventures: 5 Fun, Free Cloud Computing Courses To Try
Remember how I said everyone loves free stuff? Or, okay, you might have skimmed that line, but I’m not the reading police. Well, five Cloud Adventures courses are among those free things you can take! Cloud Adventures are not your average cloud computing training. These courses combine learning science with active engagement to help you master cloud technology — that means bite-sized courses with comics, animations, and just generally interesting stuff.
There’s over 20 Cloud Adventures courses in total for everything from AWS, Azure, Linux, Terraform, Kubernetes, Vim, SDS, and more. For the full list, check out the article!
Read the article: Cloud Adventures: 5 Fun, Free Cloud Computing Courses To Try
2. What is multicloud: Understanding the multicloud strategy
2023 is going to be all about multicloud! According to Gartner, more than 80% of organizations use more than one cloud provider, with 75% of organizations defaulting to multicloud environments. But what is a multicloud strategy and how do you know if it’s right for your organization? This article answers that question and more.
Read the article: What is multicloud: Understanding the multicloud strategy
3. Multicloud Fluency: 6 reasons you should learn multiple clouds
Learning multiple clouds makes a lot of sense from a career standpoint, even if your organization only uses one cloud provider. Mattias Andersson explains it best in this article, and also shares his own experience on how hard it is to become multicloud proficient.
Read the article: Multicloud Fluency: 6 reasons you should learn multiple clouds
4. 7 Ways to Jump-Start Your Cloud Computing Career
It’s the entry-level conundrum as baffling as the chicken and the egg. You need a job to get experience, but you need experience to land a job. Most “entry-level” cloud computing jobs ask for years of prior experience, making it difficult to break into the field. Ryan Kroonenburg explains how you can break this vicious cycle.
Read the article: 7 Ways to Jump-Start Your Cloud Computing Career
5. Our “What Certification is right for you?” series
Okay, so this is a bit of a cheat, since it’s not one article, but three. Our gurus have written some handy guides on how to pick the right cloud certification for you from popular providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP.
6. Tech worker burnout: What it is, and how to deal with it
Are you feeling burned out? It’s not uncommon at all — two in five IT professionals are at high risk of burnout, and if you’re working in cybersecurity, it’s more than half. Whether you’re a manager or a staff member, this guide will help you identify the signs of burnout (in yourself and others), as well as share what you can do to fight it.
Read the article: Tech worker burnout: What it is, and how to deal with it
7. Can I shift my SQL language skills from on-prem to Azure?
This one makes the list simply because Amy Coughlin is a hilarious writer, and it compares popular Azure solutions to dog breeds. If you need any more reasons than that, I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Just kidding: It does offer great advice on how you can transfer your SQL language skills from on-prem to Azure.
Read the article: Can I shift my SQL language skills from on-prem to Azure?
