beginner Level

7 Hands-on labs

AWS Essentials

By Tia Williams

AWS Essentials is a course for those who are completely new to AWS.

Get Started See Pricing See Pricing

16 hours

88 Lessons
7 Hands-On Labs
11 Course Quizzes

About the course

AWS Essentials is a course for those who are completely new to AWS. No prior AWS experience is required. We will introduce you to AWS, provide an overview of the core AWS services, and walk through the process of setting up your own AWS account. Your learning will be reinforced with real-world scenarios and hands-on activities using our live environment. Our curated quizzes will help check your understanding of the presented topics.

Contact Sales Get Started See Pricing See Pricing

Chapter 1 8 Lessons Getting Started 31:36

An Important Note About A Cloud Guru and Linux Academy Courses
1:19

Course Introduction
4:02

Project Omega 2.0!
2:46

How to Use the Interactive Guide
5:54

Course Features and Tools
7:14

New to IT? This Video is Just for You
4:26

AWS Essentials Plus AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner For Certification
2:16

AWS Free Tier: Usage Tracking and Billing Widget
3:39
Chapter 2 7 Lessons Account Basics 37:04

Account Basics Overview
1:43

AWS Free Tier
7:47

Create an AWS Account
4:58

How to Navigate the AWS Console
8:37

Creating a Billing Alarm
7:02

AWS Documentation
4:21

Wrap It Up - Account Basics
2:36
Chapter 3 9 Lessons Identity and Access Management (IAM) 58:06

Introduction to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
1:48

What is IAM?
3:02

IAM Initial Setup and Configuration
15:26

IAM Users and Policies
7:46

IAM Groups and Policies
5:53

IAM Roles
5:58

Wrap It Up - IAM Summary
3:13

QUIZ: AWS IAM Essentials
15:00 Quiz

Introduction to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 4 2 Lessons Summary of AWS Network Services 6:43

Overview of Network Services
1:35

AWS Global Infrastructure
5:08
Chapter 5 9 Lessons Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) 1:16:21

VPC Basics
10:10

Internet Gateways (IGW)
7:32

Route Tables (RTs)
7:53

Network Access Control List (NACLs)
13:56

Subnets
11:10

Availability Zones (VPC Specific)
8:45

Wrap It Up - VPC Summary
1:55

Creating a Basic VPC and Associated Components
0:00 Hands-On Lab

QUIZ: VPC Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 6 1 Lesson Compute Services Overview 1:07

Summary of AWS Compute Services
1:07
Chapter 7 11 Lessons Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) 1:27:46

EC2 Basics
11:22

Amazon Machine Images (AMIs)
6:41

Instance Types
4:39

Elastic Block Storage (EBS)
9:38

Security Groups
9:55

IP Addressing
7:21

Launching and Using an EC2 Instance
13:39

Connecting to an EC2 Instance from a Windows PC
6:43

Wrap It Up - EC2 Summary
2:48

Create a Windows EC2 Instance and Connect using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
0:00 Hands-On Lab

QUIZ: EC2 Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 8 1 Lesson Storage Services Overview 2:10

Summary of AWS Storage Services
2:10
Chapter 9 10 Lessons Storage Services 1:03:47

S3 Basics
11:17

Buckets and Objects
6:08

Storage Classes
9:09

Object Lifecycles
7:39

Permissions
7:51

Object Versioning
4:58

Wrap It Up - S3 Summary
1:45

Creating Amazon S3 Buckets, Managing Objects, and Enabling Versioning
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Creating a Basic Amazon S3 Lifecycle Policy
0:00 Hands-On Lab

QUIZ: S3 Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 10 1 Lesson Database Services Overview 2:43

Summary of AWS Database Services
2:43
Chapter 11 4 Lessons Databases 41:22

RDS and DynamoDB Basics
8:17

Provisioning RDS (MySQL)
16:22

Wrap It Up - Database Summary
1:43

QUIZ: AWS Essentials: RDS/DynamoDB Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 12 1 Lesson Overview of Monitoring, Alerts, and Notifications 1:10

Summary of AWS Services for Monitoring, Alerts, and Notifications
1:10
Chapter 13 4 Lessons Simple Notification Service (SNS) 34:17

SNS Basics
6:32

Using SNS
11:33

Wrap It Up - SNS Summary
1:12

QUIZ: SNS Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 14 7 Lessons Management Tools 38:32

Introduction to Management Tools
1:32

CloudWatch Basics
5:25

CloudWatch Metrics and Alarms
9:11

CloudTrail Basics
5:57

Wrap It Up - Management Tools Summary
1:27

Monitoring and Notifications with CloudWatch Events and SNS
0:00 Hands-On Lab

QUIZ: CloudWatch and CloudTrail Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 15 5 Lessons Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) 32:28

Introduction to Load Balancing, Elasticity and Scalability
3:22

ELB Basics
5:59

Creating an ELB
7:21

Wrap Up - ELB Summary
0:46

QUIZ: ELB Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 16 5 Lessons Auto Scaling 47:31

Introduction to Auto Scaling
2:03

Auto Scaling Basics
6:53

Using Auto Scaling
7:47

Wrap It Up - Auto Scaling Summary
0:48

QUIZ: Auto Scaling Essentials
30:00 Quiz
Chapter 17 6 Lessons Route 53 46:59

Introduction to Route 53
1:27

Route 53 Basics
9:30

Using Route 53
11:46

CloudFront Basics
8:19

Wrap It Up - Route 53 Summary
0:57

QUIZ: Route 53 Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 18 6 Lessons Lambda 29:18

Introduction to Lambda
1:03

Lambda Basics
7:13

Lambda Test
5:30

Wrap It Up - Lambda Summary
0:32

Creating a Basic Lambda Function to Shut Down an EC2 Instance
0:00 Hands-On Lab

QUIZ: Lambda Essentials
15:00 Quiz
Chapter 19 2 Lessons Final Steps 15:51

What We Learned
4:16

What's Next?
11:35

What are Hands-on Labs

What's the difference between theoretical knowledge and real skills? Practical real-world experience. That's where Hands-on Labs come in! Hands-on Labs are guided, interactive experiences that help you learn and practice real-world scenarios in real cloud environments. Hands-on Labs are seamlessly integrated in courses, so you can learn by doing.

Practice alongside courses in Cloud Playground

What is Cloud Playground? Cloud Playground lets you build skills in real-world AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure environments. Spin up risk-free Sandboxes, Servers and Terminals and follow along with courses, test a new idea or prepare for exams.

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re a small team, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer multiple plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Business Basic

^$ 33.27 / user monthly

Billed as $499 $399.20 / user yearly

Hands-on learning for smaller teams
Unlimited courses, quizzes, and practice exams
Full learn-by-doing experience with Hands-on Labs and Cloud Playground
User and skills analytics

Business Plus

^$ 46.60

Billed as $699 $559.20 / user yearly

Scalability for larger teams and entire organizations
Everything in Business Basic, plus:
Evaluate team readiness with Skills Assessment
Manage teams, single sign-on (SSO), and reporting
Fast-track learning with Study Groups and Accelerator Programs
Dedicated Customer Success Manager

United States customers subject to applicable sales taxes

Offer applies only to: new personal and business paying customers, existing personal and business customers who switch to an annual paid plan, and any additional annual plan licenses purchased by existing business customers. Offer valid for a limited time only, beginning 10:00AM CT on February 19, 2021. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Purchases are subject to applicable Terms of Use or Master Services Agreement.

Business Basic

$499 $399.20 / year

Business Plus

$699 $559.20 / year

Unlimited Courses

Learning without limits

Teams learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Learn faster by doing

Teams learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Learning Paths

Take your teams from novice to guru

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills your team needs to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

Cloud Playground - Servers

Cloud on demand

Your learners can spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Provide safe practice environments and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly and safely launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Learn by doing

Teams learn faster by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test ideas, and prepare for exams.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Practice Exams

Put skills to the test

Learners prepare for certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, they get personalized pointers on how to improve their scores.

Quizzes

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Learners get the help they need, when they need it, from industry experts and others in the community.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Teams learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Records of completion make it easy for your learners to mark and showcase progress.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Learners read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Email Support

One dashboard to rule them all

Easily assign new users, track learning and ROI with usage and skill analytics, and manage the entire ACG for Business experience from one central location.

Unlimited Admin Seats

Manage cloud learning for teams

Scale freely and keep your ACG for Business licenses productive with unlimited free Administrators. Yes, you pay only for learners.

Skills Assessment

Know where you stand

Take stock of your organization’s cloud readiness so you can know exactly where to start.

Learning Accelerator

Get to the cloud faster

Fast-track your organization’s path to cloud fluency with sprint-based certification tracks, including weekly lessons, hands-on projects and whitepapers.

Study Groups

Learn better together

Group learners together so they can support each other and build skills faster. Discussing topics and helping others understand concepts boosts retention and builds camaraderie.

Certification Reporting

Skills at a glance

Keep tabs on skills and certifications across your organization to properly staff projects, track progress, and inform learning goals.

Team Management

Easy organization by teams

Create and assign learners to teams for easier management, tracking, and reporting. Designate team coordinators to help keep teams on track, and know who’s conquering the cloud or needs a nudge with the team leaderboard.

Single Sign-On

Invite 10 to 10,000 or more

Use your company’s ID and password to make management and scalability a breeze.

LMS Integration

Connect all the dots

Integrate results and reporting into your existing learning management systems for a 360-degree view of employee skills development.LMS Integration currently available for EdCast and Degreed.

API Access

Get your bits

Automatically transfer raw usage and skills data to your data warehouse or other repository.

Dedicated Customer Success Manager *

We’ve got your back

Get the most out of ACG for Business with a dedicated cloud learning consultant to support you with onboarding, best practices, and more.

Personalized Onboarding *

We’ll show you the ropes

Get up and running the right way. Let one of our learning gurus take you through an onboarding experience tailored to your needs.

Contact Sales

* Available with 50+ seats

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re an individual learner, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer several plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Free

^$ 0 / month

Limited access to basic courses and features
Rotating selection of limited courses
Stay ahead with weekly cloud roundups
Engage with a vibrant community of learners and experts

Save 20%

Personal Basic

^$ 39 ^$ 25.57 / month

Billed as $379 $303.20 / user yearly

Pay Yearly Pay Monthly

Save 35% with annual plan!

Full access to our hands-on learning library
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
Unlimited courses, quizzes, & practice exams
Unlimited Hands-on Labs
Practice in real multi-platform servers

Save 20%

Personal Plus

^$ 33.27 / month

Billed as $499 $399.20 / user yearly

Everything in Personal Basic, plus:
Full learn-by-doing experience in real AWS, Azure, & GCP environments!
Unlimited access to full Cloud Sandboxes
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
No account setup or cloud bills

United States customers subject to applicable sales taxes

Offer applies only to: new personal and business paying customers, existing personal and business customers who switch to an annual paid plan, and any additional annual plan licenses purchased by existing business customers. Offer valid for a limited time only, beginning 10:00AM CT on February 19, 2021. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Purchases are subject to applicable Terms of Use or Master Services Agreement.

Free

Personal Basic

$379 $303.20 / year

Personal Plus

$499 $399.20 / year

Unlimited Courses

limited

Learn without limits

Learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Quizzes

limited

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check your knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Get the help you need, when you need it, from industry experts and other learners in the community — and help others in turn.

Learning Paths

Go from novice to guru in your chose specialty

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills you need to gain to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Get your hands cloudy

Learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Practice Exams

Put your skills to the test

Prepare for your certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, get personalized pointers on how to improve your score.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Earn a little something when you complete courses. Records of completion make it easy to mark and showcase your progress.

Email Support

Cloud on demand

Spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Cloud along with courses, practice whenever you feel like it, and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Personal Plus Only

Learn by doing

Learn by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test an idea at work or prepare for exams.

Free
$0

Personal Basic
$379 / year

Personal Plus
$499 / year

Start Free

Free Trial

Browse Learning

Browse Platforms

Hands-on Labs

AWS Essentials

About the course

Lab Highlights

An Important Note About A Cloud Guru and Linux Academy Courses

Course Introduction

Project Omega 2.0!

How to Use the Interactive Guide

Course Features and Tools

New to IT? This Video is Just for You

AWS Essentials Plus AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner For Certification

AWS Free Tier: Usage Tracking and Billing Widget

Account Basics Overview

AWS Free Tier

Create an AWS Account

How to Navigate the AWS Console

Creating a Billing Alarm

AWS Documentation

Wrap It Up - Account Basics

Introduction to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

What is IAM?

IAM Initial Setup and Configuration

IAM Users and Policies

IAM Groups and Policies

IAM Roles

Wrap It Up - IAM Summary

QUIZ: AWS IAM Essentials

Introduction to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Overview of Network Services

AWS Global Infrastructure

VPC Basics

Internet Gateways (IGW)

Route Tables (RTs)

Network Access Control List (NACLs)

Subnets

Availability Zones (VPC Specific)

Wrap It Up - VPC Summary

Creating a Basic VPC and Associated Components

QUIZ: VPC Essentials

Summary of AWS Compute Services

EC2 Basics

Amazon Machine Images (AMIs)

Instance Types

Elastic Block Storage (EBS)

Security Groups

IP Addressing

Launching and Using an EC2 Instance

Connecting to an EC2 Instance from a Windows PC

Wrap It Up - EC2 Summary

Create a Windows EC2 Instance and Connect using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

QUIZ: EC2 Essentials

Summary of AWS Storage Services

S3 Basics

Buckets and Objects

Storage Classes

Object Lifecycles

Permissions

Object Versioning

Wrap It Up - S3 Summary

Creating Amazon S3 Buckets, Managing Objects, and Enabling Versioning

Creating a Basic Amazon S3 Lifecycle Policy

QUIZ: S3 Essentials

Summary of AWS Database Services

RDS and DynamoDB Basics

Provisioning RDS (MySQL)

Wrap It Up - Database Summary

QUIZ: AWS Essentials: RDS/DynamoDB Essentials

Summary of AWS Services for Monitoring, Alerts, and Notifications

SNS Basics

Using SNS

Wrap It Up - SNS Summary

QUIZ: SNS Essentials

Introduction to Management Tools

CloudWatch Basics

CloudWatch Metrics and Alarms

CloudTrail Basics

Wrap It Up - Management Tools Summary

Monitoring and Notifications with CloudWatch Events and SNS