What is AWS ?— An Introduction to AWS
Amazon Web Services(AWS) is a cloud service from Amazon, which provides services in the form of building blocks, these building blocks can be used to create and deploy any type of application in the cloud.
These services or building blocks are designed to work with each other, and result in applications that are sophisticated and highly scalable.
Amazon offers nearly 100 on-demand services and that list is growing daily.
Why is AWS so Successful?
- Security and durability — AWS encrypt the data, offering end-to-end privacy and storage.
- Experience — Developers can rely on Amazon’s established processes. Their tools, techniques and suggested best practices are built upon years of experience.
- Flexibility — There is great flexibility in AWS, allowing developers to select the OS language and database.
- Ease of Use — AWS is easy to use. Developers can swiftly deploy and host applications, build new applications or migrate existing applications.
- Scalability — Applications can be easily scaled up or down depending on user requirements.
- Cost savings — Companies only pay for the computing power, storage and resources used, with no long-term commitments.
What are the services provided by AWS?
AWS finds applications in a variety of domains, and some of them are listed below:
Cloud Compute Resources
The Compute domain includes services related to compute workloads, it includes the following services:
- Amazon EC2
Elastic Compute 2 or EC2 is primarily used for hosting applications. It offers scalable VMs built with granular control over networking, security, migrations, and backups.
- Amazon EBS
EBS or Elastic Beanstalk is an easy to configure alternative to EC2. You upload application files, and it creates the necessary environment automatically.
- Amazon Lightsail
Lightsail is a simplified version of EC2 which offers VPS servers with the one-click launch, backup, and restore functionalities.
- Amazon Lambda
AWS Lambda is a serverless service that fires snippets of code only on request. Easy to configure, Lambda is excellent for serverless applications.
Scalable Cloud Storage
The Storage domain includes services related data storage, it includes the following services:
- Amazon S3
AWS S3 is used to store data securely and cost-effectively. Businesses can store business data with easy retrieval and worldwide availability.
- Amazon Glacier
AWS Glacier is targeted at storing a backup of data for several years. It cold stores data and is used for archival purposes at a low cost.
- Amazon Elastic Block Storage
AWS EBS is like a virtual hard disk that you can attach to your server. It’s available in various configurations and boots up in seconds for quick usage.
- Amazon Elastic File System
AWS EFS replicates File Explorer on your PC in the cloud. You can quickly create virtual file systems necessary for storage or application needs.
Relational and Non-Relational Databases
The Database domain is used for database related workloads, it includes the following services:
- Amazon RDS
AWS Relational Database Service or RDS is a cloud alternative for setting up MySQL/PSQL databases. It allows businesses to remotely connect databases using APIs, enabling security and portability of data.
- Amazon Redshift
AWS Redshift serves as a data warehousing service that comes with advanced querying functions. It allows Business Analysis possible using BI and SQL tools in the cloud.
Other Cloud Domain Applications
Migration
- AWS Application Discovery Service
It’s a unique service that prepares big organizations for migration. It enables the discovery of workloads, usage, resources, etc. to plan a smooth movement on the AWS cloud.
Networking and Content Delivery
- Amazon Route 53
Route 53 is used for setting up DNS, and connecting domain names with AWS hosted applications.
- Elastic Load Balancing
Elastic Load Balancing is used to offer high availability of services with the dynamic distribution of incoming traffic to other regions.
Management Tools
- AWS Autoscaling
AWS Auto Scaling allows you to compensate for increased traffic by scaling up servers dynamically automatically.
Security
- AWS Identity and Access Management
AWS IAM is the control panel for all AWS services. You can add users to your account and give them relevant permissions using IAM.
Now that you have a fair idea about what is AWS and its services, keep exploring this vast ocean. This is just the tip of the iceberg !
