Cloud engineering cheat sheet (AWS)

1. 1Linux and networking for cloudThe server and network basics every cloud service sits on: a Linux shell, SSH keys, IP addresses and CIDR blocks, ports, DNS and HTTPS.7 concepts

   1. 1Linux shell essentialsThe commands you use on a cloud server: moving around the filesystem, reading logs, checking disk and memory, managing packages and starting or stopping…
   2. 2SSH key pairsA private key that stays on your laptop and a public key placed on the server.
   3. 3IP addresses and CIDR blocksAn IPv4 address is 32 bits.
   4. 4Private IP rangesThree IPv4 ranges are reserved for private networks and never routed on the internet: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 and 192.168.0.0/16.
   5. 5Ports, TCP and UDPA port number picks which service on a machine receives traffic.
   6. 6DNS recordsDNS turns names into addresses.
   7. 7HTTPS and TLS certificatesTLS encrypts traffic between a client and a server, and a certificate proves the server owns the domain.

   7 in this chapterOpen this chapter
2. 2Cloud concepts and billingHow a cloud is organised and paid for: service models, shared responsibility, regions, how accounts are structured, the free offers, pricing models and budgets. Includes a service name map across the three providers.10 concepts

   1. 1IaaS, PaaS and SaaSIaaS rents you virtual machines, disks and networks to manage yourself.
   2. 2Shared responsibility modelThe provider secures the physical data centres, hardware and the platform.
   3. 3Regions and availability zonesA region is a geographic area with its own data centres.
   4. 4AWS accounts and OrganizationsAn AWS account is the boundary for resources, permissions and billing.
   5. 5AWS Free Tier and free planAs of September 2026, new AWS accounts get 100 USD in credits and can earn up to 100 USD more, for up to 200 USD over 6 months, on a free plan limited to select…
   6. 6On-demand, committed and spot pricingOn-demand is pay per second or hour with no commitment.
   7. 7Budgets and billing alertsA budget watches actual or forecast spend and emails you, or triggers an action, when it crosses thresholds you set, such as 50, 80 and 100 percent.
   8. 8Well-Architected frameworksEach provider publishes a framework of design principles grouped in pillars such as security, reliability, performance, cost and operations, with review…
   9. 9Service map: compute and dataThe same job has a different product name on each cloud.
   10. 10Service map: network, identity and operationsThe networking, identity, monitoring and infrastructure as code services on each cloud, side by side.

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3. Identity and accessWho can do what to which resource: protecting the all-powerful account, users and roles, least privilege, how a permission is written on your cloud, identities for workloads and where secrets belong.7 conceptsOpens with credits
4. Compute: VMs, containers and serverlessThe three ways to run code on a cloud: virtual machines you manage, containers on a managed platform and functions that run on demand, plus sizes, images, autoscaling and how to choose.8 conceptsOpens with credits
5. Storage and databasesWhere data lives: object storage for files, block disks for VMs, managed relational and NoSQL databases, storage tiers, public access, backups and replication.8 conceptsOpens with credits
6. Virtual networks, DNS and load balancersYour private network in the cloud: address space and subnets, public and private tiers, routing to the internet, firewalls, load balancers, DNS, CDNs and private access to managed services.8 conceptsOpens with credits
7. Monitoring and cost controlSeeing what your resources do and what they cost: metrics and alerts, logs, audit trails, tags, the cost tools on each cloud and the traps that produce surprise bills.7 conceptsOpens with credits
8. Infrastructure as codeDescribing your cloud in files you review, version and apply: the idea, Terraform basics, state, your provider's native tool and the plan, apply and destroy loop.6 conceptsOpens with credits
9. Certifications and the order to take themWhich certifications are worth it on your cloud, in what order, what each proves and how to pair every one with hands-on work. Names and codes checked on the official certification pages in September 2026.7 conceptsOpens with credits
10. Portfolio: a three-tier app with IaCThe capstone: a web tier, an app tier and a database on your cloud, built with infrastructure as code, monitored, costed and documented so someone else can rebuild it.7 conceptsOpens with credits
11. 11Glossary, A to ZEvery concept in the sheet and the smaller terms it uses, in one list.115 terms

One cloud in depth, with certifications.