book

AWS for Solutions Architects - Second Edition

by Saurabh Shrivastava, Neelanjali Srivastav, Alberto Artasanchez, Imtiaz Sayed

April 2023

Intermediate to advanced

696 pages

19h 33m

English

Packt Publishing

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Who is this book forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookGet in touchJoin us on Discord!Making the Most Out of This Book – Get to Know Your Free BenefitsUnlock Your Book’s Exclusive BenefitsHow to unlock these benefits in three easy stepsNeed help?
What is cloud computing?Private versus public cloudsWhat is AWS (Amazon Web Services)?The market share, influence, and adoption of AWSBasic cloud and AWS terminologyWhy is AWS so popular?Elasticity and scalabilitySecurityPhysical securityEncryptionAWS supports compliance standardsAvailabilityFaster hardware cyclesSystem administration staffSummary
The AWS Well-Architected FrameworkThe six pillars of the Well-Architected FrameworkThe first pillar – securityThe second pillar – reliabilityThe third pillar – performance efficiencyThe fourth pillar – cost optimizationThe fifth pillar – operational excellenceThe sixth pillar – sustainabilityAWS Well-Architected LensesBuilding credibility and getting certifiedBuilding a non-tech AWS cloud careerAWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – FoundationalThe AWS Solutions Architect pathAWS Certified Solutions Architect – AssociateAWS Certified Solutions Architect – ProfessionalThe AWS Cloud DevOps Engineer pathAWS Certified SysOps Administrator – AssociateAWS Certified DevOps Engineer – ProfessionalThe AWS Cloud Developer pathAWS Certified Developer – AssociateThe AWS Specialty Solutions Architect pathAWS Certified Advanced Networking – SpecialtyAWS Certified Security – SpecialtyAWS Certified Machine Learning – SpecialtyAWS Certified Database – SpecialtyAWS Certified Data Analytics – SpecialtyAWS Certified SAP – SpecialtyLearning tips and tricks for obtaining AWS certificationsFocus on one cloud providerFocus on the Associate-level certificationsGet experience wherever you canThe best way to get certifiedGetting started in AWSOnline coursesA Cloud GuruUdemy coursesYouTube videosBooksPractice exam websitesAWS practice question setsWhizlabsBrainCertTutorials DojoCertification preparation approachSome frequently asked questions about the AWS certificationsHow long will it take to get certified?The Cloud Practitioner certificationAssociate-level certificationsProfessional-level certificationsSpecialty certificationsHow to request additional exam timeWhat are some last-minute tips for the day of the exam?Summary
Cloud computing modelsUnderstanding IaaSAdvantages of IaaSDisadvantages of IaaSUse cases for IaaSExamples of AWS IaaS servicesUnderstanding SaaSCharacteristics of SaaSAdvantages of SaaSDisadvantages of SaaSUse cases for SaaSExamples of AWS SaaS solutionsExamples of third-party SaaS solutionsUnderstanding PaaSAdvantages of PaaSDisadvantages of PaaSPaaS use casesExamples of AWS PaaS servicesChoosing between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaSCloud migration strategyThe three-phase migration processCloud migration patterns – The 7 RsRehost in the cloudRe-platform in the cloudRefactor in the cloudRevise before migrating to the cloudRepurchase in the cloudRelocate to the cloudRetain on-premisesRetireMigration assessment toolsImplementing a digital transformation programWhat exactly is a digital transformation?Digital transformation driversDigital transformation examplesDigital transformation tipsTip #1 – Ask the right questionsTip #2 – Get leadership buy-inTip #3 – Delineate objectivesTip #4 – Apply an agile methodology to your digital transformationTip #5 – Encourage risk-takingTip #6 – One-way door vs. two-way door decisionsTip #7 – Clear delineation of roles and responsibilitiesDigital transformation pitfallsLack of commitment from the C-suiteNot having the right team in placeInternal resistance from the ranksGoing too fastGoing too slowOutdated rules and regulationsThe AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (AWS CAF)Architectures to provide high availability, reliability, and scalabilityActive architectureActive/passive architectureActive/active architectureSharding architectureChaos engineeringSummary
Learning about the AWS Global InfrastructureRegions, Availability Zones, and Local zonesAWS RegionsAWS AZsAWS LZsBenefits of the AWS Global InfrastructureAWS networking foundationsAmazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)AWS TGWAWS PrivateLinkEdge networkingRoute 53Amazon CloudFrontAWS Global Accelerator (AGA)AWS WavelengthBuilding hybrid cloud connectivity in AWSAWS Virtual Private Network (VPN)AWS Direct ConnectAWS Cloud WANAWS cloud network securityAWS Network Firewall (ANFW)AWS network security patterns – best practicesAWS network security anti-patternsAWS network security with third-party solutionsSummary
Understanding Amazon Elastic Block StoreGeneral-purpose Solid-State Devices (SSDs)Provisioned IOPS SSDThroughput Optimized HDDCold HDDAmazon EBS SnapshotsChoosing the right EBS volume Investigating Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)Using Amazon FSx to manage file systemsLearning about Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)S3 StandardAmazon S3 Intelligent-TieringAmazon S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)Amazon S3 One Zone-IAAmazon S3 GlacierManaging data with S3 Object LambdaVersioning in Amazon S3Amazon S3 Multi-Destination ReplicationChoosing the right cloud storage typeExploring Amazon S3 best practicesEnhancing Amazon S3 performanceAmazon CloudFrontAmazon ElastiCacheAmazon S3 Transfer AccelerationChoosing the right S3 bucket/prefix naming conventionProtecting your data in Amazon S3Blocking Amazon S3 public access to buckets and objects whenever possibleAvoiding wildcards in policy filesLeveraging the S3 APILeveraging IAM Access Analyzer to inspect S3Enabling AWS ConfigImplementing S3 Object Lock to secure resourcesImplementing data at rest encryptionEnabling data-in-transit encryptionTurning on Amazon S3 server access loggingConsidering the use of Amazon Macie with Amazon S3Implementing monitoring leveraging AWS monitoring servicesUsing VPC endpoints to access Amazon S3 whenever possibleLeveraging Amazon S3 cross-region replicationAmazon S3 cost optimizationBuilding hybrid storage with AWS Storage GatewayAWS Storage GatewayAmazon S3 File GatewayAmazon FSx File GatewayTape GatewayVolume GatewayAWS BackupSummary
Compute in AWSLearning about Amazon EC2AWS GravitonAdvantages of EC2EC2 instance familiesGeneral Purpose (A1, M6, T4, Mac)Compute Optimized (C7, Hpc6a)Accelerated Computing (P4, G5, F1)Memory Optimized (R6, X2, High Memory)Storage Optimized (H1, D3, I4)EC2 pricing modelAWS Compute OptimizerAmazon Machine Images (AMIs)Reviewing Amazon EC2 best practicesAccessStorageResource managementLimit managementEC2 backup, snapshots, and recoveryAmazon Elastic Load BalancingELB rulesListener rulesTarget group rulesHost-based routing rulesPath-based routing rulesQuery string rulesElastic Load Balancer typesClassic Load BalancersApplication Load BalancersNetwork Load BalancersCLB versus ALB versus NLB comparisonCLB and ALB commonalitiesThe best choice of ELB by use caseLearning about serverless computing with AWS Lambda and FargateAWS LambdaAWS FargateHigh-Performance ComputingHybrid computeAWS OutpostsVMware Cloud on AWSSummary
A brief history of databasesData-driven innovation trendsDatabase consistency modelACID data consistency modelBASE data consistency modelDatabase usage modelOnline Transaction Processing (OLTP) systemsOnline Analytical Processing (OLAP) systemsAWS database servicesRelational databasesAmazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS)Amazon DevOps Guru for RDSAWS NoSQL databasesAmazon DocumentDBIn-memory databaseAmazon ElastiCacheGraph databasesAmazon NeptuneTime-series databasesAmazon TimestreamLedger databasesAmazon Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB)Wide-column store databasesAmazon Keyspaces (for Apache Cassandra)Benefits of AWS database servicesMoving to fully managed database servicesBuilding modern applications with purpose-built databasesMoving on from legacy databasesChoosing the right tool for the jobMigrating databases to AWSSummary
Understanding the importance of security, identity, and compliance in AWSUnderstanding the shared responsibility modelAWS security, identity, and compliance solutionsGetting familiar with identity and access managementAWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)Managing resources, permissions, and identities using IAMAWS OrganizationsAWS Directory ServiceAWS IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS SSO)AWS Control TowerAWS Resource Access ManagerAmazon CognitoApplying security controlsAmazon GuardDutyAmazon InspectorBuilding infrastructure protectionAWS Web Application Firewall (WAF)AWS Firewall ManagerAWS ShieldBuilding data protectionAmazon MacieAWS Key Management ServiceAWS CloudHSMAWS Certificate ManagerAWS Secrets ManagerAmazon DetectiveAWS Security HubAdhering to compliancesAWS Artifact reportsBest practices for AWS securitySummaryJoin us on Discord!
What is the cloud operation (CloudOps) model, and what role does automation play?CloudOps pillarsFirst pillar – Set up governanceSecond pillar – Managing Configuration, Compliance, and AuditAWS CloudTrailAWS ConfigRecordEvaluateVisualizeAWS License ManagerAmazon CloudWatchAmazon EventBridgeAWS Audit ManagerAWS Systems ManagerThird pillar – Provisioning & orchestrationAWS CloudFormationAWS Service CatalogAWS ProtonAWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK)AWS AmplifyFourth pillar – Monitor & observe your applicationsFifth pillar – Centralized operations managementSixth pillar – Manage your cloud’s financePlan and evaluateManage and ControlTrack and allocateOptimize and saveSummary

Why use the cloud for big data analytics?Amazon Elastic Map Reduce (EMR)Understanding EMR clusters and nodesUnderstanding the EMR File System (EMFRS)Amazon EMR StudioSecuring data in Amazon EMRIntroduction to AWS GlueOperating the AWS Glue consoleCataloging with the AWS Glue Data CatalogCrawling with AWS Glue crawlersCategorizing with AWS Glue classifiersGenerating code with AWS Glue code generatorsAWS Glue serverless streaming ETLAWS Glue DataBrewPutting AWS Glue components togetherAWS Glue best practicesChoosing the right worker typeOptimizing file splittingExceeding YARN’s memory overhead allocationLeveraging the Apache Spark UIProcessing many small filesData partitioning and predicate pushdownPartitioning data while writing to Amazon S3Choosing between AWS Glue and Amazon EMRHandling streaming data in AWSStreaming data processing with Amazon KinesisAmazon Kinesis Data Streams (KDS)Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose (KDF) Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics (KDA)Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka (MSK)Amazon MSK cluster architecture Data cataloging for streaming data using AWS Glue Schema Registry (GSR)Choosing between Amazon Kinesis and Amazon MSKSummary
Data warehouses in AWS with Amazon RedshiftAmazon Redshift architectureRedshift instance typesOptimizing Redshift workloadsQuerying your data lake in AWS with Amazon AthenaDeep-diving into Amazon AthenaCSV filesJSON filesORC filesApache Avro filesApache Parquet filesUnderstanding how Amazon Athena worksUsing Amazon Athena Federated QueryData source connectorsLearning about Amazon Athena workgroupsOptimizing Amazon AthenaOptimization of data partitionsData bucketingFile compressionFile size optimizationColumnar data store generation optimizationColumn selectionPredicate pushdownORDER BY clause optimizationJoin optimizationGroup by clause optimizationApproximate function useUsing Amazon Athena versus Redshift SpectrumVisualizing data with Amazon QuickSightPutting AWS analytic services togetherSummary
What is AI/ML?AI/ML in AWSAWS ML frameworks and infrastructureAWS ML services: Amazon SageMakerML data preparationML model buildingML model training and tuningML model deployment and monitoringAWS AI servicesVisionSpeechLanguageChatbotsForecastingRecommendationsBuilding ML best practices with MLOpsWhat is IoT?Building IoT applications in AWSAWS IoT CoreAWS IoT Device ManagementAWS IoT AnalyticsAWS IoT GreengrassAWS IoT Device DefenderAWS IoT Things GraphAWS IoT SiteWiseAWS IoT TwinMakerAWS Industrial IoT (IIoT)Best practices to build AWS IoT applicationsBlockchain in AWSQuantum computing with AWS BraketGenerative AISummary
Understanding containerizationAdvantages of containersContainers enable you to build modern applicationsFewer infrastructure wastesContainers are simpleContainers can increase productivity by accelerating software developmentDisadvantages of containersContainer speeds are slightly slower compared to bare-metal serversEcosystem inconsistenciesVirtual machines (VMs) and virtualizationContainers versus VMsLearning about DockerDocker componentsDockerfileDocker imagesDocker runDocker HubDocker EngineDocker ComposeDocker SwarmAmazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)Amazon ECS architectureECS componentsNetworkingStorageSecurityLearning about KubernetesComponents of KubernetesKubernetes advantagesFaster development and deploymentCost efficiencyCloud-agnostic deploymentsManagement by the cloud providerKubernetes versus Docker SwarmAmazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS)EKS-managed Kubernetes control planeEKS EC2 runtime optionsBring Your Operating System (BYOS)Kubernetes application scaling SecurityPrivateLink supportAutomatic version upgradesCommunity tools supportLearning about AWS FargateChoosing between Fargate and EC2Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA)Choosing between AWS container servicesSummary
Understanding microservicesLayered architectureEvent-driven architecture (EDA)Understanding eventsProducers and consumersEDA modelsEvent streaming (a message queuing model)Publish and subscribe model (pub/sub model)Benefits of EDANo more pollingDynamic targetingCommunication simplicityDecoupling and scalabilityDisadvantages of EDAEDA is not a silver bulletWhen things go wrongMicroservices best practicesBest practice #1 – decide whether microservices are the right toolBest practice #2 – clearly define the requirements and design of the microserviceBest practice #3 – leverage Domain-Driven Design to create microservicesBest practice #4 – ensure buy-in from all stakeholdersBest practice #5 – leverage logging and tracing toolsBest practice #6 – think microservices firstBest practice #7 – minimize the number of languages and technologiesBest practice #8 – leverage RESTful APIsBest practice #9 – implement microservice communication asynchronouslyBest practice #10 – implement a clear separation between microservice frontends and backendsBest practice #11 – organize your team around microservicesBest practice #12 – provision individual data stores for each individual microserviceBest practice #13 – self-documentation and full documentationBest practice #14 – use a DevOps toolsetBest practice #15 – invest in monitoringBest practice #16 – two pizzas should be enough to feed your teamBest practice #17 – twelve-factor designDomain-Driven Design (DDD)Definition of a domainPrinciples of DDDComponents of DDDImplementing DDD in AWSReasons to use DDDChallenges with DDDSummary
Definition of a data lakeThe purpose of a data lakeComponents of a data lakeData lake zonesData lakes in AWS with Lake FormationData lake best practicesCentralized data managementData governanceData catalogingData quality controlData securityData ingestionData lake scalabilityData lake cost optimizationMonitoring a data lake for performance optimizationFlexible data processing in the data lakeKey metrics in a data lakeLakehouse in AWSData mesh in AWSChoosing between a data lake, lakehouse, and data mesh architectureSummary
An introduction to the use caseBuilding architecture in AWSDeciding which is the best languageSetting up servicesSet up an AWS account with a billing alertInstall the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI)Set up IAM users, roles, and groupsCreate the AWS infrastructureCreate the AWS infrastructure using CloudFormationCreating an EventBridge instance and a queueImplement authentication and authorization for end usersDefine database attributesDefine order context and write AWS Lambda functionsDeploy and testDevOps in AWSLogging and monitoringOptimization with Well-Architected ReviewSummaryJoin us on Discord!

Content preview from AWS for Solutions Architects - Second Edition

1 Understanding AWS Principles and Key Characteristics

The last decade has revolutionized the IT infrastructure industry; cloud computing was introduced and now it is everywhere, from small start-ups to large enterprises. Nowadays, the cloud is the new normal. It all started with Amazon launching a cloud service called Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2006 with a couple of services.

Netflix migrated to AWS in 2008 and became a market disrupter. After that, there was no looking back and there were many industry revolutions led by cloud-born start-ups like Airbnb in hospitality, Robinhood in finance, Lyft in transportation, and many more. The cloud rapidly gained the market share, and now big names like Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, Nasdaq, the NFL, ...