ARCHITECTING WITH AWS CLOUD

1.INTRODUCTION
 1.1 Brief overview of AWS and its importance
in cloud computing
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform offered by
Amazon.com, which provides a range of services including computing power,
storage, and databases, among others. AWS has been designed to provide
secure, reliable, and scalable cloud computing infrastructure to businesses,
government organizations, and individuals around the world.
 1.1 Brief overview of AWS and its importance
in cloud computing

AWS is an important player in the cloud computing industry due to its market
dominance, which has allowed it to provide a wide range of services at a
competitive price. AWS's global infrastructure allows businesses to scale up
or down quickly, and its services have been designed to be highly available
and fault-tolerant.
 1.2 what it means to architect with AWS

Architecting with AWS means designing and implementing solutions using the
various services provided by AWS. It involves understanding the capabilities
and limitations of the AWS platform, and using them to design scalable,
secure, and highly available systems.
 1.2 what it means to architect with AWS

AWS offers a wide range of services and tools that can be used to architect
cloud-based solutions, including compute, storage, databases, analytics,
machine learning, and more. These services can be used in various
combinations to design and implement scalable and highly available systems.
 1.2 what it means to architect with AWS

To help visualize the various AWS services and their relationships, AWS
provides a diagramming tool called AWS Architecture Center. The tool
provides a range of reference architectures and best practices for designing
and implementing various solutions using AWS services.
AWS Architecture Diagram example
2. AWS Architecture Fundamentals
 2.1 Overview of AWS architecture and its components

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a cloud-based computing platform that

provides a range of services for businesses and individuals to develop and
deploy their applications and websites. AWS architecture is designed to be
scalable, reliable, and cost-effective, offering a wide range of tools and
services that can be customized to meet specific business needs.
 2.1 Overview of AWS architecture and its components

AWS architecture is based on the concept of regions and availability zones.

Regions are geographic locations where AWS resources are available, while
availability zones are data centers within a region.
 2.1.1 Components of AWS Architecture

AWS architecture includes a number of components, including:

Compute: AWS provides various compute services such as EC2, ECS, Lambda,
and Elastic Beanstalk that allow businesses to launch and manage virtual
servers, containers, and serverless functions.

Storage: AWS offers several storage options such as S3, EBS, EFS, and Glacier
that allow businesses to store and manage data at different levels of
durability, performance, and cost.
 2.1.1 Components of AWS Architecture

Database: AWS provides various database services such as RDS, DynamoDB,

and Redshift that allow businesses to manage their structured and
unstructured data.
Networking: AWS offers several networking services such as VPC, Route 53,
and Direct Connect that allow businesses to securely connect their resources
and users.
Security: AWS offers a range of security services and features such as IAM,
KMS, and WAF that help businesses secure their resources and data.
 2.2 Benefits of using AWS architecture:

There are several benefits of using AWS architecture, including:

Scalability: AWS architecture is designed to be scalable, allowing businesses
to easily increase or decrease resources as needed.
Reliability: AWS architecture provides a high level of reliability, offering
multiple availability zones within each region, as well as various backup and
recovery options.
Cost-effectiveness: AWS architecture allows businesses to pay only for the
resources they use, with no upfront costs or long-term commitments.
 2.2 Benefits of using AWS architecture:

Flexibility: AWS architecture provides a wide range of services and tools that
can be customized to meet specific business needs.
Global reach: AWS architecture is available in multiple regions and supports
multiple languages, currencies, and compliance standards.
 2.2 Benefits of using AWS architecture:

Flexibility: AWS architecture provides a wide range of services and tools that
can be customized to meet specific business needs.
Global reach: AWS architecture is available in multiple regions and supports
multiple languages, currencies, and compliance standards.
 2.3 AWS Security and Compliance

Security is a top priority for AWS, and the platform provides a range of
security services and features to help businesses secure their resources and
data. These include:
Identity and Access Management (IAM): AWS IAM allows businesses to
manage access to their resources and data, with fine-grained control over
user permissions.
 2.3 AWS Security and Compliance
Encryption: AWS provides various encryption services such as Key
Management Service (KMS) and Server-Side Encryption (SSE) that allow
businesses to secure their data at rest and in transit.
Network security: AWS offers various networking services such as VPC,
security groups, and Network ACLs that allow businesses to secure their
network traffic.
Compliance: AWS complies with various compliance standards such as HIPAA,
PCI DSS, and SOC, and provides various compliance-related services and
features.
2.4 Tools used to draw Architecture Diagrams

Microsoft Visio: Visio is a popular diagramming tool that is widely used by

solutions architects to create a variety of diagrams, including network
diagrams, flowcharts, and software architecture diagrams. It provides a wide
range of shapes and templates that can be used to create detailed and
professional-looking diagrams.
2.4 Tools used to draw Architecture Diagrams

Lucidchart: Lucidchart is a cloud-based diagramming tool that is widely used

for creating architecture diagrams. It offers a wide range of templates and
shapes, as well as collaboration features that make it easy to work with other
team members.
2.4 Tools used to draw Architecture Diagrams

AWS Architecture Center: The AWS Architecture Center is a collection of

architecture diagrams and reference architectures that are provided by
Amazon Web Services (AWS). Solutions architects can use these diagrams as a
starting point for their own architecture designs, and customize them to meet
their specific needs.
2.4 Tools used to draw Architecture Diagrams

Draw.io: Draw.io is a free, open-source diagramming tool that can be used to

create a wide range of diagrams, including architecture diagrams. It offers a
simple and intuitive interface, and provides a wide range of shapes and icons
that can be used to create detailed and professional-looking diagrams.
2.4 Tools used to draw Architecture Diagrams

Gliffy: Gliffy is another cloud-based diagramming tool that is commonly used

by solutions architects. It offers a wide range of templates and shapes, as well
as integration with popular tools such as JIRA and Confluence.
3. Types of AWS Architectures
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides various types of architecture to help
customers achieve different levels of performance, security, and cost
optimization. Each architecture is designed to support specific use cases and
workloads. In this response, we will discuss some of the most common types
of AWS architectures.
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Single-tier architecture:
Single-tier architecture is the simplest type of architecture in which all the
components of an application are deployed on a single server. This
architecture is suitable for small-scale applications and doesn't provide much
scalability or high availability. In this architecture, the application, web server,
and database are all installed on a single instance.
Single Tier AWS Architectures
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Two-tier architecture:
Two-tier architecture separates the application logic from the database layer.
In this architecture, the front-end web server interacts with the back-end
database server to process user requests. The application server and
database server are hosted on separate instances, which provide scalability,
reliability, and high availability.
Two Tier AWS Architectures
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Three-tier architecture:
Three-tier architecture adds another layer between the front-end web server
and the back-end database server. The middle layer consists of an application
server that handles the business logic and processes the requests from the
web server. This architecture allows for more flexibility, scalability, and fault
tolerance.
Three-tier AWS Architectures
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Microservices architecture:
Microservices architecture is a distributed architecture that divides the
application into smaller, independent services. Each service is responsible for
a specific function, and these services communicate with each other through
APIs. This architecture provides agility, scalability, and faster development
and deployment times.
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Serverless architecture:
Serverless architecture allows developers to focus on writing code without
worrying about the underlying infrastructure. In this architecture, the cloud
provider manages the infrastructure, and developers only pay for the actual
usage of the code. This architecture provides scalability, high availability, and
cost optimization.
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Event-driven architecture:
Event-driven architecture is a distributed architecture in which the
components of an application communicate with each other by triggering
events. This architecture allows for decoupling of services, scalability, and
flexibility.
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Hybrid architecture:
Hybrid architecture is a combination of on-premises and cloud resources. This
architecture allows organizations to take advantage of the benefits of the
cloud while keeping some of their critical workloads on-premises. Hybrid
architecture provides scalability, flexibility, and cost optimization.
3.1 Types of AWS Architectures
Hybrid architecture:
Hybrid architecture is a combination of on-premises and cloud resources. This
architecture allows organizations to take advantage of the benefits of the
cloud while keeping some of their critical workloads on-premises. Hybrid
architecture provides scalability, flexibility, and cost optimization.
4. Overview of AWS Architecture
Principles
4.1 AWS Architecture Principles
AWS architecture principles refer to the best practices that help organizations
design and operate secure, reliable, and cost-effective systems on the AWS
cloud. The AWS Well-Architected Framework is a methodology that provides
guidance on how to build and operate reliable, secure, efficient, and cost-
effective systems in the cloud. The framework includes five pillars of
architecture excellence, including operational excellence, security, reliability,
performance efficiency, and cost optimization.
4.1 AWS Well-Architected Framework

The AWS Well-Architected Framework is a methodology for designing and

operating reliable, secure, efficient, and cost-effective systems in the cloud. It
provides a set of best practices, guidelines, and tools that help organizations
to build and maintain highly available, secure, and scalable applications. The
AWS Well-Architected Framework includes five pillars of architecture
excellence that provide a comprehensive approach to building and managing
cloud-based systems.
4.2 The Five Pillars of AWS Architecture
Operational Excellence
Operational excellence is the ability to run and monitor systems to deliver
business value and continually improve processes and procedures. AWS
provides a range of tools and services that help organizations automate and
streamline their operations, including AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure
automation, AWS OpsWorks for automating deployments, and AWS
CloudWatch for monitoring and alerting. To achieve operational excellence,
organizations must have clear goals, measure progress, and continuously
improve their processes.
4.2 The Five Pillars of AWS Architecture
Security
Security is a critical aspect of any cloud-based system. AWS provides a range
of security tools and services to help organizations build secure and
compliant systems. These include identity and access management (IAM)
tools for controlling user access, encryption for securing data in transit and at
rest, and a range of compliance certifications. To achieve security,
organizations must ensure that they have clear policies and procedures in
place and that they are regularly reviewed and updated.
4.2 The Five Pillars of AWS Architecture
Reliability
Reliability is the ability of a system to recover from failures and continue to
operate without interruption. AWS provides a range of tools and services that
help organizations build highly available and fault-tolerant systems, including
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Auto Scaling, Amazon Elastic Load
Balancing (ELB), and Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS). To achieve
reliability, organizations must design systems that can recover from failures
and automatically scale to meet demand.
4.2 The Five Pillars of AWS Architecture
Performance Efficiency
Performance efficiency is the ability of a system to use resources efficiently
and to scale to meet changing demands. AWS provides a range of tools and
services that help organizations optimize their performance, including
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for scalable computing, Amazon Elastic
Block Store (EBS) for scalable storage, and Amazon CloudFront for content
delivery. To achieve performance efficiency, organizations must ensure that
their systems are designed to scale and that they are using the most
appropriate resources for their needs.
4.2 The Five Pillars of AWS Architecture
Cost Optimization:
Cost optimization is the ability to use resources efficiently and to reduce
costs. AWS provides a range of tools and services that help organizations
optimize their costs, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Reserved
Instances, AWS Cost Explorer for cost management, and AWS Budgets for cost
control. To achieve cost optimization, organizations must regularly monitor
and optimize their resources and usage to ensure that they are using the
most cost-effective services and tools.
5. Best Practices for AWS
Architecting
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

1. Use well-architected frameworks: AWS provides a well-architected

framework that outlines the best practices for designing and operating
reliable, secure, efficient, and cost-effective systems in the cloud. It
covers five pillars: operational excellence, security, reliability,
performance efficiency, and cost optimization.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

2. Implement automation: Automation is crucial in AWS architecting to

reduce manual errors, speed up deployment, and achieve consistency. Use
tools like AWS CloudFormation, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS Lambda, and
AWS CodeDeploy to automate deployment, scaling, and monitoring.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

3. Use multi-region deployment: To ensure high availability and disaster

recovery, deploy your application across multiple AWS regions. Use AWS
Route 53 to manage traffic routing between regions and implement
automated failover.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

4. Use security best practices: Implement security best practices such as least
privilege access, multi-factor authentication, encryption, and logging. Use
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to manage access control and
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt data at rest and in transit.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

5. Use scalable storage solutions: Use scalable storage solutions such as

Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), and
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) to store data. Use AWS Glacier for long-term
data archival and AWS Storage Gateway to connect your on-premises storage
environment with AWS.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

6. Optimize costs: Use AWS Cost Explorer to analyze your AWS spending and
identify cost optimization opportunities. Use AWS Trusted Advisor to receive
real-time recommendations for cost optimization, performance
improvement, and security enhancements.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

7. Optimize costs: Use AWS Cost Explorer to analyze your AWS spending and
identify cost optimization opportunities. Use AWS Trusted Advisor to receive
real-time recommendations for cost optimization, performance
improvement, and security enhancements.
5.1 Best Practices for AWS Architecting

8. Monitor and troubleshoot: Implement monitoring and troubleshooting

tools such as Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, and AWS X-Ray to identify
issues and improve system performance. Use AWS CloudFormation
6. AWS Architecting tools
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a wide range of tools and services for
architects and developers to design, build, and deploy applications and
infrastructure in the cloud. AWS Architecting Tools are designed to help
architects create scalable, reliable, and secure cloud architectures. These
tools are essential for creating well-architected solutions that meet business
requirements and are cost-effective. In this article, we'll explore some of the
popular AWS Architecting tools.
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools
AWS CloudFormation: AWS CloudFormation is a service that provides a way
to create and manage AWS resources through templates. It allows you to
create, update, and delete a collection of AWS resources in a predictable and
repeatable way. This tool uses a JSON or YAML file to define the infrastructure
and resources you need to deploy your application. CloudFormation
automates the creation and configuration of these resources, which saves
time and effort. You can use CloudFormation to create and manage complex
architectures that include Amazon EC2 instances, load balancers, RDS
databases, and more.
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools
AWS CloudTrail: AWS CloudTrail is a service that enables you to log, monitor,
and retain events related to AWS API calls and account activity. It provides a
detailed history of the changes made to your AWS resources, which helps you
identify the source of security issues, troubleshoot operational problems, and
meet compliance requirements. CloudTrail captures information about who
made the API calls, the source IP address, the time of the call, and the
parameters passed. You can also use CloudTrail to track changes to your
CloudFormation stacks, so you can see who made changes, what changes
were made, and when they were made.
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools
AWS Config: AWS Config is a service that provides a detailed inventory of your
AWS resources and their configuration settings. It helps you assess, audit, and
evaluate the compliance of your AWS resources against your desired
configuration standards. With AWS Config, you can track changes to your
resources and monitor compliance with industry regulations such as PCI,
HIPAA, and GDPR. AWS Config provides a continuous view of your
infrastructure's compliance and helps you detect configuration drifts and
violations.
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools
AWS Trusted Advisor: AWS Trusted Advisor is a service that provides
recommendations to help you optimize your AWS infrastructure for cost
savings, security, fault tolerance, and performance. It analyzes your AWS
resources and provides best practices and guidance on how to improve their
efficiency and security. Trusted Advisor checks for security vulnerabilities, cost
optimization opportunities, performance bottlenecks, and service limits. It
provides a scorecard of your infrastructure's health and suggests actions to
take to improve it.
6.1 AWS Architecting Tools
AWS Well-Architected Tool: AWS Well-Architected Tool is a service that helps
you review and improve your AWS architectures based on AWS best
practices. It provides a framework for assessing your architecture's
performance, reliability, cost optimization, security, and operational
excellence. The tool provides a set of questions, best practices, and
recommendations that you can use to evaluate your architecture's strengths
and weaknesses. It generates a report that highlights areas where your
architecture can be improved and suggests actions to take to make it more
reliable, scalable, and cost-effective.
7. AWS Architecture Case Studies
7.1 AWS Architecture Case Studies
AWS Architecture Case Studies refer to real-world examples of organizations
that have successfully implemented AWS architecture principles to improve
their infrastructure and operations. These case studies showcase the benefits
and challenges of using AWS architecture principles and provide insights into
how different organizations have leveraged AWS to drive innovation, reduce
costs, and improve agility.
7.2 Overview of AWS Architecture Case Studies
Netflix: Netflix is one of the most successful users of AWS architecture
principles. Netflix's use of AWS enabled it to become a global streaming giant,
with over 200 million subscribers worldwide. Netflix's architecture is based on
microservices, and it leverages AWS services such as Amazon S3, Amazon
EC2, and Amazon CloudFront to store, process, and deliver content to users.
By using AWS, Netflix was able to reduce its time to market, improve its
scalability and reliability, and lower its infrastructure costs.
7.3 Overview of AWS Architecture Case Studies
Airbnb: Airbnb is another successful user of AWS architecture principles.
Airbnb's architecture is based on a microservices approach that relies on AWS
services such as Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, and Amazon DynamoDB. By using
AWS, Airbnb was able to quickly scale its infrastructure to handle millions of
users and bookings, while also reducing its infrastructure costs by up to 60%.
Airbnb's use of AWS also enabled it to improve its availability and reliability,
and to implement advanced security and compliance measures.
7.4 Overview of AWS Architecture Case Studies
Capital One: Capital One is a financial services company that has successfully
implemented AWS architecture principles to improve its operations and
agility. Capital One's architecture is based on a hybrid cloud approach that
leverages both AWS and on-premise infrastructure. By using AWS, Capital
One was able to improve its scalability, agility, and innovation, while also
reducing its infrastructure costs. Capital One's use of AWS also enabled it to
implement advanced security and compliance measures, such as encryption,
access controls, and auditing.
7.5 Benefits of Using AWS Architecture Principles

Scalability: AWS architecture principles enable organizations to quickly scale

their infrastructure to handle changing workloads and demand.
Reliability: AWS provides a highly reliable infrastructure with built-in
redundancy and failover capabilities that enable organizations to achieve high
availability.
7.5 Benefits of Using AWS Architecture Principles

Innovation: AWS provides a wide range of services and tools that enable
organizations to quickly build and deploy innovative applications and services.
Cost Savings: AWS architecture principles enable organizations to reduce their
infrastructure costs by leveraging AWS's pay-as-you-go pricing model and
economies of scale.
7.6 Challenges of Using AWS Architecture Principles

Complexity: AWS architecture can be complex and require specialized skills

and knowledge to implement and manage effectively.
Security: AWS architecture requires careful consideration of security and
compliance requirements to ensure that sensitive data and applications are
properly protected.
Vendor Lock-In: Organizations that rely heavily on AWS architecture may
become locked into the AWS ecosystem, making it difficult to switch to other
cloud providers or on-premise infrastructure.