Beginner's Guide

Cloud Service Masterclass

Simple explanations, analogies, and quizzes to help you master AWS and Azure concepts.

1. Compute Services

Virtual Machines (The "Remote Computer")

Imagine renting a powerful computer in a massive data center. You can log into it remotely, install any software you want (like Windows or Linux), and use it just like a physical server, but you pay by the hour.

Amazon EC2

Short for "Elastic Compute Cloud". It's the standard for renting servers on AWS.

Azure Virtual Machines

The Microsoft equivalent. Great for running Windows Server applications.

Serverless (The "Task Runner")

Instead of renting a whole computer, you just give the cloud a small piece of code (a "function") and say, "Run this whenever a user clicks this button." You don't manage any servers, and you only pay for the milliseconds the code runs.

AWS Lambda

The pioneer of serverless. Runs code in response to events (like a file upload).

Azure Functions

Similar to Lambda, but allows you to write complex workflows (Durable Functions) more easily.

Containers (The "Shipping Box")

Containers package your application with everything it needs to run (code, libraries, settings) into a standard "box." This ensures the app runs exactly the same way on your laptop as it does in the cloud.

EKS / ECS

Tools to manage and run thousands of these "shipping boxes" (containers) at once.

AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service)

Azure's managed service for running Kubernetes, the most popular tool for managing containers.

2. Storage Services

Object Storage (The "Limitless Drive")

Think of this like a massive "Google Drive" for your applications. It stores loose files like photos, videos, backups, and logs. It can grow indefinitely and is accessed over the internet.

Amazon S3

The most famous storage service. Files are called "Objects" and stored in "Buckets".

Azure Blob Storage

Stores files as "Blobs" inside "Containers".

File Storage (The "Shared Folder")

This acts like a shared folder on a network drive. Multiple virtual machines can connect to it at the same time to read and edit the same files.

Amazon EFS

Elastic File System. Primarily used for Linux servers.

Azure Files

Works easily with both Windows and Linux.

3. Networking

Virtual Network (The "Private Office")

Your own isolated section of the cloud. Just like a secure office building, you control the doors (firewalls), the rooms (subnets), and who is allowed to enter (access lists).

Amazon VPC

Virtual Private Cloud. You must be specific about which "Zone" (data center location) each room (subnet) is in.

Azure VNet

Virtual Network. Slightly simpler setup; a single "room" (subnet) can span across multiple data center locations.

CDN (The "Local Delivery Warehouse")

If your website server is in New York, a user in Tokyo will have a slow experience. A CDN stores copies of your images and videos in servers all over the world, so the user in Tokyo downloads them from a server in Tokyo.

Amazon CloudFront

AWS's global delivery network.

Azure CDN / Front Door

Front Door is an advanced version that also adds security and smart routing.

4. Databases

Relational Databases (The "Excel on Steroids")

Classic databases that store data in neat rows and columns (tables). Perfect for banking systems, inventory, and structured data.

Amazon RDS

Runs standard engines like MySQL or PostgreSQL, but AWS handles the backups and updates for you.

Azure SQL Database

The best place to run Microsoft SQL Server in the cloud.

NoSQL Databases (The "Flexible Filing Cabinet")

Unlike structured tables, these databases let you store data in flexible formats (like JSON documents). They are designed to be extremely fast and scalable, perfect for apps like social media feeds or gaming leaderboards.

Amazon DynamoDB

Extremely fast, widely used for high-scale web apps.

Azure Cosmos DB

Known for being "Globally Distributed"—click a button to copy your database to Europe or Asia instantly.

5. Analytics & Big Data

Data Warehousing (The "Central Library")

A specialized database designed for analyzing massive amounts of history. Instead of asking "What is my balance right now?", you ask "What was the average balance of all users over the last 10 years?"

Amazon Redshift
Azure Synapse Analytics

Real-time Streaming (The "Firehose")

Tools to catch and process data that is arriving continuously and at high speed, like clicks on a website, sensor data from a factory, or a live Twitter feed.

Amazon Kinesis
Azure Event Hubs

6. Application Integration

Message Queues (The "Waiting Line")

If your system is overwhelmed with tasks (like processing orders), a queue holds them in a line until your servers are free to handle them. This prevents the system from crashing under load.

Amazon SQS

Simple Queue Service.

Azure Service Bus

Also handles complex "Enterprise" messaging needs.

Pub/Sub (The "Megaphone")

Allows one system to announce an event ("A new user signed up!") and have many other different systems instantly react to it (Send email, Update Database, Create Invoice).

Amazon SNS

Simple Notification Service.

Azure Event Grid

Designed to easily route events between Azure services.

7. DevOps & Management

Infrastructure as Code (The "Blueprint")

Instead of clicking buttons in a web portal to create servers, you write a text file (a blueprint) describing what you want. The cloud reads the file and builds everything automatically.

CloudFormation

The native blueprint tool for AWS.

ARM Templates / Bicep

Bicep is a newer, simpler language for writing Azure blueprints.

Monitoring (The "Dashboard")

Tools to check the health of your systems. They tell you if servers are running hot, if your website is slow, or if errors are happening.

Amazon CloudWatch

The central place for logs and alarms in AWS.

Azure Monitor

Includes advanced application performance tracking.

8. Security & Identity

Identity (The "ID Badge")

These services act like the security desk at an office building. They check ID badges (Authentication) and determine which rooms people are allowed to enter (Authorization).

AWS IAM

Identity and Access Management. Strictly for managing access to AWS resources.

Microsoft Entra ID

Formerly Azure AD. Connects with your office email (Office 365) and Windows login.

9. Certifications & Career Path

Where do I start?

Both clouds offer entry-level exams perfect for beginners. These certifications prove you understand the concepts on this page.

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)

The foundational exam. Covers basic cloud concepts, billing, and security.

  • Difficulty: Beginner
  • Cost: ~$100 USD
  • Focus: High-level overview
Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

The starting point for Microsoft cloud. Covers cloud concepts, core services, and pricing.

  • Difficulty: Beginner
  • Cost: ~$99 USD
  • Focus: High-level overview

Trying it for Free

You don't need to pay to start learning. Both providers offer generous free tiers.

AWS Free Tier
  • 12 Months Free: 750 hours/mo of EC2 Micro instances.
  • Always Free: 1 million Lambda requests/mo, 25GB DynamoDB.
Azure Free Account
  • $200 Credit: To use in the first 30 days.
  • 12 Months Free: Popular services like VMs, SQL DB, storage.
  • Always Free: 1 million Functions requests/mo.

10. Test Your Knowledge

Question 1 of 5

Which service would you use to store a massive amount of user-uploaded photos?