Why this section matters
Every cloud advert names at least one provider: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. They look different, with different names for everything, but underneath they sell the same building blocks and follow the same ideas. If you learn the ideas first, switching between providers is mostly learning new names. Entry level cloud exams such as Microsoft's Azure Fundamentals and the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner test exactly these ideas.
What this section covers
- What the cloud really is. Service types (infrastructure, platform and software as a service), regions and availability zones, and the shared responsibility model that splits security work between you and the provider.
- Compute, storage and databases. Virtual machines, object storage, managed databases and serverless functions, and how they fit together in a real app.
- Identity, access and least privilege. Who can do what in a cloud account, and why one careless permission can expose a whole company.
- Free tiers and keeping costs under control. How free offers work, which ones require a card, and the habits that stop a practice project turning into a bill.
One name, three providers
The same idea often has three names. A quick reference:
- EC2 on AWS, Azure Virtual Machines, Compute Engine on Google Cloud.