Automation in the AWS Cloud from edX

This three-module course covers automation topics by talking about operations best practices, scripting, configuration management, continuous compliance, provisioning, infrastructure as code (IaC), fleet patching, industry tools for automation, and more.

The content is divided into modules that build on top of each other, so we strongly encourage not skipping any content. Although the course starts with the basics by defining the value proposition of automation and APIs, you move on to learn about Bash scripting and the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI). You also learn about AWS CloudFormation, which is one of the the most frequently used IaC tools in the AWS Cloud.

An AWS Cloud Technology Consultant is someone who advises clients on the use of cloud technology to meet business objectives. They are responsible for offering strategic guidance and technical expertise on selection and procurement, user training, and feedback. The goal of this course is for you to learn about the available options and get some hands-on experience, which will help you explore and learn how to optimize AWS architectures through the use of automation.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Describe why automation is important.
Understand basic api mechanisms, such as how apis work with the aws cli.
Describe how the cloud can help with automation.

Understand the basics of bash scripting.
Differentiate between environment provisioning and configuration management.
Describe the importance and value of declarative iac.

Describe why automation is important.
Understand basic api mechanisms, such as how apis work with the aws cli.
Describe how the cloud can help with automation.
Understand the basics of bash scripting.
Differentiate between environment provisioning and configuration management.
Describe the importance and value of declarative iac.

Syllabus

Week 1: Why Automate?

Introduction to Automation in the CloudAutomation with Scripting

Week 2: Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as CodeConfiguration as Code

Week 3: AWS Services for automation

Resource Management Best PracticesScaling Resource Management

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores automation in the AWS Cloud, which is highly relevant for optimizing AWS architectures and meeting business objectives

Presented by Amazon Web Services, which is a leading provider of cloud computing services and infrastructure

Teaches AWS CloudFormation, which is one of the most frequently used Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools in the AWS Cloud

Requires learners to understand the basics of Bash scripting, which may require additional learning for some students

Requires learners to understand basic API mechanisms, such as how APIs work with the AWS CLI, which may require additional learning

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Automation in the AWS Cloud with these activities:

Brush up on Bash Scripting

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Reinforce your understanding of Bash scripting fundamentals to better grasp the automation examples used throughout the course.

Browse courses on Bash Scripting

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Review basic syntax and control structures.
Practice writing simple scripts for file manipulation and system administration.
Familiarize yourself with common command-line tools.

Review AWS CLI Fundamentals

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Strengthen your knowledge of the AWS CLI to effectively interact with AWS services and automate tasks.

Browse courses on AWS CLI

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Review the AWS CLI documentation.
Practice configuring the AWS CLI with your AWS credentials.
Experiment with common AWS CLI commands for managing EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and other resources.

Automate EC2 Instance Creation with CloudFormation

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Apply your knowledge of CloudFormation to automate the creation of EC2 instances, solidifying your understanding of Infrastructure as Code.

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Design a CloudFormation template for creating an EC2 instance.
Implement the template using YAML or JSON.
Test the template by deploying it to your AWS account.
Refine the template to include additional configurations and resources.

Four other activities

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Explore AWS CloudFormation Best Practices

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Deepen your understanding of CloudFormation by exploring best practices for writing maintainable and scalable templates.

Browse courses on CloudFormation

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Search for tutorials and articles on AWS CloudFormation best practices.
Study the recommended approaches for structuring templates, managing dependencies, and handling errors.
Apply the best practices to your existing CloudFormation projects.

Read 'Infrastructure as Code: Managing Servers in the Cloud'

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Gain a deeper understanding of Infrastructure as Code principles and practices to enhance your automation skills.

View Infrastructure as Code: Designing and... on Amazon

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Read the book cover to cover.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.
Apply the principles to your AWS automation projects.

Document Your Automation Journey

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Reinforce your learning by documenting your automation projects and sharing your experiences with others.

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Create a blog post or article describing your automation projects.
Explain the challenges you faced and the solutions you implemented.
Share your code and templates with the community.

Contribute to an Open-Source IaC Project

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Enhance your skills by contributing to an open-source Infrastructure as Code project, gaining experience with real-world automation challenges.

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Identify an open-source IaC project that aligns with your interests.
Review the project's documentation and contribution guidelines.
Contribute code, documentation, or bug fixes to the project.

Career center

Learners who complete Automation in the AWS Cloud will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Cloud Engineer

A Cloud Engineer designs, builds, and manages cloud infrastructure. This course is a perfect fit for aspiring Cloud Engineers, as it covers essential automation tools and concepts, such as infrastructure as code (IaC) using AWS CloudFormation. Learning about Bash scripting, API mechanisms, and AWS CLI are crucial for automating cloud tasks, which is a core competency of a Cloud Engineer. This course helps build a foundation in the knowledge needed to optimize AWS architectures via automation. A Cloud Engineer should take this course to gain the skills to optimize and automate critical functions of AWS infrastructure.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer

DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers work to streamline the software development lifecycle through automation and collaboration. This course is a great fit for anyone looking to become a DevOps Engineer because it provides hands-on experience with crucial automation tools and concepts such as infrastructure as code using AWS CloudFormation as well as scripting with Bash. Understanding continuous compliance, provisioning, and other automation practices, as this course covers, are also crucial for the role of a DevOps Engineer. This course helps prepare future DevOps Engineers to learn to apply automation principles to optimize engineering operations.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Automation Engineer

An Automation Engineer designs, develops, and maintains automated systems and processes. This course is excellent for an aspiring Automation Engineer as it provides exposure to the tools and concepts that are essential for automating cloud infrastructure. This course takes learners through Bash scripting, AWS CLI, and Infrastructure as Code using AWS CloudFormation. The course's focus on automation best practices, covering provisioning and resource management, provides an excellent foundation for an Automation Engineer to build their career. This course helps an Automation Engineer learn crucial technologies and skills in automation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Automation Engineer

Cloud Consultant

A Cloud Consultant advises businesses on how to best use cloud technologies to meet objectives. This course is directly applicable to a Cloud Consultant because its goal is to help learners explore and understand how to best optimize AWS architecture using automation. This course gives hands-on experience with the tools such as AWS CloudFormation. The course will cover concepts such as scripting, configuration management, and continuous compliance, which a Cloud Consultant should understand well. This course helps prepare a Cloud Consultant to optimize systems and provide tailored recommendations to businesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Consultant

Solutions Architect

A Solutions Architect designs and implements cloud solutions based on business requirements. This course is a practical starting point for an aspiring Solutions Architect, as automation plays a central role in designing efficient cloud architectures. Knowing how to use Infrastructure as Code, how to work with the AWS CLI, and how to use Bash scripting is essential to developing well designed systems. The content in this course about optimizing AWS architectures through automation is particularly helpful for Solutions Architects who need to understand automation options to provide clients with recommendations and advice. This course helps equip a future Solutions Architect to design cloud solutions with automation at the forefront.

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Infrastructure Engineer

An Infrastructure Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the technology infrastructure of an organization. Infrastructure as code is critical to managing infrastructure in modern environments. This course will help an Infrastructure Engineer learn to automate infrastructure tasks. The course delves into Bash scripting, the AWS CLI, and AWS CloudFormation, all of which are crucial skills for an Infrastructure Engineer seeking to work with cloud technologies. This course will allow future Infrastructure Engineers to automate their management of cloud based infrastructure systems.

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Site Reliability Engineer

A Site Reliability Engineer ensures the reliability and performance of systems. This course helps a Site Reliability Engineer by covering automation topics that are essential for maintaining reliable systems, including infrastructure as code (IaC) and configuration management. Through learning about Bash scripting and the AWS Command Line Interface, a Site Reliability Engineer can develop the skills needed to automate system maintenance. A focus on best practices in resource management will allow a Site Reliability Engineer to implement robust practices relating to automation. This course may be useful for a Site Reliability Engineer to build reliable and resilient systems through automation

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Cloud Architect

A Cloud Architect is responsible for the design and implementation of cloud computing strategies. This course may be helpful for a Cloud Architect who needs to understand the options for automation, in order to optimize cloud architectures. The course covers automation using Bash scripting, AWS CLI, and infrastructure as code with CloudFormation. The course prepares Cloud Architects to use automation technologies when architecting complex systems and recommending best practices to clients and colleagues for building systems.

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Systems Administrator

A Systems Administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining computer systems and networks. This course may be useful for a Systems Administrator looking to delve into cloud automation. The course provides coverage of important topics like Bash Scripting, infrastructure as code, configuration management and provisioning on AWS. These skills can enable a systems administrator to manage systems in the cloud more efficiently. This course will prepare a Systems Administrator to apply automation tools to simplify cloud infrastructure and operations.

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Release Engineer

A Release Engineer automates the process of releasing software to production. This course may be useful for a Release Engineer because it teaches concepts relating to automation in a cloud environment. The course will cover continuous compliance, provisioning, and fleet patching through the use of IaC. A Release Engineer who takes this course may be better equipped to automate the process of releasing software to production. This course is a great fit with the skills a Release Engineer needs to automate processes.

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Technical Project Manager

A Technical Project Manager oversees technology projects, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget. While this course is not directly about project management, it can help a Technical Project Manager gain a better understanding of the technologies that development teams use to automate their processes. The course presents a number of crucial cloud technologies, such as infrastructure as code, that a Technical Project Manager can learn about. Familiarity of automation technologies will give a Technical Project Manager additional insight and the vocabulary to discuss these technologies within the team. This course may be useful for a Technical Project Manager.

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Network Engineer

A Network Engineer designs, implements, and manages an organization’s networks. This course will help a Network Engineer by introducing concepts of infrastructure as code, which can be leveraged to automate tasks related to network configuration and management. As networks become increasingly complex, automation is increasingly important for Network Engineers. This course may be helpful for a Network Engineer looking to add automation skills to their skillset, specifically with AWS tools such as the command line interface.

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Data Engineer

Data Engineers design, build, and maintain systems to process data. This course helps a Data Engineer in their career by introducing key concepts of automation in the cloud, such as infrastructure as code (IaC) and configuration management. A Data Engineer may also want to have a better understanding of how to manage AWS resources via the command line which this course introduces. This course may be useful for a Data Engineer to automate some of their tasks in a cloud based environment.

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Database Administrator

A Database Administrator manages and maintains database systems. While not directly related to databases, this course helps a Database Administrator learn to automate the processes of provisioning infrastructure and configuration management in a cloud environment. By understanding technologies like infrastructure as code using AWS CloudFormation and how to use the AWS CLI, they can manage databases more efficiently. This course may be useful for a Database Administrator to learn to apply automation principles to their work.

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Software Developer

A software developer writes and tests code for applications. This course may help a Software Developer become familiar with essential automation technologies used in modern cloud deployments. The course demonstrates techniques relating to infrastructure as code with AWS CloudFormation, which Software Developers may need to interact with. The course will also introduce a Software Developer to scripting and the AWS CLI which are essential tools for working with cloud technology. This course may be useful for a Software Developer to be familiar with key automation technologies.

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Reading list

We've selected one books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Automation in the AWS Cloud.

Infrastructure As Code

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Provides a comprehensive overview of Infrastructure as Code principles and practices. It covers various tools and techniques for automating infrastructure management, including configuration management, provisioning, and orchestration. This book is useful for understanding the underlying concepts and applying them to AWS CloudFormation and other automation tools. It valuable resource for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

Infrastructure as Code: Designing and Delivering...

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Automation in the AWS Cloud

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