AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Study Notes

Cloud Computing Fundamentals

Core concepts and value proposition of AWS Cloud

What is Cloud Computing?

Definition: On-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing
Eliminates: Need to buy, own, and maintain physical data centers and servers
Key Benefit: Trade capital expense (CAPEX) for operational expense (OPEX)
Scalability: Scale up or down based on actual demand - stop guessing capacity

CapEx vs OpEx

CapEx (Capital Expenditure): Upfront investment in physical infrastructure, depreciated over time

OpEx (Operational Expenditure): Ongoing costs for cloud services, pay only for what you consume

Six Advantages of Cloud Computing

1. Trade Fixed for Variable

Pay only for what you consume instead of investing in data centers before knowing usage patterns

2. Economies of Scale

AWS aggregates usage from hundreds of thousands of customers, achieving higher economies of scale and lower prices

3. Stop Guessing Capacity

Eliminate guessing infrastructure capacity needs. Scale up or down within minutes based on demand

4. Increase Speed & Agility

New IT resources are a click away. Reduce time to make resources available from weeks to minutes

5. Stop Data Center Spending

Focus on projects that differentiate your business, not infrastructure. Let AWS manage the heavy lifting

6. Go Global in Minutes

Deploy applications in multiple regions around the world with just a few clicks for lower latency

Cloud Computing Models

Model	Description	You Manage	AWS Examples
IaaS	Infrastructure as a Service - Basic building blocks	OS, apps, data, middleware	EC2, VPC, EBS
PaaS	Platform as a Service - Deploy without managing infrastructure	Apps and data only	Elastic Beanstalk, Lambda
SaaS	Software as a Service - Complete product run by provider	Nothing (just use it)	WorkSpaces, Chime

Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud (AWS)

Resources owned and operated by third-party cloud provider. Best for: startups, variable workloads, web applications

Private Cloud (On-Premises)

Cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization. Best for: highly regulated industries, sensitive data

Hybrid Cloud

Combination of public and private clouds. Best for: gradual cloud migration, disaster recovery, cloud bursting

AWS Well-Architected Framework

Six pillars for building secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure

The Six Pillars

1. Operational Excellence

Run and monitor systems to deliver business value and continually improve supporting processes

2. Security

Protect information, systems, and assets while delivering business value through risk assessment

3. Reliability

Recover from failures, dynamically acquire resources to meet demand, mitigate disruptions

4. Performance Efficiency

Use computing resources efficiently and maintain efficiency as demand changes and tech evolves

5. Cost Optimization

Run systems to deliver business value at the lowest price point

6. Sustainability

Minimize environmental impacts of running cloud workloads

Exam Tip

Know all six pillars and their key focus areas. Questions often ask which pillar addresses a specific concern (e.g., "Which pillar focuses on recovering from infrastructure failures?" → Reliability)

AWS Global Infrastructure

Regions, Availability Zones, and Edge Locations

Infrastructure Components

Component	Description	Key Points
Regions	Physical locations with multiple AZs (30+ worldwide)	Choose based on: compliance, latency, service availability, pricing
Availability Zones	1+ data centers with redundant power/networking	Minimum 3 AZs per region, connected with high-bandwidth links
Edge Locations	450+ Points of Presence for content delivery	Used by CloudFront, Route 53, Global Accelerator
Local Zones	Extend AWS region to more locations	Ultra-low latency for specific geographic areas
Wavelength Zones	AWS infrastructure in 5G network providers	Single-digit millisecond latency for mobile apps

Design for Failure

Always deploy across multiple Availability Zones for high availability. AZs are isolated from each other to prevent cascading failures.

Choosing a Region

Compliance: Data governance and legal requirements may require data to stay in specific regions
Proximity: Choose regions closest to your users to reduce latency
Service Availability: Not all services are available in all regions
Pricing: Service costs vary by region - compare before deploying

AWS Cloud Adoption Framework

Guidance for cloud adoption across six perspectives

Business Capabilities

Business Perspective

Ensure IT aligns with business needs and investments link to key business results

People Perspective

Evaluate organizational structures, roles, and skills needed for cloud adoption

Governance Perspective

Orchestrate cloud initiatives while maximizing benefits and minimizing risks

Technical Capabilities

Platform Perspective

Build enterprise-grade, scalable, hybrid cloud platform architecture

Security Perspective

Achieve confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and workloads

Operations Perspective

Ensure cloud services meet business needs through service management

Model

Description

You Manage

AWS Examples

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service - Basic building blocks

OS, apps, data, middleware

EC2, VPC, EBS

PaaS

Platform as a Service - Deploy without managing infrastructure

Apps and data only

Elastic Beanstalk, Lambda

SaaS

Software as a Service - Complete product run by provider

Nothing (just use it)

WorkSpaces, Chime

Component

Description

Key Points

Regions

Physical locations with multiple AZs (30+ worldwide)

Choose based on: compliance, latency, service availability, pricing

Availability Zones

1+ data centers with redundant power/networking

Minimum 3 AZs per region, connected with high-bandwidth links

Edge Locations

450+ Points of Presence for content delivery

Used by CloudFront, Route 53, Global Accelerator

Local Zones

Extend AWS region to more locations

Ultra-low latency for specific geographic areas

Wavelength Zones

AWS infrastructure in 5G network providers

Single-digit millisecond latency for mobile apps

Quick Feedback

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Study Notes

What is Cloud Computing?

CapEx vs OpEx

Six Advantages of Cloud Computing

1. Trade Fixed for Variable

2. Economies of Scale

3. Stop Guessing Capacity

4. Increase Speed & Agility

5. Stop Data Center Spending

6. Go Global in Minutes

Cloud Computing Models

Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud (AWS)

Private Cloud (On-Premises)

Hybrid Cloud

The Six Pillars

1. Operational Excellence

2. Security

3. Reliability

4. Performance Efficiency

5. Cost Optimization

6. Sustainability

Exam Tip

Infrastructure Components

Design for Failure

Choosing a Region

Business Capabilities

Business Perspective

People Perspective

Governance Perspective

Technical Capabilities

Platform Perspective

Security Perspective

Operations Perspective

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Study Notes

What is Cloud Computing?

CapEx vs OpEx

Six Advantages of Cloud Computing

1. Trade Fixed for Variable

2. Economies of Scale

3. Stop Guessing Capacity

4. Increase Speed & Agility

5. Stop Data Center Spending

6. Go Global in Minutes

Cloud Computing Models

Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud (AWS)

Private Cloud (On-Premises)

Hybrid Cloud

The Six Pillars

1. Operational Excellence

2. Security

3. Reliability

4. Performance Efficiency

5. Cost Optimization

6. Sustainability

Exam Tip

Infrastructure Components

Design for Failure

Choosing a Region

Business Capabilities

Business Perspective

People Perspective

Governance Perspective

Technical Capabilities

Platform Perspective

Security Perspective

Operations Perspective