AWS Services Index
Collection of important AWS services covering infrastructure as code, data streaming, workflow orchestration, and security management.
Overview
This section covers essential AWS services that complement core compute and networking services. These services enable automation, data processing, security, and operational excellence.
Core Services
Overview
- 1 AWS Important Services - Key AWS services and their use cases
Infrastructure as Code
- 2 Infrastructure as Code (IaaC) - IaC concepts and benefits
- 3 AWS CloudFormation - Declarative infrastructure provisioning
Data Services
- 4 AWS DataSync - Automated data transfer service
- 5 AWS Kinesis - Real-time data streaming platform
Orchestration and Automation
- 6 AWS Step Functions - Serverless workflow orchestration
Security
- 7 AWS Secrets Manager - Centralized secrets management
Architecture
- 8 AWS Architecture Design - Best practices and design patterns
Learning Path
Follow this sequence for optimal understanding:
- Overview: 1 AWS Important Services - Survey of key services
- IaC Concepts: 2 Infrastructure as Code (IaaC) - Understand automation
- CloudFormation: 3 AWS CloudFormation - Implement IaC
- Data Transfer: 4 AWS DataSync - Move data efficiently
- Streaming: 5 AWS Kinesis - Process real-time data
- Workflows: 6 AWS Step Functions - Orchestrate services
- Security: 7 AWS Secrets Manager - Manage secrets
- Architecture: 8 AWS Architecture Design - Design best practices
Key Concepts
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Benefits
- Version control for infrastructure
- Repeatable deployments
- Reduced human error
- Faster provisioning
- Documentation as code
Tools
- AWS CloudFormation - AWS native
- Terraform - Multi-cloud
- AWS CDK - Code-based IaC
- Pulumi - Modern IaC
Best Practices
- Use version control
- Modular templates
- Parameter-driven
- Test before production
- Document changes
AWS CloudFormation
Core Concepts
- Templates - JSON/YAML infrastructure definitions
- Stacks - Deployed resources
- Change Sets - Preview changes
- Stack Sets - Multi-account/region deployment
Features
- Declarative syntax
- Dependency management
- Rollback on failure
- Drift detection
- Nested stacks
Use Cases
- Environment provisioning
- Disaster recovery
- Multi-region deployment
- Compliance enforcement
AWS Kinesis
Services
- Kinesis Data Streams - Real-time data streaming
- Kinesis Data Firehose - Load data to destinations
- Kinesis Data Analytics - Real-time analytics
- Kinesis Video Streams - Video streaming
Use Cases
- Log and event data collection
- Real-time analytics
- IoT data processing
- Clickstream analysis
- Application monitoring
Key Features
- Real-time processing
- Scalable throughput
- Durable storage
- Multiple consumers
- Replay capability
AWS Step Functions
Workflow Types
- Standard Workflows - Long-running, exactly-once
- Express Workflows - High-volume, at-least-once
Features
- Visual workflow designer
- Error handling and retry
- Parallel execution
- Wait states
- Integration with AWS services
Use Cases
- ETL pipelines
- Order processing
- Batch jobs
- Microservices orchestration
- Machine learning workflows
AWS DataSync
Features
- Automated data transfer
- Bandwidth optimization
- Data validation
- Scheduling
- Encryption in transit
Use Cases
- Data migration to AWS
- Data replication
- Backup and archive
- Data processing workflows
Supported Locations
- On-premises (NFS, SMB)
- Amazon S3
- Amazon EFS
- Amazon FSx
AWS Secrets Manager
Features
- Centralized secret storage
- Automatic rotation
- Fine-grained access control
- Encryption at rest
- Audit logging
Use Cases
- Database credentials
- API keys
- OAuth tokens
- Encryption keys
- Application secrets
Best Practices
- Enable automatic rotation
- Use IAM policies for access
- Audit secret usage
- Tag secrets appropriately
- Implement least privilege
AWS Architecture Design
Well-Architected Framework
Pillars
- Operational Excellence - Run and monitor systems
- Security - Protect information and systems
- Reliability - Recover from failures
- Performance Efficiency - Use resources efficiently
- Cost Optimization - Avoid unnecessary costs
- Sustainability - Minimize environmental impact
Design Principles
Scalability
- Design for horizontal scaling
- Use managed services
- Implement auto scaling
- Decouple components
Reliability
- Multi-AZ deployment
- Automated backups
- Health checks
- Graceful degradation
Security
- Defense in depth
- Least privilege access
- Encryption everywhere
- Regular audits
Cost Optimization
- Right-size resources
- Use appropriate pricing models
- Implement monitoring
- Regular cost reviews
Service Integration Patterns
Event-Driven Architecture
- EventBridge for event routing
- Lambda for event processing
- Step Functions for orchestration
- Kinesis for streaming
Data Pipeline
- S3 for storage
- Kinesis for ingestion
- Lambda for processing
- DataSync for transfer
Microservices
- ECS/EKS for containers
- API Gateway for APIs
- Step Functions for workflows
- Secrets Manager for credentials
Serverless
- Lambda for compute
- API Gateway for APIs
- DynamoDB for database
- Step Functions for orchestration
Related Topics
Infrastructure
Development
Architecture
- System Design - Design patterns
- SAA-C03 - Architecture certification
AI/ML
Best Practices by Service
CloudFormation
- Use parameters for flexibility
- Implement change sets
- Tag all resources
- Use nested stacks for modularity
- Enable termination protection
Kinesis
- Choose appropriate shard count
- Implement error handling
- Monitor metrics
- Use enhanced fan-out for multiple consumers
- Implement data retention policies
Step Functions
- Design idempotent tasks
- Implement error handling
- Use appropriate workflow type
- Monitor execution metrics
- Keep state machines simple
Secrets Manager
- Enable automatic rotation
- Use resource policies
- Implement least privilege
- Monitor access logs
- Regular secret audits
DataSync
- Schedule during off-peak hours
- Monitor transfer metrics
- Validate data integrity
- Use bandwidth throttling
- Implement error notifications
Common Use Cases
Multi-Tier Application
- CloudFormation for infrastructure
- Secrets Manager for credentials
- Step Functions for workflows
- Kinesis for logging
Data Processing Pipeline
- Kinesis for data ingestion
- Lambda for processing
- Step Functions for orchestration
- S3 for storage
Microservices Platform
- ECS for containers
- API Gateway for APIs
- Secrets Manager for config
- CloudFormation for deployment
Disaster Recovery
- CloudFormation for infrastructure
- DataSync for data replication
- Step Functions for failover
- Multi-region deployment
Monitoring and Operations
CloudWatch Integration
- CloudFormation stack events
- Kinesis stream metrics
- Step Functions execution history
- Secrets Manager access logs
Cost Management
- Tag resources appropriately
- Monitor service usage
- Set up billing alerts
- Regular cost reviews
Security Monitoring
- CloudTrail for API calls
- Config for compliance
- GuardDuty for threats
- Security Hub for findings
Learning Resources
AWS Documentation
- Service-specific guides
- Best practices
- API references
- Sample templates
Training
- AWS Training and Certification
- AWS Workshops
- AWS Skill Builder
- Hands-on labs
Community
- AWS Forums
- Stack Overflow
- GitHub repositories
- AWS Blog
Troubleshooting
CloudFormation
- Stack creation failed - Check resource limits and permissions
- Drift detected - Review manual changes and update template
- Update failed - Use change sets to preview changes
Kinesis
- Throttling errors - Increase shard count or use enhanced fan-out
- Data loss - Check retention period and consumer lag
- High latency - Review shard distribution and consumer performance
Step Functions
- Execution timeout - Increase timeout or optimize tasks
- Task failures - Implement retry logic and error handling
- High costs - Use Express workflows for high-volume
Secrets Manager
- Access denied - Review IAM policies and resource policies
- Rotation failed - Check Lambda function and permissions
- Secret not found - Verify secret name and region