Core AWS Services
AWS (Amazon Web Services) offers a vast suite of services, and they are broadly categorized into key functional areas to meet various IT and business needs.
Here’s a breakdown of each main category with a few popular services from each:
| Category | Key Services Sample |
|---|---|
| Compute | EC2, Lambda, Beanstalk |
| Storage | S3, EBS, Glacier |
| Networking | VPC, Route 53, CloudFront |
| Database | RDS, DynamoDB, Redshift |
| Analytics | Athena, Glue, QuickSight |
| Mobile | Amplify, SNS, Cognito |
| Developer Tools | CodeCommit, CodePipeline |
| Management Tools | CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config |
| IoT | IoT Core, Greengrass |
| Security & Identity | IAM, KMS, WAF |
| Enterprise Applications | WorkSpaces, Chime, WorkDocs |
1. Compute
Run applications and process workloads.
Compute services offer secure and resizable computing capacity in the cloud, simplifying web-scale computing for developers.
Here are some key features:
• They empower users to control their computing resources.
• They operate under a pay-as-you-go model, allowing users to boot new server instances within minutes.
• They enable quick scaling to meet changing computing requirements with quick and easy configuration of the services.
The following are some of the majorly used AWS compute services:
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Amazon EC2 | Virtual servers in the cloud |
| Amazon ECR | Managed container image registry |
| Amazon ECS | Container orchestration (AWS native) |
| Amazon EKS | Kubernetes service |
| Amazon Lightsail | Easy-to-use VPS for small apps |
| AWS Batch | Run batch computing jobs at scale |
| AWS Elastic Beanstalk | Auto-managing platform for app deployment |
| AWS Fargate | Serverless containers |
| AWS Lambda | Run code without managing servers |
| AWS Serverless App Repository | Deploy serverless apps and components quickly |
2. Storage
Durable, scalable storage options.
The storage services offer a secure, reliable, and scalable storage solution for data in the AWS cloud, providing high efficiency, availability, durability, and performance.
The following are the features of the storage services:
- It allows users to store, access, and analyze data to reduce costs, increase agility, and accelerate innovation.
- It can be broadly categorized into object storage, file storage, block storage, and backup and data migration.
The following are some of the majorly used AWS storage services:
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Amazon S3 | Scalable object storage |
| Amazon EFS | Managed file system for Linux workloads |
| Amazon FSx | File systems for Windows & high-performance apps |
| Amazon EBS | Block storage for EC2 |
| AWS Backup | Centralized backup management |
| AWS Storage Gateway | Connect on-premises storage to AWS |
| AWS DataSync | Data transfer between on-prem and AWS |
| AWS Transfer Family | Transfer files using SFTP, FTP, and FTPS |
| AWS Snow Family | Physical data transport devices (Snowcone, Snowball, Snowmobile) |
3. Networking & Content Delivery
Connecting, securing, and accelerating traffic.
Amazon offers a broad set of networking services that provide essential security features and robust network solutions. These services isolate resources, encrypt data, and provide private connections on the AWS global network.
The features of networking services are as follows:
- It offers the highest network availability, with very few downtime hours due to networking issues.
- It provides global coverage of 31 AWS Regions and 99 Availability Zones.
The following are some of the Amazon networking services:
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Amazon API Gateway | Create, publish, and manage APIs |
| Amazon VPC | Isolated cloud network |
| Amazon CloudFront | Content Delivery Network (CDN) |
| Amazon Route 53 | Domain Name System (DNS) and routing |
| AWS VPN | Secure on-premises to AWS connection |
| AWS Direct Connect | Private network connection to AWS |
| AWS Cloud Map | Service discovery for microservices |
| AWS App Mesh | Service mesh for microservice networking |
4. Database
Managed SQL and NoSQL databases.
Amazon offers a comprehensive selection of purpose-built databases to suit various application needs. These database services are fully managed, scalable, and highly efficient.
Database services have the following features:
- They offer various types of database engines, including relational, key-value, in-memory, graph, time-series, and ledger.
- They support multi-region and multi-master replication, offering control over the data.
The following are some of the majorly used Amazon database services:
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Amazon RDS | Managed relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) |
| Amazon Redshift | Data warehousing and analytics |
| Amazon DynamoDB | Serverless NoSQL key-value and document database |
| Amazon ElastiCache | In-memory cache (Redis, Memcached) |
| Amazon DocumentDB | Managed MongoDB-compatible database |
| Amazon Keyspaces | Managed Cassandra-compatible DB |
| Amazon Neptune | Graph database |
| Amazon QLDB | Ledger database for immutable and transparent records |
5. Analytics
Collect, process, and analyze data.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Athena | Query data in S3 with SQL |
| Redshift | Fast analytics on large datasets |
| Kinesis | Real-time data streaming |
| Glue | Data cataloging & ETL |
| QuickSight | Business intelligence dashboards |
6. Mobile Services
Build and deploy mobile apps.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| AWS Amplify | Full-stack mobile/web app development |
| Device Farm | Test apps on real devices |
| SNS | Push notifications & messaging |
| Cognito | User authentication and sign-in |
7. Developer Tools
CI/CD and software delivery services.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| CodeCommit | Git-based source control |
| CodeBuild | Build and test code |
| CodeDeploy | Automate code deployments |
| CodePipeline | CI/CD orchestration |
8. Management Tools
Monitor, manage, and optimize AWS resources.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| CloudWatch | Logs and metrics monitoring |
| CloudTrail | Track API calls and activity |
| Trusted Advisor | Recommendations for security, performance, cost |
| AWS Config | Resource compliance tracking |
| Service Catalog | Manage approved AWS products for use |
9. IoT (Internet of Things)
Connect and manage devices.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| IoT Core | Connect devices to the cloud |
| IoT Analytics | Analyze IoT data |
| IoT Greengrass | Run local compute on edge devices |
10. Security, Identity & Compliance
Control access and secure your environment.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| IAM | Manage users and permissions |
| KMS | Manage encryption keys |
| Shield | DDoS protection |
| WAF | Web application firewall |
| Secrets Manager | Secure storage of credentials |
11. Enterprise Applications
Support business productivity and operations.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| WorkSpaces | Virtual desktop environment |
| Chime | Online meetings and video conferencing |
| WorkDocs | Secure content collaboration |
| Alexa for Business | Voice command for workplace apps |
