Cloud basics

An AWS Region is a separate geographic area containing multiple isolated Availability Zones — discrete data centres with independent power and networking. How the hierarchy works.

A virtual machine virtualises an entire computer including its own OS; a container packages just an application and its dependencies and shares the host’s kernel — lighter and faster to start.

AWS pricing is consumption-based — you pay for what you use, per service, with no upfront commitment required. The purchasing models, hidden cost dimensions and tools, explained.

IaaS, PaaS and SaaS differ in how much of the technology stack the provider manages versus you — from raw infrastructure to finished applications. A plain-English guide with examples.

Public, private and hybrid cloud describe where infrastructure lives and who shares it — provider-owned and multi-tenant, dedicated to one organisation, or a deliberate mix of both.

The shared responsibility model divides security duties: AWS secures the cloud itself — hardware, software, facilities — while you secure what you put in it. The split, explained clearly.

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing resources — servers, storage, databases, networking — over the internet, paid for as you use them. Here is how it works and why it matters.

DevOps is a set of practices and a culture that shortens the path from writing code to running it reliably in production — not a job title or a tool. What it really means, explained plainly.

Infrastructure as code (IaC) means defining servers, networks and other infrastructure in version-controlled files applied repeatably — not console clicks. How it works and why it matters.

Serverless computing means running code or using services without provisioning or managing servers — the provider handles capacity, scaling and patching, and you pay only for what you consume.