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AWS Rift Rewind Story: Learning Cloud, Building Projects

#amplify #aws #s3 #cloudfront

AWS beginner to deploying a global project via Rift Rewind: secure storage, CloudFront, automated pipelines, live APIs — my journey & tips for builders.

✨ Adding My Personal Touch

I didn’t just follow the templates, I made the site my own:

  • Customized the design, colors, and layout to match my style
  • Added Riot Games API integration to fetch live League of Legends data
  • Included personal content and visuals to make the site unique

This wasn’t just a website — it became my personal playground for learning AWS.

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Power Spike Prep

I started by setting up my AWS account safely:

  • Enabled MFA
  • Created an admin IAM user
  • Set up budget alerts

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💡 Lesson learned: Security is the foundation. Even small mistakes can be costly in the cloud.

Ward Your Data

I created my first S3 bucket and uploaded my project files securely.

✅ What I Accomplished

  • Created a private Amazon S3 bucket (with “Block Public Access” enabled)
  • Verified that files are inaccessible publicly (Access Denied = ✅ security)

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💡 Aha moment: Default privacy settings in S3 aren’t just a suggestion — they’re essential for protecting your data.

📝 Level Up Your Code

Time to structure my project:

  • Organized HTML, CSS, and assets
  • Applied best practices for project structure
  • Uploaded everything to S3

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  • 🖥️ Personal website customized

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💡 Lesson learned: Clean, organized files make everything else easier — from deployment to debugging.

🌍 Global Distribution

I set up CloudFront to make my website fast and accessible worldwide.

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✅ What I Accomplished

  • Understood why distance = latency (ping problem in real life 🌐)
  • Learned how Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) solve the speed problem
  • Created a CloudFront distribution connected to my private S3 bucket
  • Configured index.html as default root object

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💡 Aha moment: CloudFront doesn’t just speed up content — it also secures access to your S3 bucket.

🚀 Pro Deploy Mode

I linked GitHub → AWS Amplify for automated deployments.

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💡 Lesson learned: Automation is a game-changer. Every change in GitHub now instantly updates my live site.

🎯 Tap Into the Rift

I built my first serverless Lambda function to fetch real-time Riot Games data:

  • Secured my API key with Parameter Store

Store API Key Securely

  • Use AWS Systems Manager → Parameter Store
  • Store as /rift-rewind/riot-api-key (type: SecureString)

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  • Displayed summoner stats & top champions on my site

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Create Function URL

  • Go to Lambda → Function URL → Create
  • Auth: NONE (so frontend can call it)
  • Configure CORS :
  • Allowed origin = your Amplify site domain (must match exactly with https://...))
  • Allow headers: Content-Type
  • Allow methods: POST

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Test with a small event :

  • In Lambda Console → Test → Use event:

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  • Use CloudWatch logs for debugging Lambda errors
  • Riot dev keys expire in 24h → regenerate if broken
  • If you see it 403 Forbidden, it’s usually a CORS or expired API key issue

💡 Aha moment: Serverless computing feels like magic, you get full backend functionality without maintaining a server.

  • I levelled up my cloud and development skills: I started by setting up AWS securely with MFA and budget alerts, then stored files safely in S3. I organised my project like a pro, made it globally accessible with CloudFront, and automated deployment using GitHub and Amplify. Finally, I integrated the Riot Games API with AWS Lambda to display live League of Legends data — all while following best practices for security, structure, and performance.

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🏆 Victory Lap

I reflected on my journey and published my story:

  • Shared screenshots of AWS services in action
  • Documented lessons, tips, and personal experiences.

🎯 Goal for Today

Celebrate completing the challenge and share my journey with the AWS Builder community by writing an article on AWS Builder Center.

🔑 Key Takeaways

  1. Security first: MFA & IAM aren’t optional.
  2. Organization matters: structure saves headaches.
  3. Automation rocks: GitHub + Amplify = effortless deployment.
  4. Global distribution matters: CloudFront = fast, secure, worldwide.
  5. Serverless is powerful: Lambda + APIs = endless possibilities.

💡 Tips for Future Builders

  • Keep AWS security top of mind
  • Organize files from the start
  • Automate deployments with Amplify & GitHub
  • Test API integrations in small steps
  • Experiment boldly — serverless lets you fail fast and learn faster

🌟 Final Thoughts

In just 7 days, I transformed from an AWS beginner to a cloud builder:

  • Deployed globally distributed apps
  • Integrated real-time APIs with serverless functions
  • Implemented professional security practices
  • Built a portfolio-ready project

The Rift Rewind Challenge wasn’t just about building a website — it was about learning cloud architecture, modern workflows, and practical AWS skills. And the best part? My live project now stands as proof of what I can build.

  • Riot ID in the format GameName#TAG correct region
  • Should display Summoner Level + Top 3 Champs

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In this article, I share my 7-day journey building a cloud-powered Rift Rewind project using AWS, integrating live Riot Games data, and adding my personal design twists to create a fully interactive gaming platform. Check out the full project on the GitHub Repo .

Thank you for taking the time to read my article! If you found it helpful, feel free to like, share, and drop your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear from you.

If you want to connect or dive deeper into cloud and DevOps, feel free to follow me on my socials:

💼 LinkedIn

❌ X (formerly Twitter)

👨‍💻 DEV Community

🛡️Medium

🐙 GitHub

🌍AWS Builder Profile

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