My Cloud Resume Challenge Journey: From Zero to Cloud Hero

SANGEETH — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 11:52:46 +0000

Hey there!

I’m Sangeeth, a PHP developer who’s been dabbling in the world of web development for about two years now. Recently, I decided it was time to level up and get serious about cloud computing. Enter the Cloud Resume Challenge.

This challenge, dreamed up by Forrest Brazeal, is a super cool way to get hands-on with cloud tech. It’s not just about putting your resume online—it’s about building a cloud-powered resume website from scratch using AWS, and trust me, it’s way more fun than it sounds!

So, What’s the Deal?

The Cloud Resume Challenge is basically like a to-do list for learning cloud stuff:

Make a resume website and host it on AWS S3.
Get a custom domain name and make sure your site is secure with HTTPS.
Add a visitor counter that uses AWS Lambda and DynamoDB.
Automate everything with infrastructure as Code (Terraform, anyone?).
Set up a CI/CD pipeline so your site updates automatically whenever you change something on GitHub.

It’s the perfect mix of coding, cloud, and a bit of head-scratching.

How I Got It Done

Building the Website

First up, I whipped up a simple resume site using good old HTML and CSS. I didn’t go too fancy—just clean, readable, and to the point. My focus was on making sure everything looked good and worked smoothly.

Hosting on AWS S3

Once my site was ready, I uploaded it to an Amazon S3 bucket. This part was pretty easy—it was just a matter of setting up the bucket and making sure it was publicly accessible. Boom! My resume was live on the internet.

Distributing with AWS CloudFront

To make sure my website loaded quickly for visitors around the world, I set up AWS CloudFront as a content delivery network (CDN). This distributed my content globally, improving performance and providing an extra layer of security.

Getting My Domain and SSL

Next, I grabbed a custom domain from GoDaddy and hooked it up using AWS Route 53. This was a bit tricky, but I managed to set up the DNS so my site could be accessed through a nice, clean URL. Then I secured everything with HTTPS using AWS Certificate Manager—because who doesn’t love a little padlock icon next to their URL?

Adding a Visitor Counter with Lambda and DynamoDB

The visitor counter was where things got interesting. I used AWS Lambda to create a serverless function that would update a visitor count in DynamoDB every time someone hit my site. Then, with a bit of JavaScript magic, I displayed the count on my homepage. Seeing that number tick up felt awesome!

Automating with Terraform

To keep things organized, I used Terraform to manage all the AWS resources. This was a bit of a learning curve, but it was worth it. Now, I can spin up my whole infrastructure with a single command. How cool is that?

Setting Up CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Finally, I set up a CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions. Now, whenever I push changes to my GitHub repo, the site automatically updates. No more manual deployments—just smooth, automated awesomeness.

What I Learned

Honestly, this challenge was a mix of fun and frustration. Setting up the CI/CD pipeline was a bit of a headache, and I ran into a few snags with the Lambda function too. But each time I hit a wall, I learned something new. By the end of it, I felt way more confident in my cloud skills.

The Final Product

In the end, I had a fully functional, cloud-powered resume website. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s mine, and it shows what I can do. If you want to check it out, here’s the link: My Cloud Resume.

Wrapping Up

Taking on the Cloud Resume Challenge was totally worth it. I got hands-on experience with AWS, learned how to automate my infrastructure, and ended up with a resume website that’s way cooler than anything I had before. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter for job interviews!

If you’re thinking about getting into cloud computing, I’d say go for it. This challenge is a great way to dive in and start building real-world skills.

Let’s Chat!

If you’ve got any questions or just want to say hi, drop a comment below or hit me up on LinkedIn or GitHub. I’d love to connect and geek out over cloud stuff.

DEV Community: SANGEETH