DEV Community: SKambo-Cloud

Cloud Resume Challenge - My Experience

SKambo-Cloud — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:49:29 +0000

I recently completed Forest Breazeal’s Cloud Resume Challenge. The challenge is designed to help create a serverless website with a built-in view counter. It covers a wide array of AWS technologies and resources.

What is the Cloud Resume Challenge?

The Cloud Resume Challenge was created by Forrest Breazeal to help people build a serverless website that includes a view counter. The challenge consists of 16 steps and covers a wide array of AWS Technologies and resources. These steps include: Certification, HTML, CSS, Static Website, HTTPS, DNS, JavaScript, Database, API, Python, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Source Control using GitHub Actions, CI/CD Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (Back End), and CI/CD (Front End).

Certifications

Before beginning this project towards the end of the year, I have passed my AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam in April 2022 and my AWS Solutions Architect Associate in August 2022. The challenge only outlines to complete 1 certification before attempting the challenge, but well an extra certification and some learning never hurt anyone :)

The first task which was to create my resume page using HTML, CSS and JavaScript was quite straight forwards. I got a resume template and was able to tweak it to my liking. Next steps involved JavaScript and making an API call to my API gateway with fetch to get and display the visitors count.
Next task was uploading resume to an Amazon S3 bucket. I was using the amazon console to host a static website on S3 and using CloudFront for content distribution
The second task was uploading resume to S3 bucket and allowing bucket to use HTTPS for security using CloudFront and point the CloudFront distribution to a custom domain. I obtained a domain name through Route53, created an SSL certificate using AWS Certificate Manager and pointed this to my CloudFront distribution.
Next was to carry over the visitor's count to a database. DynamoDB was used to accomplish this section. I was able to use the update item query command that would update before getting the item. This would save cost in the sense that a single DynamoDB query and API endpoint was enough to Update and Get the visitor's count.
Fifth task was to create a lambda function that would communicate with my DynamoDB. I had to use Python for this since it was part of the challenge requirements. Python was quite easy to grasp and, in few hours, I was able to create a Lambda function with proper IAM roles/policies to access DynamoDB.
This step involved setting up the SAM (serverless application model) template to handle creating the DynamoDB, Lambda function and tests, and API gateway integration. I used the AWS CLI for this and I was able to test my functions locally using docker. I wrote unit tests for my lambda function and I was able to test that they work locally with the DynamoDB using moto from AWS.
GitHub Actions was used to automate the process of building and testing my SAM template after each push to my private backend repository. If the build and test were successful, it goes ahead and deploys the SAM template on AWS.
I repeated the same process to automate uploading my static Frontend code to my AWS bucket. I used Github actions for this and also invalidated my CloudFront Cache in the workflow. I made sure I stored my AWS credentials in Github Secrets for security reasons.

Through my experience with this project and getting a hands-on feel with resources and environment my understanding of cloud technologies and troubleshooting have vastly improved. I look forward to completing more hands-on projects with other cloud resources and programs and continue to document my learnings.

Overall, I would recommend the challenge to anyone who wants to gain experience with AWS services or improve their website development skills. The challenge is well designed and provides a good overview of many different aspects of cloud computing. In addition, it is a great way to build your resume and show potential employers your skills in action. Thanks Forrest!

Check out my Resume Site – https://satnamkambo.xyz
Try the challenge yourself! - https://cloudresumechallenge.dev/docs/the-challenge/aws/

AWS vs GCP vs Azure

SKambo-Cloud — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:28:43 +0000

When it comes to cloud computing, there are three major players: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure. Each provider has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to choose the right one for your needs.

Here's a quick overview of the key differences between these three providers:

Amazon Web Services:

AWS is the biggest and most popular cloud computing platform, with over a million customers worldwide.
It offers a wide range of services, including storage, databases, networking, and analytics.
AWS is known for its high availability and reliability.
Pricing can be complex, with some services being more expensive than others.

Google Cloud Platform:

GCP is a close second to AWS in terms of size and popularity.
It offers many of the same services as AWS, but with some unique offerings, such as BigQuery and Google App Engine.
GCP is known for its ease of use and simple pricing structure.
Some services can be more expensive than AWS, but overall GCP is often cheaper.

Microsoft Azure:

Azure is the third largest cloud platform, behind AWS and GCP.
It offers a wide range of services, including storage, databases, networking, and analytics.
Azure is known for its strong security features and integration with other Microsoft products.
Pricing is often cheaper than AWS, but can be complex due to the many services offered.

So, which cloud provider is right for you? It depends on your needs and budget. If you're looking for the largest selection of services, AWS is the clear choice. If you want the simplest pricing structure, GCP is a good option. And if you need strong security features or integration with other Microsoft products, Azure is worth considering.

Whichever provider you choose, make sure you do your research and select the one that's best for your specific needs.

Terraform and Infrastructure as a Code (IaC)

SKambo-Cloud — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:12:33 +0000

As the world becomes more and more digitized, organizations are looking for ways to automate their workflows and reduce their reliance on manual processes. One way to do this is through the use of infrastructure as code (IaC).

IaC is a way of representing infrastructure in a textual format that can be read and understood by both humans and computers. This approach enables organizations to manage their infrastructure in a more declarative way, making it easier to track changes and roll back changes if necessary.

Terraform is one of the most popular IaC tools available today. Terraform allows users to define their infrastructure using a simple, declarative language called HCL. This HCL code can then be used to provision and manage infrastructure on any cloud platform, including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more.

One of the biggest benefits of Terraform is its ability to manage infrastructure as code. This means that all your infrastructure resources can be treated like any other code files, which makes it much easier to manage and version control. Additionally, because Terraform is declarative, you can simply describe your desired end state and let Terraform figure out how to achieve it. This can be a huge time-saver when compared to manually provisioning resources.

Another benefit of Terraform is its wide array of supported providers. Currently, there are over 100 providers that Terraform can work with, including all the major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more. This means that you can use Terraform to provision resources in any number of different environments.

Terraform is open source and free to use. This makes it a great option for those on a budget or those who prefer open source solutions.

So, those are just some of the benefits of Terraform. Now let's talk about some specific use cases for Terraform in the world of cloud computing.

One common use case for Terraform is provisioning infrastructure for development and testing environments. This can be a great way to save time and money by automating the creation of these environments. Additionally, because Terraform can manage resources across multiple providers, you can easily create development and testing environments that mirror your production environment.

Another use case for Terraform is disaster recovery. By using Terraform to provision your infrastructure, you can easily replicate your entire environment in another location. This can be a lifesaver if your primary data center goes down for any reason.

Finally, Terraform can also be used to manage hybrid cloud environments. This means that you can use Terraform to provision resources in both your on-premises data center and in the cloud. This can give you the best of both worlds by allowing you to take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of the cloud while still keeping your sensitive data on-premises.

So those are just some of the benefits and use cases for Terraform. As you can see, Terraform is a powerful tool that can be used in a variety of different ways. If you're looking for a way to automate your infrastructure management, Terraform is definitely worth checking out.

Cloud Computing : Pros and Cons

SKambo-Cloud — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:04:15 +0000

There's no doubt that cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more businesses making the switch to this new way of working. But what exactly is cloud computing, and what are the pros and cons of moving your business over to the cloud?

Cloud computing is simply the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.

There are many advantages to moving your business to the cloud, including:

1. Cost savings: Cloud computing can be a more cost-effective solution than traditional on-premises infrastructure.

2. Scalability: The cloud is highly scalable, so you can easily adjust your computing resources to meet changing business needs.

3. Flexibility: The cloud offers great flexibility, allowing you to quickly deploy new applications and services.

4. Collaboration: Cloud-based solutions make it easier for employees to collaborate and work together on projects.

5. Security: The cloud is a very secure way to store and access data, with multiple layers of security to protect your information.

However, there are also some disadvantages to consider before making the switch to the cloud, including:

1. Dependence on Internet connectivity: Cloud computing requires a reliable and high-speed Internet connection. If your Internet connection is down, so is your access to the cloud.

2. Security risks: Although the cloud is generally a very secure environment, there are always risks associated with storing data online.

3. Limited control: When you move to the cloud, you are giving up some control over your data and applications.

4. Vendor lock-in: Once you commit to a particular cloud vendor, it can be difficult and costly to switch to another one.

If you're considering moving your business to the cloud, weigh the pros and cons carefully to decide if it's the right move for you.

What some excellent industry use cases?

Salesforce is a great example of a company that has successfully made the switch to the cloud. This CRM software provider offers its customers a variety of advantages, including cost savings, scalability, flexibility, and collaboration. Another example is Netflix, which uses the cloud to stream movies and TV shows to its subscribers. The cloud has allowed Netflix to scale its business quickly and efficiently to meet the demands of its growing customer base.

If you're still on the fence about whether or not the cloud is right for your business, consider speaking to a cloud computing expert to get more information. They can help you understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of moving to the cloud, and make a recommendation based on your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading! We hope this article has helped you better understand cloud computing and the pros and cons of moving to the cloud.

What is Server-less Computing?

SKambo-Cloud — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:03:29 +0000

Nowadays, people are talking more and more about "serverless" architectures, "serverless" platforms and even "serverless" programming languages.

We're going to take a look at what this relatively new term actually means, why it's gaining so much traction and whether or not it's something that's right for your next project.

So, what exactly is "serverless"?

At its core, serverless is a way of structuring and building applications that doesn't require any dedicated server infrastructure. In the traditional sense, when we talk about servers, we're usually referring to big, physical machines that are housed in data centers and connected to the internet. These servers typically run an operating system (like Windows or Linux) and host applications and services that are accessed by users over the internet.

With serverless, there are no physical servers involved. Instead, your application code is running on top of a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform. These providers take care of all the necessary infrastructure and server management tasks, so you don't have to worry about it.

One of the key benefits of this approach is that it can save you a lot of money. In the traditional server model, you have to pay for the servers even when they're not being used. With serverless, you only pay for the resources your code uses while it's running. If your code isn't being executed, you don't have to pay anything. This can be a big advantage for small businesses or startups that may not have the budget to invest in their own physical servers.

Serverless computing is also becoming popular because it can make it easier to scale applications and services. When your code is running in the cloud, it's easy to add more resources as needed. This can be a big help if you have an application that experiences spikes in traffic.

If you're considering moving to a serverless architecture, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, make sure you choose a cloud provider that offers the services and features you need. Second, consider the security implications of running code in the cloud. And finally, be prepared for some changes in the way you develop and deploy your applications.

But if you're looking for a more flexible and cost-effective way to run your applications, serverless computing is definitely worth considering.