I Just Became an AWS Community Builder … And I Owe It to You

A thank you to my readers, and a call to support open source AWS tools

A few days ago, I received an email that made my day: I’ve been selected as an AWS Community Builder.

For those unfamiliar, the AWS Community Builders program (https://aws.amazon.com/developer/community/community-builders/) recognizes passionate technologists who share knowledge, create content, and contribute to the AWS ecosystem. It’s a recognition from AWS itself that your work matters and honestly, it’s a recognition I’m really proud of.

But here’s the thing: I didn’t get here alone. You did this.

Thank You

Every article you’ve read. Every clap you’ve given. Every comment, every share, every “this helped me” message … it all added up. When I started writing on Medium about AWS security, cloud architecture, and open source tools, I wasn’t sure anyone would care. Turns out, you did.

To every single one of you who took the time to read my posts, try my tools, or just follow along: thank you. This AWS Community Builder badge belongs to all of us.

What I’ve Been Building

Over the past years, I’ve been pouring my evenings and weekends into open source projects designed to help AWS practitioners like you. These tools solve real problems I’ve encountered across 50+ production AWS projects:

awsmap

Map Your Entire AWS Account in Minutes. A fast, comprehensive tool for mapping and inventorying AWS resources across 150+ services and all regions. Stop wondering what’s running in your account.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/awsmap

s3-security-scanner

Comprehensive S3 Security Auditing. A full-fledged S3 security scanner with compliance mapping for CIS, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO & GDPR. Know exactly where your S3 buckets stand.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/s3-security-scanner

iam-activity-tracker

Serverless IAM Monitoring. A serverless solution for tracking and auditing IAM, STS, and AWS Console sign-in activities across all regions with real-time alerts.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/iam-activity-tracker

cryptex

Enterprise-Grade Password Generator. A CLI password generator with AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, and OS Keychain integrations. Stop using _openssl rand_ for everything.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/cryptex

cognito-api

Authentication Made Simple. A secure user authentication system using AWS Cognito + Terraform. Production-ready auth without the headaches.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/cognito-api

aws-helper-scripts

Security & Cost Optimization Toolkit. A comprehensive collection of scripts for AWS security auditing and cost optimization. The Swiss Army knife for your AWS account.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/aws-helper-scripts

small-file-sharing

Serverless File Sharing. A lightweight file sharing app built with AWS Lambda + S3. Simple, secure, serverless.

Github : https://github.com/TocConsulting/small-file-sharing

Why Stars Matter (More Than You Think)

I know, “give me stars” sounds like a vanity ask. But here’s the reality of open source:

• Stars = Visibility. GitHub’s algorithm surfaces starred repos. More stars mean more developers discover these tools.
• Stars = Trust. When an engineer evaluates a tool, star count is one of the first signals they check. A well-starred project gets adopted. An unknown one gets skipped.
• Stars = Motivation. Open source is unpaid labor. Every star is a signal that someone found value in the work. It keeps builders going.

These tools are free, open source, and actively maintained. If any of them have helped you or if you believe in making AWS security accessible, a star takes 2 seconds and makes a real difference.

How You Can Help

It takes literally 2 seconds:

1. Visit https://github.com/TocConsulting
2. Click the star on any repo that interests you
3. That’s it. Seriously.

Bonus points:

Share a repo with a colleague who works with AWS

Try one of the tools and open an issue or PR

Follow TocConsulting (https://github.com/TocConsulting) on GitHub for new releases

What’s Next

Being an AWS Community Builder opens new doors, more access, more collaboration, more ways to give back. I’m doubling down on:

• Publishing more AWS security content
• Building new open source tools
• Speaking at more community events
• Connecting with other builders worldwide

This is just the beginning, and I’m grateful you’re part of the journey.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support. And thank you for being part of this community.

Let’s build something great together.

Tarek CHEIKH

AWS Community Builder | Founder Toc Consulting (https://tocconsulting.fr)*)

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