Top 50+ AWS Services Explained: What They Do and How They Power the Cloud

Top 50+ AWS Services Explained: What They Do and How They Power the Cloud

Written by Massa Medi

In 2006, Amazon Web Services (aka AWS) made its revolutionary debut with only three humble services: a way to store files (some early buckets), a method to spin up virtual computers (EC2 compute instances), and a messaging queue. Fast forward to the present, and the AWS “supermarket” now boasts a dizzying 200+ services covering just about every need for developers from hosting web apps, storing data, scaling workloads, to, believe it or not, communicating with satellites and running quantum computers. If navigating this cloud mega mart feels overwhelming, you’re not alone! Many AWS services appear to overlap in purpose, often leaving developers wondering which “brand” to pick, just like standing in front of 30 different jars of peanut butter at your local grocery store.

In this feature, we’ll take you on a guided walk “down the aisles” of AWS’s sprawling service catalog, demystifying and explaining over 50 key products along the way. Whether you’re a robotics engineer, a weekend web app tinkerer, or a data scientist, there’s something here for you.

Innovative and Niche AWS Services Above Most Pay Grades

Let’s kick things off with some specialty services that, unless you have robots in your garage or satellites in orbit, might fly under your radar:

Compute Aisle: Elastic and Ephemeral Power in the Cloud

Of course, most developers come to AWS to solve practical day to day problems. So, let’s roll our carts to the compute aisle, where flexibility, scalability, and pay by the second pricing reign supreme.

The Rise of Containers Standardizing Modern App Deployment

Many modern apps are built and deployed using Docker containers, ensuring portability across clouds and environments. AWS has you covered with:

Storage Solutions: File Cabinets in the Cloud

Your applications need a place to stash their data, and AWS offers several flavors of cloud storage:

Databases: Structured Data for Every Appetite

Storing files is great, but what about structured data? Enter the database aisle, a place with almost too many choices:

Analytics and Machine Learning: Making Sense (and Predictions) from Data

Your data is only as valuable as the insights you gain from it. AWS delivers a toolkit for every stage of analysis and ML:

Machine Learning on AWS

Developer Essentials: Security, Notifications, and Infrastructure as Code

Don’t Forget: Keeping Cloud Costs Under Control

As you start provisioning all these amazing resources, remember: AWS’s power comes at a price, which (figuratively) fuels Jeff Bezos’s interstellar ambitions. Be sure to monitor your bill with Cost Explorer and Budgets, so you don’t get sticker shock or accidentally sponsor the next big rocket launch.

Conclusion: Exploring AWS, One Service at a Time

There you have it an epic journey down the aisles of AWS, uncovering the major ingredients for building modern apps, analyzing data, and scaling out futuristic solutions. This guide just scratched the surface of AWS’s ever growing offerings, and the best way to master them is to experiment, deploy, and explore.

If you enjoyed this deep dive, help support further quality cloud content by liking, sharing, or becoming a pro member at Fireship.io for access to more advanced tutorials. Thanks for joining us on this run through the AWS “supermarket” see you in the next installment!

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