What your server looks like on the cloud

Explore the complexities of cloud computing and learn how to navigate server architecture, orchestration tools, and storage options to boost your cloud expertise.

Key takeaways
  • Virtual machines are less like physical machines and more like app interfaces.
  • Cloud providers name things in a way that’s hard to understand.
  • EBS volumes are block-level storage that’s attached to an instance.
  • EFS volumes are file-level storage that’s mounted as a network drive.
  • Volumes can be encrypted with KMS.
  • AWS has a free tier for some services, and you pay only for what you use.
  • CloudFormation and Terraform are two cloud orchestration tools, with Terraform being more feature-rich.
  • Modules in Terraform are collections of resources that can be reused.
  • A cloud guru is someone who knows how to use cloud computing.
  • CloudFormation is limited to AWS services, while Terraform is external to AWS.
  • Modules in Terraform allow for configuration reusability.
  • You can use Terraform to orchestrate between AWS components and other services.
  • Cloud services can be thought of as a virtual machine managing files and networking.
  • Cloud computing is based on the idea of on-demand infrastructure.
  • Authorization is important when using cloud services.
  • In the cloud, a computer is not a physical device, but rather a collection of APIs.
  • Virtual machines can be used for data science and devops work.
  • AWS is divided into regions and availability zones.
  • Azure has a similar system to AWS.
  • CloudFormation is a relatively simple tool, but Terraform is more powerful.
  • APIs are the underlying technology for cloud services.
  • A CI/CD pipeline is important for automation.
  • Terraform allows for configuration management and versioning.
  • EBS volumes can be used for low-latency storage.
  • Docker can be used to package and deploy applications.
  • DevOps is about integrating development and operations teams.
  • Linux is widely used in the cloud.
  • Data science and DevOps is a fun area to work in.