Preface

More and more companies are making the move to the cloud, and more specifically, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud, every day. Once in the cloud, these companies and enterprises are looking to streamline their processes and Software Development Life Cycles (SDLCs) through the use of techniques found in DevOps practices. This includes automating build and release processes so that development teams can focus on writing the code and features that customers desire. This also includes making sure that logging and monitoring are in place, not just for the sake of checking a checkbox on a deployment list, but instead to empower teams to quickly find the root causes of their issues, be they performance, error, or security related.

The need for skilled, certified AWS individuals is at an all-time high and growing. Passing the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam allows you to be separated instantly from others, showing that you have taken the time and effort to not only learn these valuable skills but also pass the rigorous standard that is the AWS Professional certification.

Certifications offered by AWS, especially Professional certification exams, are not easy. Those that work and hire in this industry know this. Not only are the exams themselves time-consuming at around 3 hours to take, but they are also constantly being updated.

There is a lot of information to digest and understand on this exam. You not only need to know the topics that are covered in the blueprint provided by AWS, but you also need to have a solid foundation of AWS knowledge in order to use those services. It helps if you have real-world experience or at least hands-on practice with using these services. This is where the exercises that have been included in this book come in. They serve not as an ending point but hopefully as a starting point to build on and create other projects from so that you have the confidence when you press start on your test that you have the skills and the knowledge you need to pass the certification test and take your career to the next level.

This book is designed to help you gain a firm grasp of the services that are presented in the AWS DevOps Professional exam. This is accomplished in a variety of methods. There are sample architectures presented for many of the services so that you can visualize how different services work together. There are plenty of hands-on examples to try and therefore see how things work in the real world. There are also example cases of best use cases and anti-patterns for the different services. These are especially important to understand when evaluating the Professional exam questions, which are presented in a large scenario format. Understanding where one service is the best fit and where it is not a fit can help you decide on the correct answer.

Finally, this book is meant to be not only a study guide in passing the test but also a reference guide in performing your day-to-day activities once you have passed. This is where the beyond comes in. There is extra information presented that is not required for the exam, and this is included on purpose. I wanted to share some of the years of experience I have gained from working with all types of businesses on AWS, from small and medium-sized companies to large Fortune 100 enterprises.