My Favorite Courses to Learn Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cloud Computing for Beginners — Best and Free

Hello guys, if you want to learn Amazon Web Services, popularly known as AWS, and looking for some excellent resources like books, courses, and tutorials then you have come to the right place.

Earlier, I have shared best Cloud computing books and Cloud Computing courses and In this article, I am going to share some of the best Amazon Web Services or AWS courses which will help you to learn this revolutionary and valuable technology free of cost.

Unlike many other free courses you will find on the internet, these are genuine free AWS courses which are made free by their authors and instructors for the promotional and educational purpose.

You just need to enroll with them and then you can learn AWS at any time, at any place, and on your own schedule.

But, if you are completely new to the AWS domain or Cloud let me give you a brief overview of Amazon Web Services and its benefits over traditional infrastructure setup.

What is the Amazon Web Service (AWS)? Benefits

The AWS is nothing but a cloud service provider by Amazon. It’s a revolutionary change because it allows you to develop an application without worrying about hardware, network, database and other physical infrastructure you need to run your application.

For example, if you want to develop an online application for your business, you need a lot of servers, databases, and other infrastructure.

You need to rent a data center, buy servers, routers, databases, and other stuff to get the start, which is pain and pose a big hurdle for many entrepreneurs. AWS solves that problem by renting their infrastructure and servers with a nominal cost of what you incur in setting up yourself.

Amazon has built many data center around the world to support its core business i.e. the E-Commerce business which powers Amazon.com and AWS just emerge from that.

AWS allows Amazon to monetize its massive infrastructure by renting out to people and business who needs that.

It created the phenomenon of Infrastructure as Service because now you only need to pay for infrastructure you are actually using.

For example, if you set up your own data center and buy 10 servers and 10 databases but end up using only 5 of them then remaining are waste of money and they also cost in terms of maintenance. With Amazon Web Service, you can quickly get rid of them.

Similarly, you can scale pretty quickly if you are hosting your application on the cloud-like on Amazon Web Service.

If you see that your traffic is increasing then you can quickly order new servers and boom your new infrastructure is ready in hours unlike days and months with the traditional approach.

You also don’t need to hire UNIX admins, Database Administrator, Network admins, Storage guys, etc, All that is done by Amazon and because Amazon is doing it in a scale, it can offer the same service at a much lower cost.

In short, Amazon Web Service gives birth to the concept of Cloud which allows you to bring your business online without worrying about hardware and infrastructure which powers them.

Top 10 Courses to Learn Amazon Web Service (AWS)

Now that we know what is AWS and what are the benefits it offers in terms of Infrastructure as service, it’s time to learn different Amazon service in-depth and that’s where these courses will help you.

You can join these courses if you want to learn about AWS and Cloud in general or you are preparing for various AWS certifications like AWS Solutions Architect, AWS SysOps Admin, or AWS Developer (associate). These courses will help you to kick-start your journey to the beautiful world of AWS.

Though, if you are preparing for the AWS Solution Architect exam, I highly recommend you to join the Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2023 course on Udemy by AWS Hero Stephane Maarek, one of the best course on AWS. It’s not free but it’s completely worthy of your money.

Anyway, here is the list of best free online courses to learn AWS or Amazon Web Service.

1. Amazon Web Services — Learning and Implementing AWS Solution

This is one of the best courses to learn Amazon Web Service and it’s FREE. It follows the principle of learning by example and real-world scenarios and that reflects in their course.

This is a short AWS course, having just 2 hours worth of material but it’s power-packed and intense. There is no-nonsense talk or flipping, the instructor Dhruv Bias always means business.

Even if you check the preview chapter you will learn a lot about what is AWS and what problem it solves, what benefits it offers and why should you learn it.

Here is the link to join this course — Amazon Web Services — Learning and Implementing AWS Solution

This free AWS course is divided into 5 sections, in the first section, you will get an Introduction of AWS and Overview of the course while remaining section focus on different Amazon Web Service offering like Amazon S3(Simple Storage Service), Amazon AWS EC2 (Elastic Cloud Compute) and Databases like AWS DynamoDB or RDB.

Overall a great free course to learn what is AWS and its different services. I highly recommend this course to any programmer who wants to learn about Cloud and Amazon Web Service (AWS).

Btw, if you are preparing for the Amazon Web Service Solution Architect exam (code SAA- C02) I highly recommend AWS Hero Stephane Maarek’s Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2023 course as well.

2. Introduction to AWS Cloud Computing [Free Udemy Course]

This is another awesome free course to learn Amazon Web Service on Udemy. It’s from Udemy and taught by instructor Thomas Haslet.

The series is actually divided into 2 courses: AWS Concepts and AWS Essentials.

This is the first part while the next course, which is also free is the second part of this series. In this course, you will learn the concepts of Cloud Computing and Amazon Web Service from instructor Thomas Haslet who is also a certified AWS developer.

He holds all three AWS certification for the associate level like

1. AWS Solutions Architect (associate)
2. AWS SysOps Admin (associate)
3. AWS Developer (associate)
4. AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification

This course is for the absolute beginner, someone who has never heard about Cloud or AWS but understands what is hardware, server, database and why you need them. In this course, you will not only learn essential concepts but also build your vocabulary.

You will find answers to all of your basic AWS question e.g. what is Cloud? What is AWS? What is AWS Core Services? What is the benefit of AWS? Why should you use it? in this course.

In short, a perfect course if you are new to the cloud. You will learn about VPC, EC2, S3, RDS and other Cloud terminology in simple language, and if you are preparing for AWS certifications like Solution architect associate level one, I also recommend to check Whizlab’s AWS Solution Architect Practice Test + Course along with Ryan’s course, both are a very valuable resource to pass this prestigious exam.

3. AWS Fundamentals: Migrating to the Cloud [Free to Audit]

This is a four-week course that focuses on migrating workloads to AWS. You will focus on analyzing your current environment, planning your migration, AWS services that are commonly used during your migration, and the actual migration steps.

This course is also part of AWS Fundamentals Specialization in Coursera which not only contain this course but also other AWS essential course to teach you AWS in a guided and structured way.

There are also Hands-on labs, though not required for this class. Access to the labs is limited to paid enrolled students. You can audit this course without taking the labs.

Here is the link to join this course — AWS Fundamentals: Migrating to the Cloud

And, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but its complete worth of your money as you get unlimited certificates.

4. Amazon AWS Core services- EC2, VPC, S3, IAM, DynamoDB, RDS

This is the second part of the free AWS courses on Udemy. If you have not read the first part, AWS Concepts then you should finish that first before joining this course, though it’s not mandatory.

This course goes into a little bit more details into AWS Core Services then the previous one. It also has a lot of materials with around 50 lectures covering different cloud and AWS concepts.

The course is divided into 14 section and each one covering a key AWS concept e.g. Identity and Access Management (IAM), Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Database, Simple Notification Service (SNS), Auto Scaling, Route 53, Serverless Lambdas, etc.

In short, one of the most comprehensive AWS course which is also free. More than 70 thousand students have already enrolled in this course and learning AWS and I also highly recommend this one to anyone interested in Cloud and AWS.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE — Amazon AWS Core services

5. AWS Developer Associate training [FREE Course]

This is another useful and exciting free AWS training course you will love to join on Udemy. In this course instructor Alan Rodrigues, an early adopter of Cloud and AWS, and also one of the most popular cloud computing instructor explains the basics of Amazon Web Services.

The course is also very hands-on, you will start up signing up to AWS, creating your account, and then using the command-line interface to control AWS.

You will also learn to navigate around the AWS console, build Windows and Linux Servers and create a WordPress website in 5 minutes which demonstrates how you can leverage Cloud for your database, server, and storage requirement.

The course also teaches you how to build a simple AWS serverless system.

The course not only focuses on AWS technology and terminology but also teaches you basics like the true definition of Cloud Computing and How AWS fits into the Cloud model. You will also get some real pictures to find where is AWS located in the world.

But, most importantly you will gain some hands-on experience in essential AWS services like

1. AWS S3 — Amazon Simple Storage Service
2. Amazon Lambda — Function as a Service
3. AWS EC2 — AWS Elastic Simple Computer Service

In short, one of the best free course to learn Amazon Web Service and Cloud Computing basics.

Here is the link to join this course —AWS Developer Associate training

6. Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Zero to Hero [Free Tutorial]

This is another short but truly hands-on AWS course that will teach you how to perform a common task on the AWS interface. In just 2 hours’ time, you will learn how to launch a WordPress website based on Amazon EC2 service.

You will also learn how to create a NodeJS based web application, sending an email with AWS SES, uploading a file to AWS S3, the storage solution provided by Amazon, and finally, learn to create and connect to an AWS relational database server.

In short, a great course if you want to use AWS for hosting your application or want to learn how you can leverage Cloud to host your application and most importantly it’s FREE.

Here is the link to join this free AWS course — Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Zero to Hero

7. AWS for Startups (FREE 4-hrs Video Course)

This is a free AWS course by Andrew Brown of ExamPro.com. This is a course for early startups and people who want a practical way to apply AWS, instead of going for just AWS Certification!

It covers some AWS Services people normally overlook but are incredibly useful. You will learn how to get started with AWS. This is a practical guide for early-stage startups interested in using AWS. You will learn how to create an AWS account, deploy an application, budget scaling applications, and more!

It's completely free and you can watch this on @Youtube on freeCodeCamp youtube channel.

8. The FREE AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Study Course (275+ Videos!)

This is another free course to learn AWS by Andrew Brown to prepare for AWS Certified Solution Architect but you can also use this to learn about AWS.

This Study Course is designed to help you pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification. It was recorded at the end of 2019 but most of the content is still valid, so if you’re in 2023 and preparing for AWS certified Solution architect exam, you can still use this course for study.

All Videos are part of a 275+ Video YouTube Playlist

9. The Free AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Study Course (85+ Videos!)

If you want to start earning some developer certifications, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner may be a good starting point for you, and this free course can help you achieve that.

For starters, it’s not super technical. You can earn this certification without knowing how to code. The official certification description recommends you have some basic IT knowledge and “six months of experience with the AWS Cloud in any role, including technical, managerial, sales, purchasing, or financial.”

But if you watch this course and follow along on your own computer, you should be OK. The course will break down most of the important concepts in detail for you.

Again this is completely free and you can watch freely on freeCodeCamp Youtube Channel.

10. AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials [Free Coursera Course]

This is an excellent course to learn AWS Fundamentals and Cloud Computing fundamentals with a focus on developing Cloud-Native applications. It will introduce you to AWS core services and infrastructure and the best thing is that its offered by the AWS itself.

It’s a hands-on course with a demonstration and you will how the AWS cloud infrastructure is built, understand Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) and Amazon Lightsail compute services.

You will also learn about networking on AWS, including how to set up Amazon Virtual Public Cloud (VPC) and different cloud storage options, including Amazon Elastic Block Storage (EBS), Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon Elastic File Service (EFS).

Later in the course, you’ll learn about AWS Database services, such as Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Amazon DynomoDB. Your instructors will also walk you through how to monitor and scale your application on AWS using Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon EC2 Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) and Auto Scaling.

Here is the link to join this course — AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials

This course is also the starting point to prepare for your AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification whenever it’s convenient for you.

Lastly, you’ll learn about security on AWS, as well as how to manage costs when using the AWS cloud platform. While on cost, this is a free-to-audit course on Coursera which means it’s free for learning but you need to pay if you need a certificate and access to quizzes and assessments.

11. Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS) [Educative]

This is an interactive course to learn about the core AWS’s services like compute, storage, networking services and how they work with other services like Identity, Mobile, Routing, and Security.

This course has been designed by three AWS Solution Certified Architects who have a combined industry experience of 17 years. We aim to provide you with just the right depth of knowledge you need to have.

If you don’t know Educative is another online learning platform that is gaining a lot of traction for its text-based, interactive learning courses. Reading is generally faster than watching and If you prefer reading text than watching videos then this is the platform to checkout.

It has some of the best courses to prepare for coding interviews like Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions and Grokking the system design interview.

It also has a lot of free resources like this free JavaScript tutorial to learn essential technologies. You can register for this course for free but if you like to take full advantage of the platform, I suggest you buy its membership which costs $18 (50% discount now) monthly, completely worth it for a programmer and software engineers where continuous learning is required.

12. The Good Parts of AWS: Cutting Through the Clutter

This is one of the best courses to learn practical AWS you will find online. This course is created by a former Amazon engineer with 15 years of experience working on AWS.

This is not your typical AWS reference course. You won’t find most of the knowledge that’s shared here in the AWS docs. The goal here is to help you realize which AWS features you’d be foolish not to use — features that have passed the test of time by being at the backbone of most things on the Internet.

In this course, you’ll learn a technique used to help make reliable technical choices without getting paralyzed in the face of so many options. You’ll start by going through the most fundamental services AWS offers such as DynamoDB, S3, EC2. Each section breaks down how it’s used, the pros and cons, why you should (or shouldn’t) be using it, and more.

Here is the link to sign up for this course — The Good Parts of AWS: Cutting Through the Clutter

You can either buy this course or you can get and Educative membership to access this course. If you ask me, I suggest you get Educative Subscription which costs $17(50% discount now) monthly, completely worth it for a programmer and software engineers where continuous learning is required. Thanks to The Educative Team for this awesome course.

This course is also available as e-Book on Gumroad, if you like to read books then you can also check out The Good Parts of AWS eBook. There is a 20% discount available if you buy the book using this link.

13. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner by Amber Israelsen on ZTM Academy

This is another high-quality, comprehensive, and up-to-date course to learn Amazon Web Service in 2023. This is actually 2-in-1 course, you will not only learn AWS but also prepare for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam and become a certified professional.

This AWS Cloud Practitioner course covers all new information and best practices for 2023 and is focused on efficiency. That means you don’t need to spend time on confusing, out-of-date, incomplete tutorials anymore.

You can use this laser-focused course to learn what exactly you need to ace the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, learn AWS, get certified, and get hired.

The best thing about this course is that it provides everything you need to cross the line.

For example, you’ll get study strategies, tips, demos, practice questions, and a full practice exam from your instructor, who herself have passed the certification multiple times simply to ensure she’s providing you the most up-to-date, accurate information and study strategies for the exam.

Here is the link to join this course — AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like this one. You can also use my code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on any subscription you choose.

That’s all about some of the best and free courses to learn Amazon Web Services or AWS. These are absolutely free courses on Udemy but you need to keep that in mind that sometimes instructor converts their free course to paid course once they achieve their promotional target.

This means you should check the price of the course before you join and if possible join early so that you can get the course free. Once you are enrolled in the course it’s free for life and you can learn at any time from anywhere.

I generally join the course immediately even if I am not going to learn AWS currently. This way I can get access to the course and I can start learning once I have some time or priority changes.

Other Free Programming Resources you may like to explore:

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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best free and paid AWS online courses and Tutorials then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.

P. S. — If you are preparing for the AWS Solution Architect — Associate Exam (SAA-C02), I strongly recommend you to go through AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate 2023 course on Udemy by AWS Hero Stephane Maarek. It’s not free but it’s completely worth your money, alternatively, AWS Fundamentals on Coursera is also great to start with