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Cloud Onboarding: AWS Setup

A professional guide to starting your AWS journey correctly.

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1The Free Tier Trap

Many beginners accidentally spend hundreds of dollars by launching large instances. Always check if a resource is marked as 'Free Tier Eligible' in the console.

2The Principle of Least Privilege

When creating IAM users, give them only the permissions they need. Don't give full AdministratorAccess to every user or application.

3Cost Explorer

Use Cost Explorer to visualize your spending. It takes 24 hours to populate data after you start using services.

4Step-by-Step Breakdown

The AWS Free Tier. AWS offers a 'Free Tier' to help you learn and experiment without upfront costs. There are three types: Always Free, 12-Months Free, and Short-term Trials.

Creating your Account. To start, you need an email, a phone number, and a credit card for identity verification. Don't worry, you won't be charged if you stay within limits.

Root User vs IAM User. The Root user has full power. Best practice: Create an IAM user with AdministratorAccess and use that for daily work.

MFA Setup. Multi-Factor Authentication adds a critical layer of security. Use an app like Google Authenticator or a hardware key.

AWS Budgets. The most important first step: Set up a Zero Spend Budget. AWS will email you if your forecasted costs exceed $0.01.

Budget Check. What is the recommended first action after creating an AWS account to avoid unexpected charges?

→Launch an EC2 Instance
→Set up AWS Budgets

IAM Foundations. IAM (Identity and Access Management) allows you to control who can access which resources.

The Console Walkthrough. The Management Console is your web portal to AWS services. You can search for services like S3, EC2, or Lambda.

Security Check. Should you use your Root account for daily development tasks?

→Yes, it's easier
→No, create an IAM user

Ready to go!. Your account is secure, your budget is set, and you are ready to build.

Pascual Vila

Frontend Instructor // Code Syllabus

Common Pitfalls & Errors

The Error //

Signing up for a root account and using it for everyday work

// Right after signup:
// 1. Enable MFA on the root user
// 2. Create an IAM user/role with admin permissions
// 3. Never use root credentials again except for a handful of root-only tasks

The Solution //

The root user has unrestricted access to everything in the account, including billing and account closure. Immediately after account setup, enable MFA on root, then create an IAM admin user (or IAM Identity Center user) for day-to-day work and stop using root entirely.

The Error //

Assuming the Free Tier means an activity is guaranteed free forever

aws budgets create-budget --account-id 123456789012 \
  --budget '{"BudgetName":"ZeroSpend","BudgetLimit":{"Amount":"0.01","Unit":"USD"},"TimeUnit":"MONTHLY","BudgetType":"COST"}'

The Solution //

Free Tier limits are usage caps (e.g. 750 hours/month of a t2.micro) that expire after 12 months for many services, and some resources aren't Free Tier eligible at all. Set a Zero-Spend budget alert immediately so you're notified the moment any charge appears, rather than discovering it on the monthly invoice.