Skim EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, Lambda, and common CLI patterns here when you are designing, deploying, or debugging on Amazon Web Services. The AWS roadmap orders foundational cloud skills with advanced topics so this cheatsheet becomes part of a longer learning arc.

AWS learning roadmap — Services and certifications framed as a progression, matching this AWS reference.

AWS Basics

AWS CLI Setup

# Install AWS CLI
# On macOS with Homebrew:
brew install awscli

# On Ubuntu:
sudo apt install awscli

# Configure AWS CLI
aws configure
AWS Access Key ID [None]: YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: YOUR_SECRET_KEY
Default region name [None]: us-east-1
Default output format [None]: json
Note: Always follow the principle of least privilege when creating IAM users and roles.

Basic AWS Commands

# Check AWS CLI version
aws --version

# List S3 buckets
aws s3 ls

# List EC2 instances
aws ec2 describe-instances

# List IAM users
aws iam list-users

# Get caller identity
aws sts get-caller-identity

# Set default region
aws configure set region us-west-2

EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)

EC2 Basics

# List all EC2 instances
aws ec2 describe-instances

# Start an EC2 instance
aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

# Stop an EC2 instance
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

# Terminate an EC2 instance
aws ec2 terminate-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

# Create a new key pair
aws ec2 create-key-pair --key-name MyKeyPair
Note: Always be cautious when terminating instances as this action cannot be undone.

EC2 Advanced

# Create a new EC2 instance
aws ec2 run-instances \
--image-id ami-0abcdef1234567890 \
--count 1 \
--instance-type t2.micro \
--key-name MyKeyPair \
--security-group-ids sg-003dd9f26eexample \
--subnet-id subnet-0bb1c79de3example

# Create an AMI from an instance
aws ec2 create-image \
--instance-id i-1234567890abcdef0 \
--name "My server" \
--description "An AMI for my server"

# Create a security group
aws ec2 create-security-group \
--group-name MySecurityGroup \
--description "My security group"

S3 (Simple Storage Service)

S3 Basics

# Create a new S3 bucket
aws s3 mb s3://my-bucket-name

# List all S3 buckets
aws s3 ls

# List contents of a bucket
aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket-name

# Copy file to S3
aws s3 cp my-file.txt s3://my-bucket-name/

# Sync local directory to S3
aws s3 sync my-folder s3://my-bucket-name/my-folder

# Remove file from S3
aws s3 rm s3://my-bucket-name/my-file.txt

S3 Advanced

# Set bucket policy
aws s3api put-bucket-policy \
--bucket my-bucket-name \
--policy file://policy.json

# Enable versioning
aws s3api put-bucket-versioning \
--bucket my-bucket-name \
--versioning-configuration Status=Enabled

# Configure website hosting
aws s3 website s3://my-bucket-name/ \
--index-document index.html \
--error-document error.html

# Generate presigned URL
aws s3 presign s3://my-bucket-name/my-file.txt \
--expires-in 604800

Lambda

Lambda Basics

# List Lambda functions
aws lambda list-functions

# Invoke a Lambda function
aws lambda invoke \
--function-name my-function \
--payload '{"key": "value"}' \
output.txt

# Get function configuration
aws lambda get-function \
--function-name my-function

# Create a new Lambda function
aws lambda create-function \
--function-name my-function \
--runtime python3.8 \
--role arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/lambda-role \
--handler lambda_function.lambda_handler \
--zip-file fileb://function.zip

Lambda Advanced

# Update function code
aws lambda update-function-code \
--function-name my-function \
--zip-file fileb://function.zip

# Add environment variables
aws lambda update-function-configuration \
--function-name my-function \
--environment "Variables={BUCKET=my-bucket,KEY=file.txt}"

# Create an event source mapping
aws lambda create-event-source-mapping \
--function-name my-function \
--event-source-arn arn:aws:sqs:us-east-1:123456789012:my-queue \
--batch-size 5

IAM (Identity and Access Management)

IAM Basics

# List IAM users
aws iam list-users

# Create a new IAM user
aws iam create-user --user-name Bob

# Create access key for user
aws iam create-access-key --user-name Bob

# List groups
aws iam list-groups

# Add user to group
aws iam add-user-to-group \
--user-name Bob \
--group-name Admins

IAM Advanced

# Create a role
aws iam create-role \
--role-name LambdaExecutionRole \
--assume-role-policy-document file://trust-policy.json

# Attach policy to role
aws iam attach-role-policy \
--role-name LambdaExecutionRole \
--policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole

# Create an inline policy
aws iam put-role-policy \
--role-name LambdaExecutionRole \
--policy-name MyInlinePolicy \
--policy-document file://inline-policy.json

# Simulate a policy
aws iam simulate-principal-policy \
--policy-source-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/Bob \
--action-names "s3:GetObject" "s3:ListBucket"

RDS (Relational Database Service)

RDS Basics

# List DB instances
aws rds describe-db-instances

# Create a DB instance
aws rds create-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier mydbinstance \
--db-instance-class db.t2.micro \
--engine mysql \
--master-username admin \
--master-user-password password \
--allocated-storage 20

# Create a read replica
aws rds create-db-instance-read-replica \
--db-instance-identifier mydbreadreplica \
--source-db-instance-identifier mydbinstance

RDS Advanced

# Restore from snapshot
aws rds restore-db-instance-from-db-snapshot \
--db-instance-identifier mynewdbinstance \
--db-snapshot-identifier mydbsnapshot

# Modify DB instance
aws rds modify-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier mydbinstance \
--master-user-password newpassword \
--apply-immediately

# Create a DB parameter group
aws rds create-db-parameter-group \
--db-parameter-group-name mypg \
--db-parameter-group-family mysql8.0 \
--description "My parameter group"
Quick reference guide

Comprehensive AWS Cloud Computing Cheatsheet Reference

This AWS Cloud Computing cheatsheet on Nikhil Learn Hub collects syntax, commands, and practical snippets for quick revision. Understand AWS services, EC2, S3, Lambda, cloud deployment, and infrastructure concepts with practical examples.

Use the reference cards and examples above during coding sessions; return here instead of scattered searches when you need dependable reminders. Follow the AWS learning roadmap when you want structured lessons beyond one-page lookups.

Quick lookup coverage

  • EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC command patterns
  • CLI and console-oriented snippets
  • Serverless and networking touchpoints

How to study with this sheet

  • Architecture review and certification prep
  • Multi-service project debugging
  • Cost and security checklist language

Who Should Use This Cheatsheet

Students, self-taught developers, and professionals who need fast AWS Cloud Computing lookups during labs, debugging, or interview revision should keep this page bookmarked.