he Extremely Unofficial
T
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Exam (CLF-C02) Study Guide
By Hiroko Nishimura (hirokonishimura.com/@hirokonishimura)
Instructor “Introduction to AWS for Non-Engineers” on LinkedIn Learning
Author “AWS for Non-Engineers” at Manning / AWS Community Hero
bout AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam (CLF-C02)
A
Domain 1: Cloud Concepts (24%)
1.1: Define the benefits of the AWS Cloud
1.2: Identify design principles of the AWS Cloud
1.3: Understand the benefits of and strategies for migration to the AWS Cloud
1.4: Understand concepts of cloud economics
Domain 2: Security and Compliance (30%)
2.1: Understand the AWS Shared Responsibility Model
2.2: Understand AWS Cloud security, governance, and compliance concepts
2.3: Identity AWS access management capabilities
2.4: Identify components and resources for security
Domain 3: Cloud Technology and Services (34%)
3.1: Define methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
3.2: Define the AWS global infrastructure
3.3: Identify AWS compute services
3.4: Identify AWS database services
3.5: Identify AWS network services
3.6: Identify AWS storage services
3.7: Identify AWS AI/ML services and analytics services
3.8: Identify services from other in-scope AWS service categories
Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support (12%)
4.1: Compare AWS pricing models
4.2: Understand resources for billing, budget, and cost management
4.3: Identify AWS technical resources and AWS Support options
Resources
Official AWS Resources
Un-Official Resources
1
bout AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam
A
(CLF-C02)
- pdated September, 2023 from CLF-C01 to CLF-C02
U
- Multiple choice and multiple responses, with 65 questions (15 unscored)
- Need 700 out of 1000 points to pass
- “Effectively demonstrate overall knowledge of the AWS Cloud, independent of
a specific job role” with up to 6 months of exposure to AWS Cloud design,
implementation, and/or operations
- Ideal for candidates from non-IT backgrounds
- Recommended AWS knowledge:
- AWS Cloud Concepts
- Security and compliance in the AWS Cloud
- Core AWS services
- Economics of AWS Cloud
Resources (paid and free) shared at the end of this guide for further studying.
Domain 1: Cloud Concepts (24%)
1.1: Define the benefits of the AWS Cloud
- Advantages to cloud computing (source):
- Trade fixed expense for variable expense
- Benefit from massive economies of scale
- Stop guessing capacity
- Increase speed and agility
- Stop spending money running and maintaining data centers
- Go global in minutes
1.2: Identify design principles of the AWS Cloud
- A
WS Well-Architected Framework (source): key concepts,design principles,
and architectural best practices for architecting and running workloads in the
Cloud
- Operational excellence: continuously improving processes and
procedures of the daily running and monitoring of systems
- Security: protecting information and systems
- Reliability: workloads performing intended functions and recovering
quickly from failures
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- P erformance efficiency: structured and streamlined allocation of IT and
computing resources
- Cost optimization: avoid unnecessary costs
- Sustainability: minimizing environmental impacts of running cloud
workloads
.3: Understand the benefits of and strategies for
1
migration to the AWS Cloud
- A WS Cloud Adoption Framework (source): best practicesto help facilitate
successful IT migrations into the Cloud, with recommendations for
implementing, adapting, configuring, and maintaining effective workflows in
the Cloud
- Reduce business risk
- Improve ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance
- Grow revenue
- Increase operational efficiency
- Cloud Migration Strategies
- Database replication
- AWS Snow Family(Snowcone, Snowball, Snowmobile)
1.4: Understand concepts of cloud economics
- R ole of fixed costs compared with variable costs (“trade fixed expenses for
variable expenses” in advantages of cloud computing)
- Costs associated with on-premises environments (“stop spending money
running and maintaining data centers” in advantages of cloud computing)
- Benefits of automation: less times a human touches it, the more secure and
less vulnerable to intentional or unintentional issues
- Licensing strategies: Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model vs included
licenses (source)
- Managed AWS services: “fully managed” by AWS (underlying infrastructure,
server management, patching, operations, etc. managed by AWS) so users
can shift focus away from administration of these resources to other more
innovative tasks
- Examples: Amazon RDS, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon
ECS), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), Amazon
DynamoDB
Hiroko Nishimura, December 2023 // download:ko-fi.com/hiroko 3
Domain 2: Security and Compliance (30%)
2.1: Understand the AWS Shared Responsibility Model
- AWS Shared Responsibility Model (source):
- AWS is responsible for security OF the Cloud
- Customer is responsible for security IN the Cloud
- Responsibilities shift between AWS and customer depending on the
services used
- Both AWS and the customer are responsible for training and educating
.2: Understand AWS Cloud security, governance, and
2
compliance concepts
- C ompliance requirements change depending on industries and geographic
locations, which AWS accounts for with dozens of compliance programs
(source)
- You need to encrypt data in transit (while it’s moving from one place to
another) and at rest (while it’s residing in a location)
- Governance is process of creating and enforcing decisions within an
organization
- Security in the Cloud is composed of identity and access management,
detective controls, infrastructure protection, data protection, and incident
response (Security Pillar of the Well-Architected Framework)
- There are many services to help you secure resources on AWS, like Amazon
Inspector, AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Shield
- AWS Artifact helps you locate on-demand compliance information relevant to
your IT infrastructure
- There are many services that aid in governance and compliance like Amazon
CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, AWS Audit Manager, and AWS Config
- Compliance requirements varies depending on the AWS service being used
2.3: Identity AWS access management capabilities
- I dentity and Access Management (IAM) and IAM Identity Center provide
granular control over permissions for identities, generally dealing with
definingWHOhas access toWHAT
- Principle of Least Privilege (source): give only theleast amount of access for
an entity to do perform its tasks
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- U
tilize groups, users, custom policies, and manage policies in
compliance with the Principle of Least Privilege
- There are multiple ways of authentication in AWS such as MFA, IAM Identity
Center, cross-account IAM roles, federated users
- When you create an AWS account, that account is aroot user account, which
should not be utilized unless absolutely necessary (make sure to secure it
with MFA); know how to secure it, and what specific tasks you need the root
account for
- Access keys, password policies, credential storage (AWS Secrets Manager,
AWS Systems Manager)
2.4: Identify components and resources for security
- Y ou can utilizenetwork access control lists (NACLs)andsecurity groupsto
control the traffic coming in and out of your resources (compare NACLs vs
security groups)
- There are many security services that help you protect your infrastructure,
like AWS WAF, Amazon Inspector, AWS Shield, and Amazon GuardDuty
- There are third-party security products (provided by other companies) on the
AWS Marketplace
- You can find AWS security-related information in AWS Knowledge Center,
AWS Security Center, AWS Security Blog, etc.
- You can utilize AWS Trusted Advisor to identify security issues
omain 3: Cloud Technology and Services
D
(34%)
.1: Define methods of deploying and operating in the
3
AWS Cloud
- C onnecting to AWS Cloud: Virtual Private Network (VPN), AWS Direct
Connect, Public Internet
- Cloud Deployment Models: Cloud Deployment, Hybrid Deployment,
On-Premises Deployment
- Deploy and manage IT infrastructure on AWS: AWS Management
Console, Command Line Interface (CLI), Software Development Kits
(SDKs)
Hiroko Nishimura, December 2023 // download:ko-fi.com/hiroko 5
3.2: Define the AWS global infrastructure
- vailability Zones (AZs): independent AWS data centers
A
- Regions: 2 or more Availability Zones
- Edge Locations: caches data closest to your customers
- AWS Local Zones: provides extremely low latency to end users when
AWS Regions aren’t close enough
- AWS Wavelength Zones: extremely low latency for applications by
embedding AWS compute and storage services within 5G networks
- High Availability
- Learn more about the AWS Global Infrastructure:
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
3.3: Identify AWS compute services
- A mazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2): virtual servers with virtually
limitless use cases
- Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS): fully-managed container
orchestration service
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS): fully-managed container
service to run Kubernetes
- Elastic Beanstalk: deploy and scale web applications by uploading code
- Elastic Load Balancing: helps applications achieve fault tolerance
- AWS Lambda: event-driven, serverless compute service to run code without
provisioning or managing your own servers
- AWS Fargate: serverless compute engine for containers
- Amazon Lightsail: pre-configured websites and applications to help you get
your projects up and running with minimal configurations on your end
- Autoscaling provides elasticity
3.4: Identify AWS database services
- Database Services
- Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS): fully-managed
relational database service
- Amazon Aurora: relational database engine managed by Amazon RDS
- Amazon DynamoDB: fully-managed NoSQL database service
- Amazon Memory DB for Redis, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX): fully-managed in-memory database
services
- Database Migration Tools:
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- A WS Database Migration Service: migrate your database to AWS’s
database services
- AWS Schema Conversion Tool: convert your database into one of the
schemas supported by AWS’s managed databases
3.5: Identify AWS network services
- A mazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC): isolated virtual network on AWS
Cloud for your IT infrastructure
- Amazon CloudFront: Content Delivery Network to help websites and
applications load faster
- AWS Global Accelerator: allows customer access requests to take the
high-speed AWS global network towards its destination instead of spending
time on slower public networks
- Amazon Route 53: DNS service
3.6: Identify AWS storage services
- Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3): object storage service
- Understand lifecycle policies and storage classes (tendency: less you
need to access, less durable, longer retrieval time = cheaper)
- Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS): block storage service that acts
like unformatted block devices you can mount to your Amazon EC2 instances
- AWS Storage Gateway: connects on-premises storage with AWS’s cloud
storage
- AWS Backup: backup service for all your AWS services and hybrid
environments
- Three types of storage: object storage, file storage, block storage
3.7: Identify AWS AI/ML services and analytics services
- AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) services
- Amazon SageMaker: build, train, and deploy machine learning models
- Amazon Lex: create conversational AI support chatbots (Amazon
aLEXa, anyone?)
- Amazon Kendra: utilize machine learning to find answers quickly with
intelligent search
- Data Analytics Services
- Amazon Athena: analyze data directly in Amazon S3 using standard
SQL
- AWS Glue: integrate data from diverse data sources and prepare them
for analytics
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- A mazon Kinesis: helps collect, process, and analyze data like audio
and video in real-time to derive insights
- Amazon QuickSight: business intelligence service that helps you
quickly build visualizations and perform ad hoc analysis on your data
with machine learning
.8: Identify services from other in-scope AWS service
3
categories
- A pplication integration services: Amazon EventBridge, Amazon Simple
Notification Service (Amazon SNS), Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon
SQS)
- Business application services: Amazon Connect, Amazon Simple Email
Service (Amazon SES)
- Customer engagement services: AWS Activate for Startups, AWS IQ, AWS
Managed Services (AMS), AWS Support
- Developer tool services and capabilities: AWS AppConfig, AWS Cloud9, AWS
CloudShell, AWS CodeArtifact, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeCommit, AWS
CodeDeploy, AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeStar, AWS X-Ray
- End user computing services: Amazon AppStream 2.0, Amazon WorkSpaces,
Amazon WorkSpaces Web
- Frontend web and mobile services: AWS Amplify, AWS AppSync
- IoT services: AWS IoT Core, AWS IoT Greengrass
Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support (12%)
4.1: Compare AWS pricing models
- Fundamental ways AWS charges:
- Compute
- Storage
- Data transfer
- Learn more about AWS Pricing:
- AWS Pricing Page:https://aws.amazon.com/pricing
- Whitepaper: “How AWS Pricing Works”
- Compute Resource Pricing Models
- Pay as you go (on-demand instances)
- Save when you commit (reserved instances)
- Save when you commit 2 (savings plans)
- Take advantage of unutilized AWS capacity (spot instances)
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- S ave by using your own licenses and utilize dedicated hardware
(dedicated hosts)
- Run Amazon EC2 instances on dedicated hardware (dedicated
instances)
- Reserve compute capacity in advance (capacity reservations)
- Pay less by using more
.2: Understand resources for billing, budget, and cost
4
management
- B illing, budget, and cost management resources: AWS Budgets, AWS Cost
Explorer, AWS Billing Conductor, AWS Pricing Calculator
- Tools to help larger organizations manage multiple AWS accounts and their
billing: Consolidated Billing, AWS Organizations, AWS cost allocation tags
- Generate billing reports with AWS Cost and Usage Report (AWS CUR)
by utilizing AWS cost allocation tags effectively
- AWS Cost Management Resources:
https://aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management
.3: Identify AWS technical resources and AWS Support
4
options
- AWS Support Plans (source)
- Basic Support Plan (free): for testing out/experimenting with AWS;
great for AWS Free Tier
- Developer Support Plan (starts at $29): for testing/experimenting with
AWS
- Business Support Plan (starts at $100): minimum recommendation for
production workloads in AWS
- Enterprise On-Ramp Support Plan (starts at $5,500): for production
and/or business critical workloads in AWS
- Enterprise Support Plan (starts at ($15,000): business and/or mission
critical workloads in AWS… and A LOT of it
- Manage and monitor environments for cost optimization: Trusted Advisor,
AWS Health Dashboard, AWS Health API
- Official AWS resources
- AWS Whitepapers:https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers
- AWS Blog:https://aws.amazon.com/blogs
- AWS Documentation:https://docs.aws.amazon.com
- AWS re:Post:https://repost.aws
- AWS Knowledge Center:https://repost.aws/knowledge-center
- AWS Partner Networks
Hiroko Nishimura, December 2023 // download:ko-fi.com/hiroko 9
- WS Marketplace:https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace
A
- AWS Support Plans
- AWS Trust and Safety Team
- AWS Support Center:https://aws.amazon.com/contact-us
- AWS Support Teams: AWS Professional Services, AWS Solutions
Architects
Resources
emember, this is just a study guide. Make sure you utilize many resources
R
available to you to ace the exam! Good luck!
Official AWS Resources
- A WS Cloud Practitioner Exam Official Exam Guide:
https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitioner/
- Sign up for the exam:https://www.aws.training/certification/
- Official courses, gamified study materials, etc:https://skillbuilder.aws/
- Official practice exam for AWS CLF-C02 exam:
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/14637/
aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-official-practice-exam-clf-c02-english
- Official forum:https://repost.aws/
- Collection of official AWS resources, career training programs, scholarships,
and more:https://hiroko.io/aws/
Un-Official Resources
- I ntroduction to AWS for Non-Engineers - Video Courses (LinkedIn Learning):
https://introtoaws.com
- AWS for Non-Engineers - Book (Manning Publications):
https://awsfornonengineers.com
- Learn AWS for free (freeCodeCamp):
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/tag/aws/
hanks for downloading the extremely unofficial AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
T
study guide! If you need to find me (Hiroko Nishimura),you can find my various
contact information/social media profiles athirokonishimura.com,and my AWS
content ataws.hiroko.io!
Was this helpful? Leave me a tip for some coffee if you’re so inclined:
ko-fi.com/hiroko!
Hiroko Nishimura, December 2023 // download:ko-fi.com/hiroko 10
