# AWS Architecting & Ecosystem

- [AWS Architecting \& Ecosystem](#aws-architecting--ecosystem)
  - [Well Architected Framework General Guiding Principles](#well-architected-framework-general-guiding-principles)
  - [AWS Cloud Best Practices - Design Principles](#aws-cloud-best-practices---design-principles)
  - [Well Architected Framework 6 Pillars](#well-architected-framework-6-pillars)
    - [1. Operational Excellence](#1-operational-excellence)
    - [2. Security](#2-security)
    - [3. Reliability](#3-reliability)
    - [4. Performance Efficiency](#4-performance-efficiency)
    - [5. Cost Optimization](#5-cost-optimization)
    - [6. Sustainability](#6-sustainability)
  - [AWS Well-Architected Tool](#aws-well-architected-tool)
  - [AWS Right Sizing](#aws-right-sizing)
  - [AWS Ecosystem - Free Resources](#aws-ecosystem---free-resources)
    - [AWS Ecosystem - AWS Support](#aws-ecosystem---aws-support)
  - [AWS Marketplace](#aws-marketplace)

## Well Architected Framework General Guiding Principles

- Stop guessing capacity needs.
- Test systems at production scale.
- Automate to facilitate architectural experimentation.
- Allow for evolutionary architectures based on changing requirements.
- Drive architectures using data.
- Improve through game days by simulating applications for flash sale days.

## AWS Cloud Best Practices - Design Principles

- **Scalability**: Scale both vertically and horizontally.
- **Disposable Resources**: Servers should be disposable and easily configured.
- **Automation**: Utilize serverless, infrastructure as a service, and auto-scaling.
- **Loose Coupling**: Break monolithic applications into smaller, loosely coupled components to prevent cascading failures.
- **Services, Not Servers**: Use managed services, databases, and serverless options instead of just EC2.

## Well Architected Framework 6 Pillars

### 1. Operational Excellence

- Ability to run and monitor systems for business value and improve supporting processes.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Perform operations as code (Infrastructure as code).
  - Automate the creation of annotated documentation.
  - Make frequent, small, reversible changes.
  - Refine operations procedures frequently and ensure team familiarity.
  - Anticipate failure.
  - Learn from all operational failures.

### 2. Security

- Ability to protect information, systems, and assets while delivering business value through risk assessments and mitigation strategies.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Implement a strong identity foundation (centralized privilege management, principle of least privilege, IAM).
  - Enable traceability (integrate logs and metrics with systems).
  - Apply security at all layers (edge network, VPC, load balancer, instances, OS, application).
  - Automate security best practices.
  - Protect data in transit and at rest (encryption, tokenization, access control).
  - Keep people away from data (reduce or eliminate direct access).
  - Prepare for security events (run incident response simulations, use automation).

### 3. Reliability

- Ability to recover from disruptions, dynamically acquire resources, and mitigate misconfigurations or transient network issues.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Test recovery procedures using automation.
  - Automatically recover from failures.
  - Scale horizontally to increase availability.
  - Stop guessing capacity (use Auto Scaling).
  - Manage change with automation.

### 4. Performance Efficiency

- Efficiently use computing resources to meet system requirements and maintain efficiency as demands change.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Democratize advanced technologies (use services).
  - Go global in minutes (deploy in multiple regions).
  - Use serverless architectures.
  - Experiment frequently.
  - Be aware of all AWS services (mechanical sympathy).

### 5. Cost Optimization

- Deliver business value at the lowest price point.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Adopt a consumption model (pay for what you use).
  - Measure overall efficiency (use CloudWatch).
  - Stop spending on data center operations (focus on projects).
  - Analyze and attribute expenditure (use tags to measure ROI).
  - Use managed services to reduce costs.

### 6. Sustainability

- Minimize environmental impacts of running cloud workloads.
- **Design Principles**:
  - Understand your impact (establish performance indicators).
  - Set sustainability goals for each workload.
  - Maximize utilization (right size workloads).
  - Anticipate and adopt new efficient technologies.
  - Use managed services to automate sustainability best practices.
  - Reduce downstream impact (minimize energy/resources for services).

## AWS Well-Architected Tool

- Free tool to review architectures against the 6 pillars and adopt best practices.
- **How it works**:
  - Select your workload and answer questions.
  - Review answers against the 6 pillars.
  - Obtain advice: videos, documentation, reports, and dashboards.

## AWS Right Sizing

- Match instance types and sizes to workload performance and capacity requirements at the lowest cost.
- Right sizing involves starting small and scaling up easily, continuously adjusting after cloud onboarding, and using tools like CloudWatch, Cost Explorer, and Trusted Advisor.

## AWS Ecosystem - Free Resources

- **AWS Blogs**: [AWS Blogs](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/)
- **AWS Forums**: [AWS Forums](https://forums.aws.amazon.com/index.jspa)
- **AWS Whitepapers & Guides**: [AWS Whitepapers & Guides](https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers)
- **AWS Quick Starts**: [AWS Quick Starts](https://aws.amazon.com/quickstart/)
  - Automated, gold-standard deployments in the AWS Cloud.
  - Examples: WordPress on AWS, leveraging CloudFormation.
- **AWS Solutions**: [AWS Solutions](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/)
  - Vetted technology solutions for the AWS Cloud.
  - Example - AWS Landing Zone (secure, multi-account environment).

### AWS Ecosystem - AWS Support

| DEVELOPER                                               | BUSINESS                                                      | ENTERPRISE                                                      |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Business hours email access to Cloud Support Associates | 24x7 phone, email, and chat access to Cloud Support Engineers | Access to a Technical Account Manager (TAM)                     |
| General guidance: < 24 business hours                   | Production system impaired: < 4 hours                         | Concierge Support Team (for billing and account best practices) |
| System impaired: < 12 business hours                    | Production system down: < 1 hour                              | Business-critical system down: < 15 minutes                     |

## AWS Marketplace

- Digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors.
- Examples:
  - Custom AMIs, CloudFormation templates, SaaS, containers.
- Purchases go into your AWS bill.
- You can sell your own solutions on the AWS Marketplace.