🔧 AWS Account Setup

Introduction

AWS account setup is your first step into cloud computing. It involves creating an account, securing credentials, configuring IAM, and managing billing.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you'll understand:

• Creating and managing AWS accounts

• Understanding AWS regions and availability zones

• Setting up IAM users and roles

• Configuring access keys and MFA

• Managing billing and cost alerts

• Using AWS CLI and SDKs

Creating an AWS Account

# Visit AWS Console
# https://console.aws.amazon.com/

# Create account with:
# - Email address
# - Password
# - Payment method
# - Phone verification

Installing AWS CLI

# macOS
brew install awscli

# Linux/Windows
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install

Configuring AWS CLI

# Configure credentials
aws configure

# Enter:
# AWS Access Key ID
# AWS Secret Access Key
# Default region (e.g., us-east-1)
# Default output format (json)

# Verify configuration
aws sts get-caller-identity

IAM Users and Access Keys

# Create IAM user
aws iam create-user --user-name dev-user

# Create access key
aws iam create-access-key --user-name dev-user

# Attach policy to user
aws iam attach-user-policy \
  --user-name dev-user \
  --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/PowerUserAccess

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

# Enable MFA for root account (recommended)
# 1. Go to AWS Console > Account
# 2. Click "Activate MFA"
# 3. Scan QR code with authenticator app

# Verify MFA is enabled
aws iam list-virtual-mfa-devices

Regions and Availability Zones

# List available regions
aws ec2 describe-regions

# List availability zones in current region
aws ec2 describe-availability-zones

# Set default region
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1

Billing and Cost Management

# Set up billing alerts
aws cloudwatch put-metric-alarm \
  --alarm-name "monthly-cost-alert" \
  --alarm-description "Alert when costs exceed $100" \
  --metric-name EstimatedCharges \
  --namespace AWS/Billing \
  --statistic Maximum \
  --period 86400 \
  --evaluation-periods 1 \
  --threshold 100 \
  --comparison-operator GreaterThanThreshold

Key Takeaways

• **AWS account** is your entry to all AWS services

• **IAM** provides fine-grained access control

• **Access keys** authenticate programmatic access

• **MFA** adds security to your account

• **Regions** affect performance and compliance

• **Billing alerts** help control costs

Next Steps

Learn about AWS Compute services, or explore storage options with S3.