CLF study plan
CLF · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Cloud Concepts
Define cloud computing and distinguish the six advantages of cloud computing by writing each in your own words
Compare IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS and place five named AWS services into the correct model
Explain the three cloud deployment models and state one workload that fits each
Describe the AWS global infrastructure hierarchy from Region down to Availability Zone and edge location
Your checkpoint
A one-page comparison table of the three service models with at least five AWS services mapped, plus a labeled diagram of Region/AZ/edge location
Cloud Concepts & Billing, Pricing, and Support
Explain the AWS Well-Architected Framework's six pillars and give one design tradeoff per pillar
Contrast the AWS Cloud Adoption Framework perspectives at a high level
Identify the main cost drivers of cloud spend and match each to a lever that reduces it
Distinguish CapEx from OpEx using a migration scenario you describe yourself
Your checkpoint
A 300-word written answer to a scenario question asking why a company should migrate to AWS, citing at least four distinct benefits and one cost consideration
Security and Compliance
Apply the AWS shared responsibility model to IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS workloads and state who secures what in each
Explain the purpose of IAM users, groups, roles, and policies and when to prefer a role over an access key
Describe multi-factor authentication and least privilege and apply both to a sample scenario
Summarize AWS compliance and governance offerings such as Artifact, CloudTrail, and Config at a conceptual level
Your checkpoint
A shared responsibility matrix with rows for compute, storage, database, and network and columns for customer versus AWS responsibility across all three service models
Security and Compliance & Cloud Technology and Services
Explain encryption at rest and in transit and name one AWS service feature that provides each
Describe how security groups and network ACLs differ and when each applies
Identify AWS services for threat detection and logging and state the job of each
Match common security incidents to the AWS tool that would detect or respond to them
Your checkpoint
A scored 30-question practice set covering Domains 1 and 2 with every wrong answer rewritten as a corrected statement
Cloud Technology and Services
Compare Amazon EC2, Lambda, and container services and choose the right compute option for three given workloads
Distinguish Amazon S3 storage classes and select one for four stated access patterns
Differentiate Amazon RDS, DynamoDB, and Redshift by data model and use case
Explain how a VPC, subnet, and internet gateway combine to host a public-facing application
Your checkpoint
A workload-to-service mapping sheet covering at least ten services with a one-sentence justification for each choice
Cloud Technology and Services
Describe how CloudFront, Route 53, and Elastic Load Balancing work together to deliver a resilient application
Explain the difference between vertical and horizontal scaling and identify which AWS features enable each
Summarize the purpose of CloudWatch, CloudFormation, and the concept of infrastructure as code
Select an appropriate managed database and analytics service for three described business problems
Your checkpoint
An architecture sketch of a two-tier web application using at least six AWS services, with a short note on how each service contributes to availability
Billing, Pricing, and Support & Security and Compliance
Explain the AWS pricing models for compute, storage, and data transfer and identify which costs are usage-based
Compare the AWS Support plans by response time and included features
Describe the purpose of AWS Organizations, consolidated billing, and Budgets
Interpret a sample bill and name two actions that would lower it without reducing capability
Your checkpoint
A written response to a pricing scenario that recommends a purchasing option, justifies it, and names the support plan that fits the stated needs
Cloud Concepts & Security and Compliance & Cloud Technology and Services & Billing, Pricing, and Support
Complete two full-length timed practice exams and record the score for each domain
Re-study every missed question until you can explain why the correct answer is right and each distractor is wrong
Recite the shared responsibility split and the service model definitions from memory
Build a one-page formula and terminology sheet covering pricing, support, and core service names
Your checkpoint
Two timed practice exam scores of 80% or higher with a written error log of every missed question and the concept it tested
Milestones
Week 2: You can explain cloud benefits, service models, and deployment models without notes and score at least 70% on a 20-question Domain 1 set
Week 4: You can draw the shared responsibility model from memory and score at least 75% on a mixed Domain 1 and 2 practice set
Week 6: You can map ten common workloads to the correct AWS service and score at least 75% on a Domain 3 practice set
Week 8: You score 80% or higher on two full-length timed practice exams with no domain below 70%