Cloud Computing Service
Cloud Computing and AWS Infrastructure
Course Code: Inskillflow
Session: Winter 2026
Instructor: Haythem Rehouma
Institution: College Maisonneuve
Course Overview
This training will enable you to master AWS (Amazon Web Services) computing services, the most widely used cloud platform in the world. You will learn to design, deploy, and troubleshoot professional cloud infrastructures.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental concepts of cloud computing
- Configure and use AWS CLI
- Deploy and manage EC2 instances
- Configure storage with EBS and snapshots
- Design secure VPC networks
- Implement high availability and auto-scaling
- Develop serverless functions with Lambda
- Monitor and optimize infrastructures
- Automate with Infrastructure as Code (CloudFormation)
Teaching Approach
Hybrid Approach - Adapted Without AWS Sandbox
This course is designed to work without access to an AWS sandbox environment. We use a hybrid approach combining:
- Detailed theory with diagrams and charts
- LocalStack (free AWS emulator) for local practice
- Simulated labs with step-by-step screenshots
- Analysis exercises and case studies
- Architectural documentation as a key skill
Each module combines:
- Theoretical lessons with detailed AWS diagrams
- Practical labs with LocalStack (local simulation)
- Analysis and troubleshooting exercises
- Documentation and diagrams to produce
Course Plan - 15 Modules
MODULE 1 - Environment and AWS CLI
Content:
- Course introduction and evidence method
- Introduction to cloud computing and AWS
- Installation and configuration of the environment
- AWS CLI: installation, configuration, basic commands
- LocalStack: AWS emulator for local practice
Lab: Environment configuration + AWS CLI + LocalStack
Assessment: Formative - Diagnostic quiz + environment checklist
Deliverable: Mini-report "environment ready" with screenshots
MODULE 2 - AWS Compute: EC2 Concepts
Content:
- Amazon EC2: fundamental concepts
- Regions and Availability Zones (AZ)
- AMI (Amazon Machine Images)
- Instance types (families, sizes, use cases)
- Key pairs and authentication
- Security Groups: inbound/outbound rules
Lab: Simulated EC2 lab with diagrams and configuration analysis
Assessment: Formative - Knowledge verification
Deliverable: EC2 architecture diagram + justification of choices
MODULE 3 - EC2 Troubleshooting
Content:
- Common instance creation errors
- Diagnostic method: symptom → hypotheses → tests → fix
- Reading EC2 states and events
- Basic logs and metrics
- Validation: ping, HTTP, SSH depending on context
Lab: Guided troubleshooting exercises (simulated scenarios)
Assessment: Formative - Troubleshooting exercise
Deliverable: Mini-report: 2 simulated failures + documented fixes
MODULE 4 - Storage: EBS
Content:
- Amazon EBS: volumes, types, performance
- Attach/detach volumes
- Snapshots and restoration
- Storage best practices
- Impact on EC2 instances
Lab: Simulated EBS lab with LocalStack
Assessment: Assessment 1 (20%) - EC2 + EBS + theoretical validation
Deliverable: Proofs + explanation + success criteria
MODULE 5 - Network: VPC Fundamentals
Content:
- Amazon VPC: concepts and components
- Public and private subnets
- Routing tables
- Internet Gateway (IGW)
- IP addressing and CIDR
Lab: Design of a complete VPC diagram
Assessment: Formative - Network diagram
Deliverable: VPC diagram + justification of routes and access
MODULE 6 - Network: Security and Troubleshooting
Content:
- Security Groups vs NACLs
- Filtering rules and priorities
- Network troubleshooting: connectivity, routes, rules
- Connectivity tests and reasoning
- Service publication
Lab: Network troubleshooting case studies
Assessment: Formative - Case study
Deliverable: 3 "probable cause" scenarios + corrective actions
MODULE 7 - Complete Web Publication
Content:
- Complete architecture: VPC + EC2 + publication
- Configuration sequence
- End-to-end validation
- Deployment best practices
- Risk identification
Lab: Design of a complete web architecture
Assessment: Formative - Architectural validation
Deliverable: 1-page report: architecture + tests + risks
MODULE 8 - Scalability and High Availability
Content:
- Load Balancing: ELB, ALB, NLB
- Health checks and failover
- "Stateless" architecture
- HA success criteria
- High availability patterns
Lab: Design of an HA architecture
Assessment: Assessment 2 (25%) - HA + scaling (theoretical + diagrams)
Deliverable: Documented HA architecture
MODULE 9 - Auto Scaling
Content:
- Auto Scaling Groups: concepts and configuration
- Scaling policies (target tracking, step, simple)
- Metrics and thresholds
- Sizing and best practices
- Common errors and solutions
Lab: Analysis of Auto Scaling configurations
Assessment: Formative - Guided questions
Deliverable: Scaling analysis + mini-report
MODULE 10 - DNS and Failover
Content:
- Amazon Route 53: DNS concepts
- Record types
- TTL and propagation
- Failover routing
- Incident scenarios and resilience
Lab: Design of DNS/failover strategy
Assessment: Formative - Mini-report failover
Deliverable: Scenario + proofs + documented limits
MODULE 11 - Serverless: AWS Lambda
Content:
- Serverless vs VM: comparison
- AWS Lambda: concepts and operation
- Minimal IAM permissions and roles
- CloudWatch logs
- Tests and validation
Lab: Creation of a Lambda function with LocalStack
Assessment: Assessment 3 (25%) - Lambda + validation
Deliverable: Documented Lambda function + tests
MODULE 12 - Lambda: Troubleshooting
Content:
- Common Lambda errors
- Timeouts and limits
- CloudWatch logs analysis
- Diagnostic logic
- Best practices
Lab: Lambda troubleshooting exercises
Assessment: Formative - Troubleshooting challenge
Deliverable: Debrief: failures + documented corrections
MODULE 13 - Observability
Content:
- Amazon CloudWatch: metrics and logs
- Alarms and notifications
- Incident diagnosis
- Runbook creation
- Monitoring dashboards
Lab: Metrics analysis and runbook creation
Assessment: Formative - 1-page runbook
Deliverable: Incident runbook + thresholds/alerts
MODULE 14 - Governance and FinOps
Content:
- Tags and resource organization
- Inventory and management
- Cost optimization
- AWS Pricing and calculator
- Enterprise practices
Lab: Cost optimization exercise
Assessment: Formative - Optimization grid
Deliverable: 5 optimization recommendations + justification
MODULE 15 - Infrastructure as Code
Content:
- AWS CloudFormation: concepts and syntax
- YAML/JSON templates
- Reproducibility and versioning
- Common errors and troubleshooting
- Integration and deployment
Lab: Creation of CloudFormation templates
Assessment: Final Project (30%) - IaC + documentation + Q/A
Deliverable: CloudFormation template + proofs + demonstration
Assessments
| Assessment | Week | Weighting | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1 | 4 | 20% | EC2 + EBS (theory + analysis) |
| Assessment 2 | 8 | 25% | HA + Scaling (theory + diagrams) |
| Assessment 3 | 11 | 25% | Lambda (LocalStack practice) |
| Final Project | 15 | 30% | IaC + Documentation |
| Total | 100% |
Tools and Technologies
Local Environment (MANDATORY)
- LocalStack - Free AWS emulator
- AWS CLI - Command line interface
- Docker Desktop - For LocalStack
- VS Code - Code editor
- Draw.io / Lucidchart - Architecture diagrams
AWS Technologies (Theory + Simulation)
- Amazon EC2
- Amazon EBS
- Amazon VPC
- Elastic Load Balancing
- Auto Scaling
- Amazon Route 53
- AWS Lambda
- Amazon CloudWatch
- AWS CloudFormation
Prerequisites
Prior Knowledge
- Basic computer science concepts
- Basic understanding of networking (IP, ports)
- Command line (terminal/PowerShell)
Required Equipment
- Computer with at least 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)
- 20 GB of free disk space
- Windows 10/11, macOS, or Linux
Software to Install (MODULE 1)
- Docker Desktop
- AWS CLI v2
- LocalStack
- VS Code
- Git
Approach Without Sandbox
LocalStack is an AWS emulator that runs locally on your machine. It allows you to:
- Practice real AWS CLI commands
- Create resources (S3, Lambda, SQS, etc.) without cost
- Learn the AWS workflow without billing risk
- Develop skills transferable to real AWS
What LocalStack emulates well:
- ✅ S3 (storage)
- ✅ Lambda (serverless functions)
- ✅ SQS/SNS (messaging)
- ✅ DynamoDB (NoSQL database)
- ✅ CloudWatch Logs
- ✅ CloudFormation (basic)
What we cover in theory only:
- 📚 EC2 (virtual instances)
- 📚 VPC (networking)
- 📚 EBS (volumes)
- 📚 Route 53 (DNS)
- 📚 ELB/ALB (load balancing)
Resources
Official Documentation
Diagram Tools
- Draw.io - Free
- AWS Architecture Icons
- Lucidchart - Free version
Recommended Readings
- AWS Well-Architected Framework
- AWS Whitepapers (free)
Navigation
Explore the modules in the side menu. Each module contains:
- 📖 Theoretical content
- 🔬 Practical labs (LocalStack or simulated)
- 📝 Exercises and deliverables
- ✅ Validation quiz
Start with MODULE 1 to set up your environment!
Last updated: December 2024