Where to Find the Best Online AWS Courses, Classes, and Training

Thanks to the expansion of the cloud market, Amazon Web Services (AWS) knowledge and skills have recently become highly demanded in the tech world. As a result, many educational institutions and organizations are now offering AWS courses. In this article, you’ll learn where to find some of the best online AWS courses, classes, and training programs. 

When choosing which online option is right for you, there are several factors to consider. Although they’re commonly confused with one another, there are differences between courses, classes, and training programs. Additionally, it’s important to consider which option is most affordable, reputable, flexible, and meets all of your preferences. 

What Is AWS?

AWS is Amazon’s complete cloud computing platform, which comprises infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and packaged software as a service (SaaS) products. AWS services can provide a company with resources like computing power, database storage, and content distribution.

Why Online AWS Courses Are Important for Professional Development

Businesses need professionals with cloud expertise to assist in optimizing their operations. An Amazon Web Services (AWS) course will help you gain in-demand skills that can open new professional opportunities and increase your income. 

If you want to delve deeper into this platform, online courses or classes are an excellent learning option. Taking online courses gives you the opportunity to customize your learning path and tailor it to your specific needs.

Should You Attend a Coding Bootcamp to Learn AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a skill targeted by a number of bootcamp providers. Some schools have programs dedicated exclusively to AWS vs Azure, while others cover this skill as part of a larger program on coding or cloud technologies. Enrolling in a top AWS coding bootcamp is a great way to build your technical abilities and position yourself among the industry’s top specialists.  

Overview: The Best Online AWS Courses, Classes, or Training

There are a plethora of online Amazon Web Services (AWS) course providers. The table below lists some of the best online AWS courses, classes, and training programs based on the quality of the curriculum, the reputation of the school, and the additional services and resources provided.

In Detail: The Best Online AWS Classes, Courses, or Training

AWS Skill Builder | AWS Academy

• Learning Format: Courses
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: Cloud basics, AWS core services, security, architecture, pricing, support 

The AWS Academy is the official training and certification platform for AWS and should be top of your list. Here you will find training for a wide range of AWS-related jobs and skills. There is also the AWS Skill Builder tool, which gives you access to a library of free courses created by AWS experts.

You can find tutorials on object storage, AWS Snow Family, data transfer, configuring and deploying VPNs, as well as SaaS business fundamentals and .NET, to name a few. These courses are self-paced and ideal to study on your own schedule. There are also collections of courses that provide a concrete learning path. 

Key Takeaway: This is the go-to place for official training and certification on AWS.

AWS Fundamentals Specialization | Coursera

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: AWS cloud technical essentials, addressing security risks, migrating to the Cloud, and building serverless applications

This four-course program is offered by AWS via Coursera. The courses included in this program are AWS Cloud Technical Essentials; AWS Fundamentals: Addressing Security Risk; AWS Fundamentals: Migrating to the Cloud; and AWS Fundamentals: Building Serverless Applications. This is a beginner course and does not require students to have prior experience. 

Coursera has a paid and free version of this program. The free version only allows you access to course material. The paid version includes course materials, practice quizzes, graded assignments and quizzes, as well as a shareable specialization and course certificate. This program is self-paced, but it is suggested that students study three hours a week. 

Key Takeaway: This AWS program covers AWS fundamentals and allows students to learn at their own pace. This program is ideal for anyone who wants to earn a shareable certificate.

Getting Started with AWS Machine Learning  | Coursera

• Learning Format: Standalone class
• Level: Intermediate
• Subjects Covered: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, Amazon SageMaker, computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP)

This nine-hour AWS machine learning class is facilitated by Coursera and offered by AWS.  Machine Learning is one of the most popular fields in the tech industry and is expected to expand much more in the coming decade. The class covers an introduction to machine learning, machine learning pipeline, computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP). 

This class takes approximately nine hours to complete, although students are allowed to complete it at their own pace. It includes practice quizzes and assignments and awards students with a shareable certificate upon completion. 

Key Takeaway: This basic AWS machine learning class is ideal for anyone who wants to quickly and effectively learn AWS machine learning and earn a shareable certificate. 

AWS: Getting Started with Cloud Security | edX

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: AWS Shared Responsibility Model, CloudWatch, Amazon GuardDuty, AWSSecurity Hub

If you’re concerned about data breaches and viruses destroying all your hard work on cloud-based application development, this edX course might be for you. This four-week cloud security course is facilitated by edX and offered by AWS. The free track allows students access to course materials but doesn’t include graded assignments and exams or the shareable certificate offered in the paid version.

Students will get a comprehensive understanding of cloud security and learn about directory services, identity and access management, CloudWatch, CloudTrial, GuardDuty, Amazon Security Hub, Amazon S3, Amazon EBS, Amazon EC2, and many other subjects.

Key Takeaway: This cloud security course is free for students who only wish to access the course materials. Otherwise, for $49, students have graded assignments and exams, as well as a shareable certificate upon completion.  

Learn the A to Z of Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Educative  

• Learning Format: Standalone class
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: Fundamental building blocks of AWS, identity and access management, miscellaneous services, storage, database offerings, routing, virtual private cloud, application services, AWS Well Architected Framework

This three-hour beginner course is offered by Educative and covers a variety of AWS subjects. Educative offers a seven-day free trial that allows students to access over 290 courses and the option to continue with a monthly or annual subscription. Students also receive a certificate of completion. 

This course was created by three AWS-certified architects who have 17 years of industry experience combined. Together, they teach students about fundamental aspects of AWS, identity and access management, storage, routing, application services, database offerings, and many other AWS topics. 

Key Takeaway: Unlike most courses, this class is delivered via text rather than audio. This is intended to quicken the learning process. 

Prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Exam | LinkedIn Learning

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Intermediate
• Subjects Covered: Cloud service overview, virtual private cloud, storage design, identity and access management, auto scaling and virtual network services, application deployment, services, design scenarios

This LinkedIn Learning course is an excellent choice for anyone who has already mastered the core features of AWS and wants to advance by passing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam. This course is taught by an IT veteran with over 25 years of experience working as a systems administrator and consultant. 

Throughout this 10-course program, you’ll learn about application deployment, storage design, identity and access management, auto scaling, virtual network services, design scenarios, and virtual private cloud, among other topics.

Key Takeaway: This is an excellent preparatory program for anyone who wants to take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam. 

Prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam  | LinkedIn Learning  

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: AWS cloud concepts, security, technology, billing, pricing 

LinkedIn Learning offers a preparatory beginner course for students who wish to pursue the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam. LinkedIn offers annual and monthly subscription options and allows students to enjoy a one-month free trial before committing to a subscription.

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This four-hour program contains four courses that cover AWS cloud concepts, security, technology, billing, and pricing. Students will become familiar with the basics of AWS development and learn to develop and deploy secure applications in AWS and write secure and optimized code.

Key Takeaway: This program is designed to prepare students for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam. 

AWS Essential Training for Developers | LinkedIn Learning 

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: AWS essential setup, on-premise to AWS, IaaS, IaaS storage, IaaS networking, DBaaS, PaaS, SaaS, DevOps with AWS, security on AWS  

With over a hundred distinct services available on AWS, it can be tough for developers to locate the proper solution for their needs. This course seeks to provide students with an in-depth overview of AWS services and a thorough understanding of their uses. 

LinkedIn Learning has a subscription option, but you can also buy the course for $34.99. It also allows students to access courses through a one-month free trial. Upon completion of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of cloud development and AWS and will receive a shareable certificate.

Key Takeaway: This course is an ideal option for beginners who want a thorough overview of AWS and cloud development. 

AWS Course: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | Pluralsight 

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Intermediate 
• Subjects Covered: Virtual private clouds, elastic load balancing, Amazon Storage Services, Route 53, and Direct Connect 

Pluralsight has designed this course for students who wish to prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam. As this is an intermediate course, students are expected to have basic knowledge of AWS. Students who are interested in pursuing this certification but don’t meet the prerequisites are encouraged to enroll in the AWS Fundamentals for System Administration course.

This course covers a variety of topics, including strategies for networking, storage, Domain Name Server (DNS), Database as a Service (DBaaS), monitoring, load balancing, and many other related topics. Upon completion, students will be able to design highly scalable systems and will be ready to take the associated certification exam. 

Key Takeaway: This course is specifically designed for students who wish to take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam.

AWS Developer Fundamentals | Pluralsight

• Learning Format: Certificate course 
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: Compute services, storage, databases, messaging, administration, services

This course is designed by field experts and is one of Pluralsight’s most popular AWS courses. It covers the fundamental AWS skills and concepts you’ll need to become an AWS developer, including storage, databases, messaging, and management services. Each module includes several demonstrations that illustrate how to interact with AWS services through the Management Console, the native API, and .NET SDK.

Key Takeaway: This course is ideal for beginners who wish to develop AWS knowledge and skills in a short period of time. 

Absolute Beginners Introduction to Amazon Web Services | Skillshare

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level:  Beginner 
• Subjects Covered: Account setup, identity and access management, AWS services and CLI, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, AWS free tier

Skillshare offers an AWS introduction course that is specifically designed for beginners without experience. This course has 29 lessons that are meant to introduce students to basic AWS concepts and skills using a combination of video demonstrations and follow-along projects.

Throughout the course, students will learn how to create a new AWS account and set up billing as well as identity and access management (IAM) users and groups. They will also become familiar with IAM policies, the AWS command-line interface (CLI), and many other related topics.  

Key Takeaway: This course is designed to accommodate beginners without prior experience. If you’re interested in pursuing AWS knowledge and skills, but you’ve never dabbled in AWS, this would be an ideal course. 

Become a Cloud Developer | Udacity 

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Intermediate 
• Subjects Covered: Cloud foundations, full stack apps on AWS, microservices, serverless apps

Udacity offers this intermediate course to anyone interested in pursuing a career as a cloud developer, full stack developer, cloud engineer, or other related occupations. Participants are required to know basic JavaScript, Git and Github, as well as the Linux command line. 

This course is estimated to take four months to complete and allows students flexible learning options that are tailored to their schedules. Additionally, Udacity offers extensive career services, including resume and portfolio review, technical mentor support, feedback from field experts, and job negotiation assistance.

Key Takeaway: Udacity provides a personalized experience to students in this course. It also allows students to study at their own pace.

Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – 2021 | Udemy

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner
• Subjects Covered: Elastic load balancing, Amazon elastic compute cloud, ASG, ElastiCache, Amazon simple storage service

This beginner course offered by Udemy is meant to prepare students for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification. It includes 14 hours of on-demand video, seven articles, one practice test, lifetime access, and a certificate of completion.

Some of the topics covered include cloud computing, identity and access management, elastic load balancing, deploying and managing infrastructures at scale, databases and analytics, cloud monitoring, machine learning, and security and compliance.

Key Takeaway: This course is ideal for students who have no background in AWS and wish to develop a well-rounded understanding in a short period of time. 

The AWS Course | Udemy  

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner, intermediate
• Subjects Covered: IAM, CLI, Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, networking, DNS, management services, security services, orchestration services, database offerings, storage, migration services, analytics, application, DevOps, serverless 

This course is designed for beginners or intermediate learners with knowledge of basic Linux commands and networking concepts. It includes 40 hours of on-demand video, 49 downloadable articles, lifetime access, and a certificate of completion. This is a hands-on course that requires students to participate in multiple projects. 

Upon completion, students will have a firm handle on Amazon S3, EC2, Amazon Cloudfront, management and security services, Cloudformation, OpWorks, storage and migration services, DevOps, and a variety of related topics. 

Key Takeaway: This beginner course covers a wide range of AWS-related topics. Students who enroll in this course are expected to know basic Linux commands and networking concepts. 

Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate | Udemy

• Learning Format: Certificate course
• Level: Beginner 
• Subjects Covered: AWS fundamentals, Amazon EC2, ELB, ASG, RDS, ElastiCache, Amazon S3

This AWS certificate course is created by Stephane Maarek, a software developer and solutions architect with various AWS certifications. It includes over 26 hours of on-demand video, 12 articles, one practice test, lifetime access, and a certificate of completion. 

The course covers all of the components of the SAA-C02 exam, including serverless basics using DynamoDB and Lambda, KMS and IAM policies, various types of databases, EC2 and RDS building blocks, and other related concepts. Upon completion, students will be ready to take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Certification Exam. 

Key Takeaway: This beginner course is meant to prepare students for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Certification Exam. 

Online AWS Classes, Training, or Courses: Which Is the Right Option?

In the table above, we have covered a range of learning options, including classes, courses, and training. These terms all refer to different learning formats. However, most people are unaware of this and use them interchangeably.

A class is the shortest option of all three. In the content of this article, a class refers to a standalone lesson that focuses on a particular skill or technology. Courses, by contrast, generally have a longer duration and are more comprehensive. Courses are usually composed of several classes.

Finally, the term “training” refers to a hands-on approach to learning that seeks to equip students with the skills needed for a specific job. Training programs tend to be longer than the options we described earlier.

The decision to pursue an online AWS class, training program, or course, comes down to learning needs and personal preference. Below, we consider the three key factors you should base your decision on.

How to Choose the Right Online AWS Course, Class, or Training Program

Availability 

Your availability affects how much time you can commit to a program and should be a major factor in your choice of course. If you’re working or pursuing a degree, you want a program that allows you the flexibility of studying and completing assignments at your own pace. Fortunately, there are many short, self-paced classes and courses on the Internet.

Alternatively, if you are relatively free of significant commitments, you might want to enroll in an intense, full-time program to learn the skills you need as quickly as possible. If you have the time, enrolling in an immersive bootcamp is perhaps the most time-efficient way of mastering AWS.  

Affordability 

The cost of online AWS programs varies significantly according to factors like length, the reputation of the course provider, and additional resources and services provided. Whether or not the program yields a certificate of completion can also affect the cost.

Choose a program that is within your budget. However, you should also take into consideration that many course providers offer financial aid and flexible payment option to reduce the financial burden. Some of the courses on this list can be financed through scholarships, loans, and even income share agreements. 

Learning Needs

Perhaps, the most important factor is whether or not the course meets your learning needs. Before signing up for any program, it is paramount that you take a careful look at the syllabus to make sure that it covers topics that are relevant given your learning goals. 

If you are just testing the waters, a free course that merely covers the basics may suffice. However, if you are already a cloud professional looking to progress in your career, you want courses or training programs that cover advanced AWS topics and that include additional services like career support or job placement.

AWS Course Certificates vs Certifications

Certificates and certifications are often used interchangeably but they are different. Certificates are awarded to students upon finishing a course and function as proof of completion. Professional certifications, on the other hand, are awarded to students who pass the associated exam and serve as proof that they have mastered a specific tool or technology.

Importance of AWS Certifications

AWS certifications verify your expertise in the field. Employers value certified professionals and are willing to pay more for their services. If you’re interested in pursuing an AWS-related career, certification is the best way to stand out in the crowded job market and get noticed by top employers. 

AWS was developed by tech giant Amazon. This makes Amazon the go-to certification provider in the field. Some of Amazon’s top AWS certifications include the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Developer Associate, and the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate.

Why You Should Take Online AWS Courses or Classes

AWS courses or classes are an excellent way to advance your career, particularly if you work with cloud technologies. They are also an excellent alternative for people transitioning to a tech job, particularly in cloud computing, cloud security, database management, and network management. Given the fact that professionals with AWS skills earn around $107,000, taking an online AWS course to boost your cloud expertise is a wise career move.