13 Best AWS Books from Beginner to Advanced [2023]

In 2023, the AWS cloud platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, extensive global infrastructure, scalable solutions, and strong security for organizations of all sizes to efficiently and cost-effectively manage IT resources. It’s no wonder tech giants like Netflix, LinkedIn, and Facebook depend on AWS infrastructure. 

And as the age of cloud computing continues to dominate modern tech and modern business, there’s never been a better time to learn valuable AWS skills. It also helps that AWS solution architects can earn average salaries in excess of $120K.

But how should you learn Amazon Web Services? Well, two of the best options are to find one of the best AWS courses or to read one of the best books on AWS.

That’s where this article comes in! We’ve found the 13 best AWS books you need to read in 2023, including a range of AWS services for beginners and advanced AWS users. And with the constantly evolving landscape of AWS services, we’ve taken care to emphasize books that are relevant in 2023 and beyond.

So whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned cloud professional that wants to extend their skills, let's dive in! 

What Is Amazon Web Services (AWS)?

Launched in 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive cloud computing platform offered by Amazon.com. That’s right, the same company that started selling books online also has a huge presence in online cloud infrastructure, even beating out the likes of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure with 32% of the market.

AWS is renowned for providing a wide range of scalable and cost-effective cloud services that assist organizations and individuals in building and managing their applications, infrastructure, and AWS projects.

In 2023, AWS offers more than 200 services, including computing power, storage, databases, machine learning, analytics, networking, and more. The beauty of AWS is that you can combine as many of these services as you need to leverage the cloud to scale operations, reduce costs, and enhance agility.

But why is AWS so popular? Well, this is partly down to the fact that they’ve cultivated a reputation for being highly reliable while also offering secure infrastructure that has been proven to handle the demands of businesses of any size.

Its popularity can also be tied to a pay-as-you-go pricing model. This means you only need to pay for the resources you use, eliminating upfront investment and offering cost optimization.

AWS also offers a vast global network of data centers, enabling customers to deploy their applications closer to their target audience to improve performance and reduce latency. It’s no wonder many developers and tech professionals want to earn AWS certifications to add verifiable AWS skills to their resumes.

Now, it would take a lot of space to cover every single one of the AWS’ services, but let’s take a quick look at some of the most popular: 

• Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud): This provides resizable virtual servers, allowing users to quickly scale computing capacity as needed.
• Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service): This is a highly scalable object storage service that enables users to store and retrieve large amounts of data.
• Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service): This is a fully managed database service that simplifies the administration and scaling of relational databases 
• AWS Lambda: This is a serverless computing service that enables developers to run code without provisioning or managing servers..
• Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service): A fully managed messaging service that enables delivery of messages to email, SMS, push notifications, and more.

13 Best AWS Books to Read in 2023

1.AWS Cookbook

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Why we chose this book

With more than 70 solutions (or recipes), this AWS book has a wealth of information for various scenarios involving security, networking, artificial intelligence, and more. 

Each recipe also has a clearly defined problem statement, a solution (with an explanatory diagram), and a commentary. Based on our observations, the authors also maintain an active GitHub repository for each book chapter. 

These repositories contain all the necessary files and code to help you get started. These also include additional challenges for students that want to explore further. Readers are encouraged to take advantage of the GitHub repo to interact with the authors and other learners.

The authors of the AWS Cookbook are also experienced cloud engineers who both currently work as Senior Cloud Architects at AWS. This allowed them to include real-world examples to show you AWS best practices. If you’re looking for the best book for AWS, this is certainly a contender!

Features

• GitHub repositories containing code files
• Authored by Seniors Engineers at AWS
• Includes real-world examples
• Active community of readers

2.Learning Amazon Web Services

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Why we chose this book

This AWS book is an excellent starting point for AWS beginners, as it includes in-depth explanations of the core AWS services, namely compute, storage, networking, and security. You’ll also learn how these all fit together. 

Our findings show that the book covers a wide range of topics, including networking services, EC2, cloud storage, Identity and Access Management (IAM), serverless computing with Lambda, and more.

We also appreciate that the lessons in this book are accompanied by training videos, making it ideal for those who prefer to learn with visual aids.

You’ll also be pleased to know that the author is certified in Amazon Web Services (Architecture and Sys-Ops), and he has over a decade of experience working with companies like IBM.

Features

• In-depth explanation of core AWS services
• Access to corresponding video lessons
• Ideal AWS foundational training material
• Access to a regularly updated web edition

3.AWS for System Administrators

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Why we chose this book

Our research revealed that this is an excellent choice for more experienced AWS users that want a practical approach to learning AWS systems admin. We also found that it offers a comprehensive overview of AWS networking and monitoring tools such as VPC, load balancers, auto-scaling, and more.

This book is also ideal if you prefer a practical approach, as it includes lessons on building software using the two-tier startup architecture approach. These lessons teach ways to build scalable and cost-effective applications.

One thing to bear in mind is that you’re expected to have basic knowledge of both AWS and Linux, so it’s great for AWS improvers.

Features

• Comprehensive guide to advanced cloud concepts for AWS
• Learn the two-tier startup architecture approach
• Clear explanations and practical examples
• Assumes knowledge of basic Linux and AWS

4.Accelerating DevSecOps on AWS

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Why we chose this book

Based on our observations, this is one of the best AWS developer books for DevOps practitioners and developers alike, as it provides practical guidance on using Chaos Engineering and AIOps techniques. It also covers topics like security, automation, and monitoring.

By following along with the lessons in this book, you can build your confidence in using tools like CloudFormation, AWS Codestar, AppMesh, Proton, and CodeGuru. 

We also appreciated the step-by-step instructions and clear explanations, as these make it easy to implement the concepts and techniques covered. You also get access to numerous examples and case studies that provide valuable insights into how to apply DevSecOps practices to real-world scenarios. 

Features

• Comprehensive coverage of DevSecOps on AWS
• Step-by-step instructions and clear explanations
• Real-world examples and case studies
• Access to download code snippets

5.The Hybrid Cloud Handbook for AWS

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Why we chose this book

This AWS book is ideal for anyone looking to gain a solid foundation in cloud networking, and our findings show that the author does an excellent job of clearly explaining the difference between traditional networking and cloud networking.

You can also expect an in-depth treatment of AWS networking topics like securing AWS networks, load balancing AWS networking lightning rounds, and more.

This book is also a great resource for visual learners, as it contains many colorful illustrations to reinforce key concepts. Plus, the explanations are concise and straight to the point.

Finally, you’ll also benefit from the author’s extensive experience working in military networking and for companies like Cisco and Aviatrix. This all shines through in the practicality of the lessons and examples.

Features

• Authored by a networking expert with 15+ years of experience
• Covers a range of AWS networking topics
• Concise and straightforward explanations
• Includes colorful images for easy visualization

6.AWS Security

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Why we chose this book

Author, Dylan Shields, draws from his experience working on security teams at Amazon, Facebook, and Google to provide valuable insights into topics such as identity and access management (IAM), data protection in the cloud, logging and audit trails, and continuous monitoring.

Our findings show that this book not only explains security concepts in-depth but also provides implementation details. The latter part of the book, which covers securing a real-world application, allows readers to put the concepts they’ve learned into practice, making it an excellent choice for those who prefer hands-on learning.

Features

• Written by a Senior Security Engineer at Amazon
• Insights on available AWS security solutions
• Includes how-to guides
• Ideal for those who prefer hands-on learning

7.Amazon Redshift Cookbook

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Why we chose this book

Amazon Redshift is widely regarded as one of the most effective cloud-based data warehousing services available. Through our practical knowledge and experience, we know how challenging it can be to navigate and optimize performance without a proper guide.

That’s why we thoroughly recommend this cookbook, as we found it provides step-by-step solutions to common problems in data management, making it an invaluable resource.

The authors of this book are all Senior Engineers at Amazon and have firsthand experience in developing and working with Amazon Redshift. So expect to get the best information on essential aspects of Amazon Redshift, like architecture, data management, performance optimization, security, scalable data orchestration for automation, and cost optimization. 

Features

• Comprehensive guide to Amazon Redshift
• Step-by-step walkthroughs
• Includes best practices for working with big data
• Ideal for data professionals

8.AWS: Amazon Web Services for Beginners

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Why we chose this book

The world of cloud computing can be intimidating to newcomers. That’s why we recommend this book as a starting point for anyone curious about AWS. Our findings show that this book explains complex concepts in a way that is easy to understand, making it accessible to absolute beginners.

You also get the benefit of several diagrams and practical examples to help cement your understanding of complex topics, making it an engaging read. What’s more, the author assumes no prior knowledge of AWS or cloud computing, so it’s a great resource for anyone looking to break into the field.

By the end of this AWS book, you’ll have a solid understanding of the basic architecture of Amazon Web Services and be familiar with essential features such as EC2, auto-scaling, AWS workspaces, AWS lambda, EBS, Amazon VPC, and more.

Features

• Ideal for absolute beginners to AWS
• Explains general cloud computing concepts
• Engaging and easy to understand
• Includes diagrams and practical examples

9.Security and Microservice Architecture on AWS

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Why we chose this book

If you’ve spent any time working in cloud development, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the natural synergy between the cloud and microservices. Based on our observations, this book is an excellent solid introduction to microservice architecture, security, and how to achieve this with AWS for robust and scalable applications.

Expect to cover important security concepts such as encryption, authentication, and authorization, and, of course, how to implement these in an AWS environment. This book also includes practical exercises, such as applying the principle of least privilege and encryption with AWS KMS.

By the end of this book, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to design, deploy, and secure scalable microservices-based applications on AWS.

Features

• Hands-on example and exercises
• Covers essential security concepts in AWS
• Includes lots of diagrams and screenshots
• Assumes basic knowledge of AWS

10.AWS Security Cookbook

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Why we chose this book

If you’re interested in the field of cloud security, our research indicates that this is a great resource for experienced AWS users to dive deeper into AWS security concepts. You also get the added benefit of practical solutions to common AWS security challenges via the standard recipe format for a cookbook.

From our experience, each recipe has a getting ready section that’s helpful to outline the requirements, followed by a detailed step-by-step guide. We found that this format allows readers to quickly find and apply the solution to their specific problem.

Expect to cover some key topics, including identity and access management (IAM), data protection on Amazon S3 and KMS, network security with VPC, EC2, and more.

As an added bonus, the code examples in the book are available for download via GitHub or the publisher’s website. They’ve even added a link to colored versions of every screenshot and diagram that’s used in the book.

Features

• Practical solutions to common AWS security challenges
• Clear and concise explanations
• Code examples available for download
• Requires prior knowledge of AWS
• Link to colored screenshots/diagrams for better visualization

11.Mastering AWS CloudFormation

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Why we chose this book

With the continued growth in DevOps and Infrastructure as Code (IaC), AWS CloudFormation has become an essential service for managing and provisioning AWS infrastructure. If you need to learn this valuable skill, this is a solid choice. 

Based on our experience with this book, you’ll learn how to write templates, deploy stacks, implement CI/CD using AWS CodeBuild and CodePipeline, and handle deployment failures. You’ll also explore how to extend CloudFormation using AWS SAM and the AWS cloud development kit (CDK).

We should point out that the author assumes you have existing experience on the Amazon Cloud Platform.

Features

• Comprehensive guide to AWS CloudFormation
• Code examples available for download
• Learn CI/CD best practices
• Requires prior knowledge of AWS

12.Learn AWS Serverless Computing

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Why we chose this book

As more organizations migrate to the cloud, serverless computing has become increasingly popular to reduce costs and increase scalability, making this book an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about serverless computing on AWS. 

The author provides a comprehensive guide to AWS Lambda, Amazon's serverless compute service, and the AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM), which simplifies the deployment of serverless applications.

Our findings show that this book covers designing serverless architectures, building event-driven systems, handling authentication and authorization, testing, debugging, and more. You also get a range of practical examples with Node.js, Java, Python, and C#. 

Overall, the author does an excellent job of breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand terms while also providing plenty of code samples to help readers get started with serverless.

Features

• Comprehensive guide to AWS Lambda and SAM
• Practical examples and case studies included
• Suitable for both beginners and experienced learners
• Hands-on approach to learning
• Code examples in multiple languages

13. AWS for Solutions Architects

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Why we chose this book

As one of the primary careers for those interested in AWS, this book is ideal for aspiring solution architects. Our findings show that it covers a range of relevant topics, including data lake patterns, containers, networking, and storage in AWS.

You’ll also learn about topics that are gaining more traction in the industry, such as microservices architectures, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain in AWS.

This is not just a theoretical book about AWS, as it also provides a practical guide to building an app in AWS. This includes everything from setting up AWS accounts and selecting the right programming language to deploying the app.

This book’s well-structured and organized approach makes it easy for readers to understand complex topics. The chapters are presented logically, building on each other for a smooth learning experience.

Features

• Ranked #1 new release on Amazon
• Great choice for a reference book
• Well-structured and organized for easy learning
• Comprehensive guide on basic and advanced topics

How to Choose the Best AWS Books in 2023?

While the community at Hackr.io regularly submits tutorials and learning resources, our editorial team rigorously evaluates our choices for recommendations. We considered the following while researching Amazon Web Services books to read, and we recommend you consider them as well:

Author’s credentials: We found authors with extensive experience in AWS and related fields. Our evaluations ensured that they have the necessary expertise to provide you with the knowledge you need.

Level of experience: Choose a book that aligns with your skill level. If you’re just starting out, look for beginner-friendly books. And if you’re an experienced AWS user, a more advanced book might be a better fit. Our evaluation included books for all skill levels.

Reviews from previous readers: We evaluated first-person reviews from our community and from sites like Amazon. This provides valuable insights into the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

Preferred learning style: Some books are more hands-on with practical examples, while others take a more theoretical approach. Choose a book that matches your preferred style of learning.

Final Thoughts

The AWS cloud platform has become one of the dominant forces in the cloud space, providing more than 200 cost-effective and scalable cloud services that can help organizations of all shapes and sizes build and manage their infrastructure and applications.

And as the prevalence of cloud computing is only set to expand as we move into 2023 and beyond, learning valuable AWS skills can be a shrewd move for anyone that’s looking to stay ahead of the curve in the modern development space.

To help you on your AWS learning journey, this article has covered the 13 best AWS books you need to read in 2023. This includes a range of AWS services for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. So whatever your goals, there’s something for you on our list.

Applying for AWS jobs and want to feel ready? Check out these:

AWS Interview Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I Learn AWS in 3 Months?

The speed at which you can learn AWS is dependent on your experience and background. If you have a technical background and are familiar with cloud computing concepts, then it's possible to learn AWS in 3 months. However, like most technical skills, the longer you spend working and learning in the field, the more experienced and comfortable you will become.

2. Can I Learn AWS in 2 Days?

Unless you’re already an expert in something like Azure or GCP, it is very unlikely that you can learn AWS in two days. Learning AWS takes time and effort, and it's recommended to start with the basics and gradually work your way up.

3. Is AWS Easy or Tough?

This depends on your experience and the complexity of your tasks. Some AWS services are relatively straightforward, while others can be more complex. For example, S3 is used by individuals that want cloud storage, making it easy to learn and use, while EC2 may be confusing if you’re not familiar with the concept of a server.

4. Is AWS Good for Beginners?

Yes, various AWS services are beginner-friendly. And there are many resources, such as documentation, books, and courses to help new users get started. AWS also offers a free tier that allows users to experiment with the platform without incurring any costs.

5. Does AWS Require Coding?

This depends on the particular services you are using. While some AWS services require coding skills, many can be used without coding. It's essential to check the documentation and requirements of each service before starting.

6. Can I Run Python Code on AWS?

Yes, you can run Python code on many different AWS services, including EC2 and Lambda. AWS also offers many tools and services to help developers deploy and manage Python applications.

7. Is It Common for People to Fail the AWS Exam?

If you want to become an AWS certified cloud practitioner, proper preparation and understanding of the particular exam format are needed to help you have the best chance of passing an AWS certification exam. We’d also recommend taking preparation classes, like this excellent AWS prep course on Udemy.

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