Gaurav Gupta | 29 Jul, 2023

10 Best AWS Projects to Better your Learning

Ever since its inception in 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the uncontested leader in the cloud computing niche. AWS has more than 30% of the entire cloud computing market, which is even more than the combined market share of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, the no.2 and no.3 among the cloud computing providers.

Amazon Web Services is the digital services offered by the FAANG firm, Amazon. It provides on-demand cloud computing services to individuals and organizations of all sizes and even to governments. The pricing follows a flexible pay-as-you-go basis.

Due to AWS’s immense popularity, it is only natural that its skills are in high demand. As such, learning the cloud computing platform can lead to a lucrative career. Here we’ve compiled a list of the ten best AWS projects to help you learn and advance in AWS, plus followed by a section detailing why developers shower AWS with so much love. So, let’s start.

10 Best AWS Projects

1: Build a Website Using AWS Lightsail

Expected Time to Complete - 20 to 30 minutes
Level - Beginner
Objective(s)

  • To build a simple website using a popular CMS, like WordPress.

If you want to become a cloud computing professional in AWS, start working on simple projects. The website you need to build in this project will require you to use Amazon Lightsail, a virtual private server from AWS.

In this project, begin with signing up for the AWS platform and then access the Lightsail service. The main reason for using AWS Lightsail to create a website is that it comes pre-configured with leading CMSs, including WordPress, Magento, Joomla, and Redmine.

By using a CMS, it will be easier for you to create and deploy a website. If you are new to web development or don’t want to create a website by writing code from scratch, it will be better to use a CMS to get the website up and running in no time.

If you are interested in building a website without using a CMS, Lightsail virtual servers are highly suitable. You get the flexibility to choose from a wide range of operating systems for your virtual server along with support for a wide range of development technologies, including Node.js, LAMP stack, MEAN stack, Django, and Nginx.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

2: Deploy a Virtual Linux/Windows Machine

Expected Time to Complete - 20 to 30 minutes
Level - Beginner
Objective(s)

  • To launch virtual Linux and Windows machines separately with Amazon Lightsail.

One of the most important things you should know as a cloud computing professional is configuring and launching a virtual machine.

This project aims to launch a Windows virtual machine and a Linux virtual machine by creating two distinct instances. As this project is one of the simplest AWS projects out there, you will be able to complete it with relative ease.

To get started with this AWS project, access the Amazon Lightsail service after signing up for an AWS account. Lightsail allows you to create an instance and configure it as per your preferences.

While configuring the instance, you will be required to choose one of the two platforms offered by it, i.e., Windows and Linux/Unix. Next, you would be prompted to choose the OS for your virtual machine. While the process for launching the Windows virtual machine and Linux virtual machine is the same, it would be great to create separate instances for both.

The biggest advantage of virtual machines is that you can run multiple operating systems on a single machine using them, which comes quite handy as a developer.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

3: Build a Serverless Web Application

Expected Time to Complete - 4 to 6 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To create a basic serverless web app using various AWS services.

Web applications are highly popular as they can integrate advanced features and deliver a great user experience. Also, a serverless web application handles the back-end of the application effortless for the app developers.

This project aims at building a serverless web application with AWS. The biggest benefit you will get working on this project is that you will become familiar with the AWS platform’s potential.

For accomplishing the project, you should have knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript for creating the web resources for your application.

The project will help you get familiar with several AWS products and services, namely AWS Amplify, Amazon Cognito, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and Amazon DynamoDB.

We recommend you choose a simple web application like a to-do list app for this project as this will make it easier for you to understand the process of building and deploying a serverless web app on AWS.

Within the project, you will use AWS Amplify to host your app’s static web resources, while Amazon Cognito will help you with user authentication and management. You will leverage RESTful APIs built using AWS Lambda and API Gateway for the back-end of the app. All the app data handled using API calls will be stored and managed with DynamoDB.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

4: Create and Deploy a React Web Application

Expected Time to Complete - 3 to 5 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To build a full-stack React web application.

React is one of the most popular Javascript libraries used for building the UI of both web and mobile applications. The front-end development technology is developed and maintained by Facebook, which is another reason for its widespread popularity.

By working on this project, you will develop your skills as a React developer and AWS cloud computing professional.

The project requires you to create a full-stack React application by making use of AWS Amplify. It’s important to know that AWS Amplify allows you to build, deploy, and host serverless web applications.

There will be several steps that you have to follow to complete this project. First, host the React app on AWS Amplify.Next, integrate the authentication to the app using Amazon Cognito.

Once the front-end and authentication part is done, create appropriate APIs to enable the app to add, read, modify, and delete data. You can use GraphQL to develop RESTful API for your application.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03

5 - Build a Content Recommendation System

Expected Time to Complete - 3 to 5 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To build a content recommendation system using Amazon SageMaker.

If you are interested in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), developing a content recommendation system is what you should consider seriously. By working on this project, you will learn how Amazon SageMaker builds, trains, and deploys ML models.

The content recommendation system create within this project will require you to use the k-Nearest Neighbours Algorithm provided by Amazon SageMaker. You can use the algorithm to develop a model that will enable the content recommendation system to provide meaningful suggestions.

To make sure that you complete this project without facing any significant challenges, divide it into multiple phases. First set up the environment with the Amazon SageMaker Notebook instance and prepare the dataset to be used. In the later phases, train and deploy the topic model first and then the content recommendation model.

After developing the content recommendation system, test it and observe if its suggestions are reliable.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

6: Big Data Analysis Using Apache Hadoop

Expected Time to Complete - 2 to 4 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To deploy a Hadoop cluster and process a vast amount of sample data using the Hive script.

Big Data analytics is one of the professional skills that are high in demand. This project will help you get familiar with Amazon EMR, which helps process huge amounts of data using different tools. The AWS project aims to process an extensive amount of sample data using Apache Hadoop and HiveQL.

To get started with the project, the first s set up Amazon EMR to launch an Amazon EMR cluster. It is better to put some time into understanding the EMR workflow to accomplish the project faster.

Once the Amazon EMR cluster is set up, use the HiveQL script to process the large quantities of data stored in the Amazon S3 bucket. The resulting dataset needs to be loaded to an output bucket on Amazon S3, from where you will be able to download the dataset to your local machine.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

7: Create a Chatbot With Amazon Lex

Expected Time to Complete - 3-5 hours
Level - Advanced
Objective(s)

  • To build and deploy a chatbot using Amazon Lex.

For anyone interested in working in the field of artificial intelligence, this project is highly recommended. During building a chatbot, you will be able to implement various artificial intelligence concepts and see how they are used in real-world applications.

To build a chatbot, use Amazon Lex, an AWS service available specifically for the development of voice and text-based conversational interfaces.

The chatbot that you need to build in this project should generate automated responses for users’ queries.

While configuring a chatbot, pay special attention while adding the intents, making it possible to decide the invocation phrases.

To ensure that your chatbot works fine, test it by starting conversations with it from its intended users’ perspective. Make sure that the conversations are around the intent that you selected for the chatbot while configuring it.

The best thing about developing chatbots with Amazon Lex is that you can easily deploy them on different platforms. Also, it’s quite convenient to train the chatbot by providing relevant phrases.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

8: Create or Migrate a Git Repository on AWS

Expected Time to Complete - 1-2 hours
Level - Beginner
Objective(s)

  • To use AWS CodeCommit to create a private Git repository or migrate an existing Git repository.

Version control systems are of extreme importance for developers because they make it possible to streamline the overall development process. Version control is essential for both individuals and teams to review code before committing it.

Now, you may be aware that Git is among the most popular version control software tools out there. This project requires to use AWS CodeCommit, which is a platform for hosting Git-based repositories.

In this project, you need to either migrate an existing Git repository to CodeCommit or host an unversioned project stored locally on your machine. You need to create a private Git repository using AWS CodeCommit, where you will host the code.

Before you jump in and start working on this project, you need some things beforehand. These include an AWS account and an existing Git repository or a local project. Also, experience working with Git would be a plus for you and make it easier to understand and complete it.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

9: Launch a Drupal Website

Expected Time to Complete - 2 to 4 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To set up a Drupal blog (website) and maintain all the website data with Amazon RDS.

It is another popular AWS project related to website development that you can add to your portfolio. In this AWS project, you will deploy and launch a website powered by Drupal. Being one of the most popular content management systems (CMS), Drupal makes it extremely easy to create and manage complex websites.

For storing and handling the Drupal website’s data, use a relational database, which you can set up using Amazon RDS. Get yourself familiar with the advantages of the cloud relational database offered by Amazon RDS, such as the ability to scale up easily with the increase in website traffic.

To launch the Drupal website, create an instance on Amazon EC2. Also, configure both the Drupal website and RDS database to make sure that the website launches and works without any issue.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

10: Build a Simple Android App

Expected Time to Complete - 2 to 4 hours
Level - Intermediate
Objective(s)

  • To create a simple Android application using Amazon AWS Amplify.

The demand for Android developers is quite high and is one of the most lucrative careers for computer science students. You can make yourself more valuable as an Android developer by learning to develop Android apps using cloud-based tools and services provided by Amazon AWS.

This project will help you get hands-on experience building a basic Android app using AWS Amplify. While working on this project, you will learn various steps essential for creating and deploying an app with Amazon AWS.

You will learn to manage a serverless cloud backend using the command line interface of AWS Amplify. Also, you will have to enable the authentication feature in the app using Amazon Cognito. One more key thing you will be doing within this project is to add API and database for the app using GraphQL.

Overall, this project will enhance your knowledge about the AWS services required for building and launching Android apps. Also, by completing this project, you will be able to level yourself as a cloud computing professional.

Reference Free Projects @GitHub:

Why is Developers Love Working with AWS?

Many reasons tech professionals trust AWS as their reliable partner are the most important being the cloud computing industry’s market leader.

According to a 2018 survey conducted by Accenture, developers consider AWS the most future-looking platform. Also, developers who participated in the survey perceived AWS as a highly developer-friendly platform.

Here are some of the main characteristics of AWS that will justify it is highly popular among the devs:

  • AWS Auto Scaling feature allows developers to automate the resources required with the change in demand.
  • Employs advanced security measures to ensure complete user data protection.
  • The pay-as-you-go model makes it extremely budget-friendly.
  • The AWS Free Tier account gives access to certain AWS resources for free.

What are your reasons to prefer AWS? Let us know in the comments section below.

Conclusion

AWS has been a leader in the cloud computing space, and there are no signs of it stepping down from the designation anytime soon. So, treading on the learning AWS path is a fruitful decision but requires determination, the will to do hard work, and passion for trying repeatedly.

The AWS projects mentioned in this article will help you advance with cloud computing technology and make it a beneficial endeavor.

Stuck somewhere? Let us help by dropping your comments down below. You can also share which AWS project(s) you find the most helpful/useless here.

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By Gaurav Gupta

Gaurav was one of the earliest software developers at SlideShare-LinkedIn which was followed by working for companies like Naukri.com, Educomp, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research etc. He is a techie not only by profession but also my passion and believes that going online is the future of education.

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