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AWS Getting Started — Zero to Deployed

First-day path for a brand-new AWS account: sign up, secure it, set budgets, launch a server, connect from your laptop, and deploy a web application.

Learning path

  1. From Zero to Deployed Guide
  2. Formatted HTML version

What the guide covers

  • Creating and securing an AWS account (root + MFA)
  • Billing budgets and free-tier alerts (day-one safety)
  • Console tour: regions, services, CloudShell
  • IAM admin user and AWS CLI setup on your PC
  • Launching your first free-tier EC2 instance
  • SSH from Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Running Nginx / a Node.js app on the server
  • Security groups, ports, and public access
  • SSH port forwarding for private services
  • Elastic IPs, EBS snapshots, monitoring
  • Stop vs terminate, cleanup, and cost traps
  • Troubleshooting the classic beginner errors

Quick navigation

Topic Section
Account creation Guide
Root MFA Guide
Budgets and alerts Guide
IAM admin + CLI Guide
First EC2 launch Guide
SSH connection Guide
Run a web app Guide
Ports and security groups Guide
Port forwarding Guide
Avoiding surprise bills Guide
Troubleshooting Guide 
Create account + MFA
   ↓
Budgets and free-tier alerts
   ↓
IAM admin user + AWS CLI
   ↓
Launch free-tier EC2 + security group
   ↓
SSH from your PC + update server
   ↓
Install Nginx / run your app
   ↓
Open port 80 -> browser test
   ↓
Learn port forwarding + stop instance
   ↓
Deepen with EC2 and IAM guides

New to AWS entirely? Start here. Already have an account and want deeper networking or permissions? Go to the EC2 or IAM guides.

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