AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) Exam Guide

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Below follows a compilation of resources I used to study and pass the exam. Hope you find it useful. To support my work, I appreciate if you can take a minute to share the post on social and tag me to acknowledge this was useful for you.
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Exam Overview
| Level | Foundational |
|---|---|
| Length | 130 minutes |
| Cost | 150 USD (Visit Exam Pricing Page for more information) |
| Format | 65 multiple choice or multiple response questions |
| Delivery Method | Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored exam. |
| Passing Score | 700/1000 |
| Passing Percentage | 70% |
For more details about the exam, how to schedule the exam and what to expect before, during and after the exam, follows the link below to the exam details page.
| Exam | Link |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam | Exam Details |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide | Exam Guide |
Exam Content Outline
Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design secure access to AWS resources.
Knowledge of:
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Access controls and management across multiple accounts
- AWS Organizations: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/index.html
- Consolidated Billing and Cost Allocation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/consolidated-billing.html
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AWS federated access and identity services
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/iam/index.html
- AWS Single Sign-On (AWS SSO): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon/latest/userguide/what-is.html
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AWS global infrastructure
- AWS Global Infrastructure: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
- AWS Regional Services List: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/regional-product-services/
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AWS security best practices
- AWS Security Best Practices: https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/aws-security-best-practices/
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) Best Practices: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/best-practices.html
-
The AWS shared responsibility model:
- [AWS Shared Responsibility Model: https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/shared-responsibility-model/
Task Statement 2: Design secure workloads and applications.
Knowledge of
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Application configuration and credentials security:
- AWS Secrets Manager: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/index.html
- AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/latest/userguide/systems-manager-parameter-store.html
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AWS service endpoints:
- AWS Service Endpoints: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/rande.html
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Control ports, protocols, and network traffic on AWS:
- Security Group Rules: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/VPC_SecurityGroups.html
- Network Access Control Lists (ACLs): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/vpc-network-acls.html
-
Secure application access:
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/iam/index.html
- AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/waf/index.html
-
Security services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon Cognito: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cognito/index.html
- Amazon GuardDuty: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/guardduty/index.html
- Amazon Macie: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/macie/index.html
-
Threat vectors external to AWS:
Task Statement 3: Determine appropriate data security controls
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Data access and governance:
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/iam/index.html
- AWS Organizations: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/index.html
-
Data recovery:
- AWS Backup: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/backup/index.html
- Amazon S3 Object Lifecycle Management: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lifecycle-mgmt.html
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Data retention and classification:
- Amazon S3 Object Lock: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lock.html
- Amazon S3 Glacier: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazonglacier/latest/dev/introduction.html
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Encryption and appropriate key management:
- AWS Key Management Service (KMS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kms/index.html
- Amazon S3 Server-Side Encryption: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/serv-side-encryption.html
Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design scalable and loosely coupled architectures.
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API creation and management:
-
AWS managed services with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Transfer Family: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/transfer/index.html
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/welcome.html
- AWS Secrets Manager: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/index.html
-
Caching strategies:
- Amazon ElastiCache: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/red-ug/WhatIs.html
-
Design principles for microservices:
- Building Microservices on AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/hands-on/build-modern-app-fargate-lambda-dynamodb-python/
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Event-driven architectures:
- AWS Event-Driven Architecture: https://aws.amazon.com/event-driven-architecture/
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Horizontal scaling and vertical scaling:
- Autoscaling in AWS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/index.html
-
Edge accelerators (CDN):
- Amazon CloudFront: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/index.html
-
Migration of applications into containers:
- AWS Containers: https://aws.amazon.com/containers/
-
Load balancing concepts:
- Application Load Balancer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/application/introduction.html
-
Multi-tier architectures:
- Building Multi-Tier Applications in AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/hands-on/build-multitier-application/
-
Queuing and messaging concepts:
- Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/index.html
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/welcome.html
-
Serverless technologies and patterns:
-
Storage types with associated characteristics:
-
Orchestration of containers:
- Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonECS/latest/developerguide/Welcome.html
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/index.html
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Read replicas:
- Amazon RDS Read Replicas: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_ReadRepl.html
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Workflow orchestration:
- AWS Step Functions: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/step-functions/latest/dg/welcome.html
Task Statement 2: Design highly available and/or fault-tolerant architectures
-
AWS global infrastructure:
- AWS Global Infrastructure: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
- AWS Regions and Availability Zones: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/regions_az/
-
AWS managed services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon Comprehend: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/comprehend/index.html
- Amazon Polly: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/polly/index.html
-
Basic networking concepts:
- Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/index.html
- Amazon Route 53: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/route53/index.html
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Disaster recovery (DR) strategies:
- AWS Disaster Recovery: https://aws.amazon.com/disaster-recovery/
- AWS Backup: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/backup/index.html
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Distributed design patterns:
- Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices: https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/AWS_Cloud_Best_Practices.pdf
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Failover strategies:
- Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices: https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/AWS_Cloud_Best_Practices.pdf
-
Immutable infrastructure:
- Infrastructure as Code: https://aws.amazon.com/devops/infrastructure-as-code/
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Load balancing concepts:
- Application Load Balancer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/application/introduction.html
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Proxy concepts:
- Amazon RDS Proxy: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/rds-proxy.html
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Service quotas and throttling:
- AWS Service Quotas: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/servicequotas/index.html
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Storage options and characteristics:
-
Workload visibility:
- AWS X-Ray: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/xray/index.html
Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures
Task Statement 1: Determine high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions
-
Hybrid storage solutions to meet business requirements:
- AWS Storage Gateway: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/index.html
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Storage services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon S3: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html
- Amazon Elastic File System (EFS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/index.html
- Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/index.html
-
Storage types with associated characteristics:
Task Statement 2: Design high-performing and elastic compute solutions
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AWS compute services with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Batch: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/batch/index.html
- Amazon EMR (Elastic MapReduce): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/index.html
- AWS Fargate: https://aws.amazon.com/fargate/
-
Distributed computing concepts supported by AWS global infrastructure and edge services:
- AWS Global Infrastructure: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
- Amazon CloudFront (Content Delivery Network): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/index.html
-
Queuing and messaging concepts:
- Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/index.html
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/welcome.html
-
Scalability capabilities with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/index.html
- AWS Auto Scaling: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/index.html
-
Serverless technologies and patterns:
- AWS Lambda: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/index.html
- AWS Fargate: https://aws.amazon.com/fargate/
-
The orchestration of containers:
- Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonECS/latest/developerguide/Welcome.html
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/index.html
Task Statement 3: Determine high-performing database solutions.
-
AWS global infrastructure (Availability Zones, AWS Regions):
- AWS Global Infrastructure: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
- AWS Regional Services List: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/regional-product-services/
-
Caching strategies and services (Amazon ElastiCache):
- Amazon ElastiCache: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/index.html
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Data access patterns (read-intensive compared with write-intensive):
-
Database capacity planning (capacity units, instance types, Provisioned IOPS):
- Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html
-
Database connections and proxies:
- Managing Connections with Amazon RDS Proxy: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/rds-proxy.html
-
Database engines with appropriate use cases (heterogeneous migrations, homogeneous migrations):
- AWS Database Migration Service: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/dms/index.html
-
Database replication (read replicas):
- Amazon RDS Read Replicas: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_ReadRepl.html
-
Database types and services (serverless, relational compared with non-relational, in-memory):
- Amazon Aurora: https://aws.amazon.com/rds/aurora/
- Amazon DynamoDB: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/Introduction.html
Task Statement 4: Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures
-
Edge networking services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon CloudFront: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/index.html
- AWS Global Accelerator: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/index.html
-
How to design network architecture (subnet tiers, routing, IP addressing):
- Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/index.html
- VPC Networking: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/VPC_Networking.html
-
Load balancing concepts:
- Application Load Balancer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/application/introduction.html
-
Network connection options:
- AWS VPN (Virtual Private Network): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpn/index.html
- AWS Direct Connect: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directconnect/index.html
- AWS PrivateLink: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/endpoint-services-overview.html
Task Statement 5: Determine high-performing data ingestion and transformation solutions
-
Data analytics and visualization services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon Athena: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/athena/index.html
- AWS Lake Formation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/index.html
- Amazon QuickSight: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/quicksight/index.html
-
Data ingestion patterns (frequency):
- AWS DataSync: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/datasync/index.html
- AWS Storage Gateway: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/index.html
-
Data transfer services with appropriate use cases:
- AWS DataSync: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/datasync/index.html
- AWS Storage Gateway: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/index.html
-
Data transformation services with appropriate use cases:
-
Secure access to ingestion access points:
- AWS Security: https://aws.amazon.com/security/
-
Sizes and speeds needed to meet business requirements:
- AWS Data Transfer: https://aws.amazon.com/data-transfer/
-
Streaming data services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon Kinesis: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kinesis/index.html
Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design cost-optimized storage solutions
-
Access options (S3 bucket with Requester Pays object storage):
- Requester Pays Buckets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/RequesterPaysBuckets.html
-
AWS cost management service features:
- AWS Cost Management Features: https://aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management/features/
-
AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Cost Explorer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/cost-explorer.html
- AWS Budgets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/budgets-managing-costs.html
- AWS Cost and Usage Report: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/ce-what-is.html
-
AWS storage services with appropriate use cases:
- Amazon FSx: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/index.html
- Amazon EFS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/index.html
- Amazon S3: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html
- Amazon EBS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/index.html
-
Backup strategies:
- AWS Backup: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/backup/index.html
-
Block storage options (HDD volume types, SSD volume types):
- Amazon EBS Volume Types: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ebs-volume-types.html
-
Data lifecycles:
- Amazon S3 Object Lifecycle Management: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lifecycle-mgmt.html
-
Hybrid storage options (DataSync, Transfer Family, Storage Gateway):
- AWS DataSync: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/datasync/index.html
- AWS Transfer Family: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/transfer/index.html
- AWS Storage Gateway: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/index.html
-
Storage access patterns:
- Amazon S3 Data Consistency Model: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/dev/Introduction.html#ConsistencyModel
-
Storage tiering (cold tiering for object storage):
- Amazon S3 Storage Classes: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/storage-class-intro.html
-
Storage types with associated characteristics:
Task Statement 2: Design cost-optimized compute solutions
-
AWS cost management service features:
- AWS Cost Management Features: https://aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management/features/
-
AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Cost Explorer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/cost-explorer.html
- AWS Budgets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/budgets-managing-costs.html
- AWS Cost and Usage Report: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/ce-what-is.html
-
AWS global infrastructure (Availability Zones, AWS Regions):
- AWS Global Infrastructure: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
- AWS Regional Services List: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/regional-product-services/
-
AWS purchasing options (Spot Instances, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans):
- AWS Spot Instances: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-spot-instances.html
- AWS Reserved Instances: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-reserved-instances.html
- AWS Savings Plans: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/index.html
-
Distributed compute strategies (edge processing):
- AWS IoT Greengrass: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/greengrass/index.html
-
Hybrid compute options (AWS Outposts, AWS Snowball Edge):
- AWS Outposts: https://aws.amazon.com/outposts/
- AWS Snowball Edge: https://aws.amazon.com/snowball-edge/
-
Instance types, families, and sizes:
- Amazon EC2 Instance Types: https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/
- Amazon EC2 Instance Families: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/instance-types.html
-
Optimization of compute utilization (containers, serverless computing, microservices):
- AWS Containers: https://aws.amazon.com/containers/
- AWS Lambda: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/index.html
- AWS Microservices: https://aws.amazon.com/microservices/
-
Scaling strategies (auto scaling, hibernation):
- Auto Scaling: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/index.html
- Hibernation for Amazon EC2 Instances: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/Hibernate.html
Task Statement 3: Design cost-optimized database solutions.
-
AWS cost management service features:
- AWS Cost Management Features: https://aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management/features/
-
AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Cost Explorer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/cost-explorer.html
- AWS Budgets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/budgets-managing-costs.html
- AWS Cost and Usage Report: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/ce-what-is.html
-
Caching strategies:
- Amazon ElastiCache: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/index.html
-
Data retention policies:
- Amazon S3 Object Lifecycle Management: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lifecycle-mgmt.html
-
Database capacity planning (capacity units):
- Amazon RDS Capacity Planning: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_BestPractices.html#CHAP_BestPractices.CapacityPlanning
-
Database connections and proxies:
- Managing Connections with Amazon RDS Proxy: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/rds-proxy.html
-
Database engines with appropriate use cases (heterogeneous migrations, homogeneous migrations):
- AWS Database Migration Service: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/dms/index.html
-
Database replication (read replicas):
- Amazon RDS Read Replicas: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_ReadRepl.html
-
Database types and services (relational compared with non-relational, Aurora, DynamoDB):
- Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html
- Amazon Aurora: https://aws.amazon.com/rds/aurora/
- Amazon DynamoDB: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/Introduction.html
Task Statement 4: Design cost-optimized network architectures
-
AWS cost management service features:
- AWS Cost Management Features: https://aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management/features/
-
AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases:
- AWS Cost Explorer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/cost-explorer.html
- AWS Budgets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/budgets-managing-costs.html
- AWS Cost and Usage Report: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/ce-what-is.html
-
Load balancing concepts (Application Load Balancer):
- Application Load Balancer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/application/introduction.html
-
NAT gateways (NAT instance costs compared with NAT gateway costs):
-
Network connectivity (private lines, dedicated lines, VPNs):
- AWS Direct Connect: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directconnect/index.html
- AWS Site-to-Site VPN: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpn/latest/s2svpn/Welcome.html
-
Network routing, topology, and peering (AWS Transit Gateway, VPC peering):
-
Network services with appropriate use cases (DNS):
Additional resources
Below follows the list of additional resources that you can use in your study.
Best of Luck and share your results with the community once you get certified! 😊💪