Amazon Web Services (AWS) glossary
Key Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification terms and acronyms.
Definitions are AI-assisted and reviewed for general accuracy — verify critical details against Amazon Web Services (AWS)'s official documentation.
AMIAmazon Machine Image
Pre-configured template containing the OS, application software, and configuration required to launch an EC2 instance.
API GatewayAmazon API Gateway
Managed service for creating, publishing, and securing REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs at any scale.
Aurora Global Database
An Amazon Aurora feature that replicates data across up to five AWS regions with typical replication lag under one second for disaster recovery.
Auto Scaling
An AWS feature that automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances or other resources based on defined scaling policies.
Auto Scaling
AWS feature that automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances in a group based on demand or defined schedules.
Auto ScalingAmazon EC2 Auto Scaling
Service that automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances in a group based on demand or a defined schedule.
Auto Scaling
An AWS capability that automatically adjusts the number of compute resources (EC2, ECS tasks, DynamoDB capacity) based on demand or scheduled policies.
AWS WAFAWS Web Application Firewall
An AWS managed firewall service that filters malicious web traffic using customizable rules before it reaches applications.
AWS Well-Architected Framework
A set of AWS best practices organized into six pillars—operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and sustainability.
AZAvailability Zone
One or more discrete data centers within an AWS Region, each with independent power, cooling, and networking to provide fault isolation.
AZAvailability Zone
One or more discrete, isolated data centers within an AWS Region, each with independent power, cooling, and networking.
BGPBorder Gateway Protocol
The standard exterior routing protocol used to exchange routing information between autonomous systems, required for Direct Connect and VPN configurations on AWS.
Blue/Green Deployment
A deployment strategy that runs two identical environments and shifts traffic from the old version to the new version.
CapExCapital Expenditure
Upfront spending on physical infrastructure owned by an organization, contrasted with the OpEx model used in cloud computing.
CIDRClassless Inter-Domain Routing
A method for allocating IP addresses and routing using variable-length subnet masking, represented as an IP address and prefix length.
CIDRClassless Inter-Domain Routing
An IP address allocation method that uses a prefix length to define network and host portions, used to specify VPC and subnet address ranges.
CloudFormation
An AWS IaC service that provisions and manages AWS resources using declarative JSON or YAML templates called stacks.
CloudFormationAWS CloudFormation
Infrastructure-as-code service that provisions and manages AWS resources using JSON or YAML templates.
CloudFormationAWS CloudFormation
Infrastructure-as-code service that provisions and manages AWS resources using declarative JSON or YAML templates.
CloudFront
An AWS content delivery network (CDN) that distributes content globally through edge locations to reduce latency.
CloudFront
AWS content delivery network (CDN) service that distributes content to users through a global network of edge locations.
CloudTrail
An AWS service that records API calls and account activity as log files, supporting compliance and auditing requirements.
CloudTrailAWS CloudTrail
Service that logs API calls and account activity across AWS infrastructure for auditing, compliance, and troubleshooting.
CloudWatch
An AWS monitoring and observability service that collects metrics, logs, and events from AWS resources and applications.
CloudWatchAmazon CloudWatch
AWS monitoring service that collects metrics, logs, and events from AWS resources and applications, enabling alarms and automated actions.
CloudWatch
AWS monitoring and observability service for collecting metrics, logs, and events from AWS resources and applications.
CodeDeployAWS CodeDeploy
Deployment service that automates application deployments to EC2, Lambda, and on-premises servers.
CodePipelineAWS CodePipeline
Fully managed CI/CD service that automates the build, test, and deploy phases of a release pipeline.
CognitoAmazon Cognito
Service providing user authentication, authorization, and user management for web and mobile applications via User Pools and Identity Pools.
ConfigAWS Config
Service that continuously records AWS resource configurations and evaluates them against desired rules for compliance and change tracking.
CORSCross-Origin Resource Sharing
A browser security protocol that uses HTTP headers to allow or restrict web applications from making cross-origin requests.
Cost ExplorerAWS Cost Explorer
Tool that visualizes, understands, and forecasts AWS costs and usage over time with filtering by service, account, and tag.
Data Sovereignty
The principle that data is subject to the laws and governance of the jurisdiction in which it resides, influencing AWS region selection for regulated workloads.
Dead Letter Queue
An SQS or SNS queue that receives messages that could not be successfully processed after a maximum number of attempts.
Direct Connect
A dedicated private network connection from an on-premises data center to AWS, bypassing the public internet for consistent bandwidth and lower latency.
DynamoDB
AWS fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database service offering single-digit millisecond performance at any scale.
DynamoDBAmazon DynamoDB
Fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database service that delivers single-digit millisecond performance.
EBSElastic Block Store
AWS block-level storage volumes that attach to EC2 instances and persist independently from the instance lifecycle.
EBSElastic Block Store
Block-level storage volumes that attach to EC2 instances and persist independently from the instance lifecycle.
EBSElastic Block Store
A persistent block storage service designed for use with EC2 instances, surviving instance stops and reboots.
EC2Elastic Compute Cloud
An AWS service that provides resizable virtual server instances in the cloud billed by the second or hour.
EC2Elastic Compute Cloud
AWS service that provides resizable virtual machine instances in the cloud with various CPU, memory, and storage configurations.
ECRAmazon Elastic Container Registry
Fully managed Docker container image registry that integrates with ECS and other AWS services.
ECSElastic Container Service
A fully managed container orchestration service that runs Docker containers on clusters of EC2 instances or AWS Fargate.
ECSAmazon Elastic Container Service
Fully managed container orchestration service that runs Docker containers on a cluster of EC2 instances or AWS Fargate.
EFSElastic File System
AWS managed, scalable NFS file system that can be mounted concurrently by multiple EC2 instances across Availability Zones.
Elastic BeanstalkAWS Elastic Beanstalk
PaaS service that automatically handles deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and scaling for web applications.
ELBElastic Load Balancing
AWS service that distributes incoming application traffic across multiple targets such as EC2 instances, containers, or IP addresses.
ELBElastic Load Balancing
AWS service that automatically distributes incoming traffic across multiple targets such as EC2 instances, containers, or IP addresses.
ELBElastic Load Balancing
An AWS service that automatically distributes incoming application traffic across multiple targets such as EC2 instances.
EventBridge
A serverless event bus service that routes events from AWS services, SaaS applications, or custom sources to targets such as Lambda or Step Functions.
Fargate
A serverless compute engine for ECS and EKS that runs containers without requiring provisioning or management of underlying EC2 instances.
GSIGlobal Secondary Index
A DynamoDB index with a partition key and optional sort key different from the base table, enabling alternate query patterns.
GuardDuty
A managed AWS threat detection service that continuously analyzes CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs to identify malicious activity.
Health DashboardAWS Health Dashboard
Service that provides personalized information about AWS service events and planned changes that may affect your account's resources.
IAMIdentity and Access Management
AWS service for managing users, groups, roles, and policies that control access to AWS resources.
IAMIdentity and Access Management
An AWS service that controls authentication and authorization for AWS resources through users, groups, roles, and policies.
IAMIdentity and Access Management
AWS service for managing users, groups, roles, and policies that control access to AWS resources.
IAMAWS Identity and Access Management
Service for managing authentication and authorization to AWS resources through users, roles, and policies.
IAMIdentity and Access Management
The AWS service used to manage authentication and authorization for users, groups, roles, and policies across AWS resources.
Idempotency
The property of an operation whereby performing it multiple times produces the same result as performing it once.
JWTJSON Web Token
A compact, URL-safe token standard used to represent claims between two parties, commonly for API authorization.
KMSKey Management Service
A managed AWS service for creating and controlling cryptographic keys used to encrypt data across AWS services.
KMSAWS Key Management Service
Managed service for creating and controlling cryptographic keys used to encrypt data across AWS services.
KMSKey Management Service
Managed service for creating and controlling cryptographic keys used to encrypt data across AWS services and custom applications.
KMSKey Management Service
AWS managed service for creating and controlling cryptographic keys used to encrypt data across AWS services.
Lake Formation
An AWS service that simplifies building, securing, and managing data lakes on S3 by centralizing access control and data cataloging.
Lambda
A serverless AWS compute service that runs code in response to events without requiring provisioning or managing servers.
Lambda
AWS serverless compute service that runs code in response to events without provisioning or managing servers.
LambdaAWS Lambda
Serverless compute service that runs code in response to events without requiring server provisioning or management.
MFAMulti-Factor Authentication
A security mechanism requiring users to provide two or more verification factors to access an AWS account or resource.
Multi-AZMulti-Availability Zone
Deployment configuration that replicates resources across two or more Availability Zones to provide high availability and automatic failover.
NACLNetwork Access Control List
A stateless firewall at the subnet level in a VPC that evaluates inbound and outbound traffic using numbered allow/deny rules.
NACLsNetwork Access Control Lists
Stateless, optional firewall layer at the subnet level in a VPC that evaluates inbound and outbound traffic using numbered rules.
NAT GatewayNetwork Address Translation Gateway
An AWS managed service in a public subnet that allows instances in private subnets to initiate outbound internet traffic without accepting inbound connections.
OpExOperational Expenditure
Ongoing, pay-as-you-go costs for services consumed, which is the primary pricing model for AWS cloud services.
OUOrganizational Unit
A logical grouping of AWS accounts within AWS Organizations used to apply SCPs and simplify account management at scale.
Parameter StoreAWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
A service for securely storing and retrieving configuration data and secrets as named parameters with optional encryption.
Parameter StoreAWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Managed hierarchical key-value store for configuration data and secrets, supporting plain text and SecureString values encrypted with KMS.
Placement Group
EC2 logical grouping strategy that influences instance placement; types include cluster, spread, and partition for different performance or resilience needs.
PrivateLink
An AWS networking service that exposes VPC-hosted services to other VPCs or on-premises networks over private IP addresses without traversing the internet.
RDSRelational Database Service
Managed service that sets up, operates, and scales relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server in AWS.
RDSRelational Database Service
AWS managed service that sets up, operates, and scales relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle in the cloud.
RDSRelational Database Service
A managed AWS service that sets up, operates, and scales relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Reserved Instance
An EC2 billing option where committing to a 1- or 3-year term provides a significant discount over On-Demand pricing.
Route 53Amazon Route 53
Scalable AWS DNS and domain registration service that supports routing policies such as failover, weighted, and latency-based routing.
Route 53
AWS scalable DNS and domain registration service that routes end-user requests to AWS or on-premises endpoints.
RPORecovery Point Objective
The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, determining how frequently backups or replication must occur.
RPORecovery Point Objective
The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time that a system can tolerate after a failure.
RTORecovery Time Objective
The maximum acceptable length of time to restore a system or service to operational status after a failure.
RTORecovery Time Objective
The maximum acceptable duration of downtime after a disaster, used to define backup and failover strategy requirements.
S3Simple Storage Service
AWS object storage service offering high durability, scalability, and fine-grained access control for storing and retrieving data.
S3Simple Storage Service
An AWS object storage service offering high durability and scalability for storing and retrieving any amount of data.
S3Simple Storage Service
AWS object storage service offering high durability and scalability for storing and retrieving any amount of data via HTTP/HTTPS.
S3 Replication
An S3 feature that automatically copies objects between buckets in the same region (SRR) or across regions (CRR) for compliance, latency, or DR purposes.
SAMAWS Serverless Application Model
Open-source framework and CloudFormation extension that simplifies defining and deploying serverless applications.
SCPService Control Policy
An AWS Organizations policy type that sets maximum permission boundaries for accounts or OUs, regardless of IAM policies granted within those accounts.
Secrets ManagerAWS Secrets Manager
Service that stores, rotates, and retrieves secrets such as database credentials and API keys.
Security Group
Stateful virtual firewall applied at the instance level that controls inbound and outbound traffic using allow rules only.
Security Group
A stateful virtual firewall applied at the resource level (e.g., EC2 instance) controlling inbound and outbound traffic rules.
Shared Responsibility Model
An AWS framework defining that AWS secures the infrastructure (security of the cloud) while customers secure their data and configurations (security in the cloud).
SLAService Level Agreement
A formal commitment by AWS defining minimum uptime percentages and remedies if those thresholds are not met.
SNSSimple Notification Service
A fully managed AWS pub/sub messaging service that sends notifications to subscribers via email, SMS, or HTTP endpoints.
SNSSimple Notification Service
AWS fully managed pub/sub messaging service that sends notifications to subscribing endpoints or clients.
SNSAmazon Simple Notification Service
Fully managed pub/sub messaging service that sends messages to subscribing endpoints or clients.
SNSSimple Notification Service
Fully managed pub/sub messaging service that sends notifications to subscribers via email, SMS, SQS, Lambda, and HTTP endpoints.
Spot Instance
Unused EC2 capacity available at up to 90% discount compared to On-Demand prices, but can be interrupted by AWS with a two-minute warning.
SQSAmazon Simple Queue Service
Fully managed message queuing service that decouples and scales microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications.
SQSSimple Queue Service
Managed message queuing service that decouples components by storing messages until they are processed by consumers.
SQSSimple Queue Service
AWS fully managed message queuing service that decouples and scales distributed application components.
SQSSimple Queue Service
A fully managed AWS message queuing service that decouples distributed application components for asynchronous communication.
StackSet
A CloudFormation feature that deploys stacks across multiple AWS accounts and regions with a single operation.
Systems ManagerAWS Systems Manager
Operations service providing visibility and control over AWS infrastructure through features like Session Manager, Patch Manager, and Parameter Store.
TCOTotal Cost of Ownership
A financial estimate of all direct and indirect costs of a system, used to compare on-premises versus cloud deployments.
Transit Gateway
A regional network transit hub that connects multiple VPCs, VPNs, and Direct Connect attachments through a single managed gateway.
Trusted AdvisorAWS Trusted Advisor
Tool that inspects an AWS environment and provides recommendations across cost optimization, security, fault tolerance, and performance.
TTLTime to Live
A DynamoDB feature that automatically deletes items after a specified expiry timestamp, reducing storage costs.
VPCVirtual Private Cloud
Logically isolated virtual network within AWS where you launch resources with control over IP ranges, subnets, and routing.
VPCVirtual Private Cloud
A logically isolated virtual network within AWS where you can launch resources with defined IP ranges, subnets, and routing.
VPCVirtual Private Cloud
A logically isolated virtual network in AWS where you can launch resources with full control over IP ranges, subnets, route tables, and gateways.
VPCVirtual Private Cloud
A logically isolated virtual network in AWS where you can launch resources with full control over IP ranges, subnets, routing, and gateways.
WAFWeb Application Firewall
An AWS managed firewall service that filters HTTP/HTTPS traffic to CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, or AppSync based on configurable rules.
Well-Architected Framework
AWS's set of best practices and design principles organized into six pillars for building secure, resilient, efficient, cost-effective, sustainable, and operationally excellent systems.
Well-Architected Framework
AWS guidance document defining best practices across six pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability.
X-RayAWS X-Ray
Distributed tracing service that helps developers analyze and debug production and distributed applications.