Cloud computing tutorial

Cloud Computing Tutorial: Complete Guide & Hands-on 2025

Last updated: 2025-08-22 • Category: Cloud, Tutorial

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Cloud Computing?
• Key Characteristics of Cloud
• Cloud Deployment Models
• Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
• Cloud Architecture & Components
• Hands-on Lab: Step-by-step Cloud Setup
• Cost Optimization & Billing
• Cloud Security Best Practices
• Compliance, Governance & Policy
• Real-world Cloud Use Cases
• Advanced Topics & Patterns
• DevOps, CI/CD, and Automation
• Monitoring, Performance & Scaling
• Cloud Migration Strategies
• Troubleshooting Common Cloud Issues
• Learning Path & Certifications
• Case Study: Scalable E-commerce Example
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Conclusion & Next Steps

Cloud computing tutorial - learn by doing.

Introduction

Cloud computing is the backbone of modern IT. This tutorial explains cloud computing in simple terms and walks you through practical steps to get started, including hands-on examples and best practices. Whether you are a student, developer, sysadmin, or manager, this guide covers essential theory, real-world applications, and practical labs you can run in 2025.

Cloud computing is the backbone of modern IT. This tutorial explains cloud computing in simple terms and walks you through practical steps to get started, including hands-on examples and best practices. Whether you are a student, developer, sysadmin, or manager, this guide covers essential theory, real-world applications, and practical labs you can run in 2025.

Cloud computing is the backbone of modern IT. This tutorial explains cloud computing in simple terms and walks you through practical steps to get started, including hands-on examples and best practices. Whether you are a student, developer, sysadmin, or manager, this guide covers essential theory, real-world applications, and practical labs you can run in 2025.

What is Cloud Computing?

At its core, cloud computing means delivering compute resources over the internet on-demand. Instead of owning and managing physical servers, organizations rent resources—compute, storage, networking, and services—from cloud providers. This model provides flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency. The major cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and smaller specialised providers.

At its core, cloud computing means delivering compute resources over the internet on-demand. Instead of owning and managing physical servers, organizations rent resources—compute, storage, networking, and services—from cloud providers. This model provides flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency. The major cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and smaller specialised providers.

At its core, cloud computing means delivering compute resources over the internet on-demand. Instead of owning and managing physical servers, organizations rent resources—compute, storage, networking, and services—from cloud providers. This model provides flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency. The major cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and smaller specialised providers.

At its core, cloud computing means delivering compute resources over the internet on-demand. Instead of owning and managing physical servers, organizations rent resources—compute, storage, networking, and services—from cloud providers. This model provides flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency. The major cloud providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and smaller specialised providers.

Key Characteristics of Cloud

Five essential characteristics define cloud computing: On-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. On-demand self-service allows users to provision resources without human interaction. Broad network access means services are available from anywhere with an internet connection. Resource pooling shares physical and virtual resources among multiple customers. Rapid elasticity lets you scale resources up or down, and measured service provides transparency and billing based on usage.

Five essential characteristics define cloud computing: On-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. On-demand self-service allows users to provision resources without human interaction. Broad network access means services are available from anywhere with an internet connection. Resource pooling shares physical and virtual resources among multiple customers. Rapid elasticity lets you scale resources up or down, and measured service provides transparency and billing based on usage.

Five essential characteristics define cloud computing: On-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. On-demand self-service allows users to provision resources without human interaction. Broad network access means services are available from anywhere with an internet connection. Resource pooling shares physical and virtual resources among multiple customers. Rapid elasticity lets you scale resources up or down, and measured service provides transparency and billing based on usage.

Cloud Deployment Models

Cloud deployment models describe how cloud resources are made available. The main models are public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. Public clouds are shared environments managed by third-party providers. Private clouds are dedicated to a single organization and can be hosted on-premises or by a provider. Hybrid clouds combine private and public models to get both security and scalability, while multi-cloud uses multiple providers to avoid vendor lock-in and increase resilience.

Cloud deployment models describe how cloud resources are made available. The main models are public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. Public clouds are shared environments managed by third-party providers. Private clouds are dedicated to a single organization and can be hosted on-premises or by a provider. Hybrid clouds combine private and public models to get both security and scalability, while multi-cloud uses multiple providers to avoid vendor lock-in and increase resilience.

Cloud deployment models describe how cloud resources are made available. The main models are public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. Public clouds are shared environments managed by third-party providers. Private clouds are dedicated to a single organization and can be hosted on-premises or by a provider. Hybrid clouds combine private and public models to get both security and scalability, while multi-cloud uses multiple providers to avoid vendor lock-in and increase resilience.

Cloud deployment models describe how cloud resources are made available. The main models are public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. Public clouds are shared environments managed by third-party providers. Private clouds are dedicated to a single organization and can be hosted on-premises or by a provider. Hybrid clouds combine private and public models to get both security and scalability, while multi-cloud uses multiple providers to avoid vendor lock-in and increase resilience.

Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Cloud service models determine what level of control and responsibility you retain. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources such as virtual machines, networking, and storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a runtime environment for building and deploying applications. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers complete applications over the internet. There are also specialized models like FaaS (Function as a Service) and DBaaS (Database as a Service).

Cloud service models determine what level of control and responsibility you retain. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources such as virtual machines, networking, and storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a runtime environment for building and deploying applications. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers complete applications over the internet. There are also specialized models like FaaS (Function as a Service) and DBaaS (Database as a Service).

Cloud service models determine what level of control and responsibility you retain. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources such as virtual machines, networking, and storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a runtime environment for building and deploying applications. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers complete applications over the internet. There are also specialized models like FaaS (Function as a Service) and DBaaS (Database as a Service).

Cloud service models determine what level of control and responsibility you retain. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources such as virtual machines, networking, and storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a runtime environment for building and deploying applications. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers complete applications over the internet. There are also specialized models like FaaS (Function as a Service) and DBaaS (Database as a Service).

Cloud Architecture & Components

A typical cloud architecture includes front-end clients, applications, middleware, and back-end services like storage, databases, and identity management. Modern cloud architectures emphasize microservices, containers, and serverless functions. Containers package an application with its dependencies to run reliably across environments. Kubernetes orchestrates containers at scale. Serverless abstracts servers completely—developers deploy functions that run on demand.

A typical cloud architecture includes front-end clients, applications, middleware, and back-end services like storage, databases, and identity management. Modern cloud architectures emphasize microservices, containers, and serverless functions. Containers package an application with its dependencies to run reliably across environments. Kubernetes orchestrates containers at scale. Serverless abstracts servers completely—developers deploy functions that run on demand.

A typical cloud architecture includes front-end clients, applications, middleware, and back-end services like storage, databases, and identity management. Modern cloud architectures emphasize microservices, containers, and serverless functions. Containers package an application with its dependencies to run reliably across environments. Kubernetes orchestrates containers at scale. Serverless abstracts servers completely—developers deploy functions that run on demand.

A typical cloud architecture includes front-end clients, applications, middleware, and back-end services like storage, databases, and identity management. Modern cloud architectures emphasize microservices, containers, and serverless functions. Containers package an application with its dependencies to run reliably across environments. Kubernetes orchestrates containers at scale. Serverless abstracts servers completely—developers deploy functions that run on demand.

Hands-on Lab: Step-by-step Cloud Setup

This hands-on section guides you through practical steps: creating a free cloud account, launching a virtual machine, setting up storage, deploying a simple web application, and exploring automation. These labs are provider-agnostic and can be completed on AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Step 1: Create Free Cloud Account

Sign up for the free tier on your chosen provider. Verify your identity, set up MFA (multi-factor authentication), and configure billing alerts. Always enable security checks and budget policies to avoid unexpected costs.

Sign up for the free tier on your chosen provider. Verify your identity, set up MFA (multi-factor authentication), and configure billing alerts. Always enable security checks and budget policies to avoid unexpected costs.

Step 2: Launch a Virtual Machine (VM)

Use the console to launch a VM or instance. Choose a small instance type for learning. Select an OS image (Ubuntu or Amazon Linux). Configure network access (security groups or firewall rules) to allow SSH (port 22) and HTTP (port 80) only from required IPs.

Use the console to launch a VM or instance. Choose a small instance type for learning. Select an OS image (Ubuntu or Amazon Linux). Configure network access (security groups or firewall rules) to allow SSH (port 22) and HTTP (port 80) only from required IPs.

Step 3: Attach Storage and Explore

Attach a block storage volume to your VM. Format and mount the volume. Practice snapshotting the volume to create backups. Learn about object storage (like S3/GCS/Azure Blob) for storing files and backups.

Attach a block storage volume to your VM. Format and mount the volume. Practice snapshotting the volume to create backups. Learn about object storage (like S3/GCS/Azure Blob) for storing files and backups.

Step 4: Deploy a Simple Web App

Install a web server (Nginx or Apache) and deploy a simple HTML page or a small Node.js/Flask app. Test it over HTTP and secure it with HTTPS using Let's Encrypt.

Install a web server (Nginx or Apache) and deploy a simple HTML page or a small Node.js/Flask app. Test it over HTTP and secure it with HTTPS using Let's Encrypt.

Step 5: Explore Managed Databases and Monitoring

Use a managed database service (RDS/Cloud SQL/Managed MySQL). Configure automated backups and retention. Enable monitoring and logging (CloudWatch/Stackdriver) to observe application metrics and set alarms.

Use a managed database service (RDS/Cloud SQL/Managed MySQL). Configure automated backups and retention. Enable monitoring and logging (CloudWatch/Stackdriver) to observe application metrics and set alarms.

Step 6: Automate with IaC (Infrastructure as Code)

Learn Terraform or CloudFormation to define infrastructure declaratively. Write simple templates to provision a VM, network, and storage. Track IaC in version control.

Learn Terraform or CloudFormation to define infrastructure declaratively. Write simple templates to provision a VM, network, and storage. Track IaC in version control.

Step 7: Containerize and Orchestrate

Create a Dockerfile for your app, build an image, and push it to a container registry. Deploy the container to a managed Kubernetes service (EKS/AKS/GKE) or a platform like ECS/Fargate.

Create a Dockerfile for your app, build an image, and push it to a container registry. Deploy the container to a managed Kubernetes service (EKS/AKS/GKE) or a platform like ECS/Fargate.

Cost Optimization & Billing

Cloud cost optimization is crucial. Start with sizing resources appropriately, use reserved instances or savings plans for predictable workloads, turn off non-production resources when not in use, and implement lifecycle policies for storage. Tags help allocate costs to teams and projects. Use cost explorer tools to analyze expenditure and set alerts for anomalies.

Cloud cost optimization is crucial. Start with sizing resources appropriately, use reserved instances or savings plans for predictable workloads, turn off non-production resources when not in use, and implement lifecycle policies for storage. Tags help allocate costs to teams and projects. Use cost explorer tools to analyze expenditure and set alerts for anomalies.

Cloud cost optimization is crucial. Start with sizing resources appropriately, use reserved instances or savings plans for predictable workloads, turn off non-production resources when not in use, and implement lifecycle policies for storage. Tags help allocate costs to teams and projects. Use cost explorer tools to analyze expenditure and set alerts for anomalies.

Cloud Security Best Practices

Security should be part of your cloud design. Use the principle of least privilege, enable strong identity and access management (IAM) policies, enforce MFA, and rotate keys regularly. Encrypt data at rest and in transit, use network segmentation and private subnets for sensitive workloads, and implement automated patching. Regularly run vulnerability scans and penetration tests and maintain an incident response plan.

Security should be part of your cloud design. Use the principle of least privilege, enable strong identity and access management (IAM) policies, enforce MFA, and rotate keys regularly. Encrypt data at rest and in transit, use network segmentation and private subnets for sensitive workloads, and implement automated patching. Regularly run vulnerability scans and penetration tests and maintain an incident response plan.

Security should be part of your cloud design. Use the principle of least privilege, enable strong identity and access management (IAM) policies, enforce MFA, and rotate keys regularly. Encrypt data at rest and in transit, use network segmentation and private subnets for sensitive workloads, and implement automated pa