IAM (Users, Groups, Policies, Roles) - AWS Free Tier usage - Console vs CLI

🚀 AWS Basics Explained Like You're 5
By: AWSomevikash,

Learning AWS? Let’s break down 3 important topics in the simplest way possible — with human examples and stories you won’t forget!

🔐 IAM (Identity and Access Management)

Imagine AWS is a school, and inside that school are different rooms — like the Library (S3), Computer Lab (EC2), and Science Lab (RDS).

Now:

• Users = Students or Teachers. Everyone gets their own login.

• Groups = Classrooms. A bunch of users with the same rules (permissions).

• Policies = Permission Cards. These cards say things like: "You can read the books in the library but not use the lab."

• Roles = Temporary Superhero Coats. You wear it to do a special job, then take it off.

🧑‍💻 Example:

• Raju is a developer who uses EC2 → He’s a user.

• Seema is a tester who can only view files in S3 → Another user with a different policy.

• A Lambda function needs to read from S3 → It puts on a role to do that.

🎁 AWS Free Tier = A Welcome Gift Box

When you create a new AWS account, they give you a free gift box. Inside are free usage limits for 12 months.

Each item has a limit:

• EC2: 750 hours/month (tiny server)

• S3: 5 GB storage

• Lambda: 1 million function calls/month

• RDS: 750 hours of free database time

But just like chocolates in a gift box — if you eat more than what’s inside, you’ll be charged. So, monitor your usage regularly!

OR

🎓 Real-Life AWS IAM Example:

Let’s imagine three characters using AWS:

👉 Raju is a Developer
He can create and manage servers on EC2.
(Raju is an IAM User with EC2 permissions)

👉 Seema is a Tester
She can only view data in S3, nothing else.
(Seema is an IAM User with read-only S3 permissions)

👉 Lambda Function is like a Robot
It needs to read images from S3 to do its job.
(Lambda uses an IAM Role with S3 read access)

Tip:
Open your Billing Dashboard on AWS and set up alerts so you never get a surprise bill.

🖥️ Console vs CLI

Let’s say AWS has two ways to talk to it:

1. Console = Like a game menu. You click, scroll, and use your mouse. Great for beginners.

2. CLI (Command Line Interface) = Like casting magic spells. You type commands, and AWS listens. Great for automation.

Example:
To create a storage bucket using CLI, you just write:

bash

CopyEdit

aws s3 mb s3://my-first-bucket

Quick, powerful, and no clicking around!

🧠 Summary (in plain words)

• IAM lets you decide who can do what in AWS.

• Free Tier is your starter pack, but you have to stay within limits.

• Console is easy and visual, CLI is powerful and fast.

#90DaysOfDevOps #LinuxAdmin #DevOps