DevOps on AWS: Operate and Monitor

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/devops-aws-operate-monitor

Introduction

### Course Review: DevOps on AWS: Operate and Monitor **Provider:** Coursera **Instructor:** [Instructor Name] **Duration:** [X weeks] **Level:** Intermediate **Price:** [Check Coursera for pricing options] --- **Overview:** The "DevOps on AWS: Operate and Monitor" course is the final installment in a comprehensive series designed for aspiring DevOps professionals looking to hone their skills in cloud environments. This course embraces the operational and monitoring aspects of the DevOps lifecycle, focusing specifically on utilizing AWS services effectively. Understanding how to manage and optimize your deployment pipelines and production environments is essential for ensuring operational excellence, and this course provides the tools and knowledge necessary to do just that. --- **Course Syllabus:** **Week 1: Monitoring with Amazon CloudWatch** The first week of the course begins by revisiting crucial topics from the preceding modules in the DevOps series, creating a solid foundation for new learners and a helpful refresher for returning students. You will learn why monitoring is not just beneficial but essential for any operational environment. Key highlights of this week include: - An in-depth exploration of Amazon CloudWatch, which facilitates the monitoring of applications and system-wide performance. - Practical insights will be provided on how to leverage actionable data to respond to performance changes, optimize resource usage, and maintain a unified view of operational health. - Hands-on experience with other AWS monitoring solutions, providing a well-rounded understanding of available tools. **Week 2: Operations and CI/CD Pipeline Management** The second week shifts focus to the operational side of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. This week dives into: - The critical importance of maintaining operational integrity within CI/CD pipelines and how to effectively monitor for unmanaged configurations in your cloud resources. - A blend of AWS solutions and popular third-party open-source tools well-regarded in the DevOps community. This gives students a broader perspective on monitoring practices beyond just AWS offerings. - Practical exercises that include running commands with AWS Systems Manager and routing logs to Amazon CloudWatch, reinforcing learning through real-world applications. --- **Review:** The "DevOps on AWS: Operate and Monitor" course stands out for its structured, hands-on approach to learning. The content is well-organized, progressively building on the foundational knowledge from earlier courses. The integration of theoretical concepts with practical exercises equips students with the tools to effectively monitor and manage AWS resources. One of the biggest advantages of this course is the focus on Amazon CloudWatch, a vital service for anyone working in AWS environments. The course does an excellent job of not just discussing the functionalities available but also showing how to apply them in real scenarios, which is invaluable for grasping the nuances of DevOps operations. Moreover, the inclusion of third-party tools alongside AWS offerings enriches the learning experience, allowing students to evaluate multiple approaches to monitoring and operations, which is a common scenario in the tech industry. --- **Recommendation:** I highly recommend the "DevOps on AWS: Operate and Monitor" course for anyone aiming to solidify their understanding of operational practices in a cloud environment, particularly those already familiar with AWS. The course is suitable for professionals looking to enhance their skillset, as well as for those transitioning into a DevOps role. By the end of the course, participants will have developed a robust understanding of monitoring strategies and operational practices that can greatly impact the efficiency of their deployments. The practical hands-on experience will prepare you to confidently take on challenges in real-world scenarios. Ultimately, if you're serious about a career in DevOps and want to leverage the power of AWS, this course is an essential step on that journey.

Syllabus

Week 1

This week, you will start by reviewing topics covered in the first and second courses of the DevOps on AWS series. You will then learn about the importance of monitoring and why instrumenting your environment is helpful. You will explore how Amazon CloudWatch provides you with data and actionable insights to monitor your applications, respond to system-wide performance changes, optimize resource utilization, and get a unified view of operational health. Lastly, you will get hands-on with other important AWS solutions to monitor pipeline changes.

This week, you will start by learning about the importance of operation in continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and discover how to detect unmanaged configuration changes to your cloud resources. Though this course focused on AWS solutions for DevOps operations and monitoring, you will also learn about third-party, open-source tooling that are well-known and widely used by the DevOps community. Lastly, you will get hands-on and run commands using AWS Systems Manager, and output logs to Amazon CloudWatch.