What is the easiest way to start learning Amazon EC2?

For a beginner looking to get hands-on practice with Amazon EC2, the easiest way to start is with Amazon's beginner-friendly tutorials specifically designed for first-time users.

I recommend starting with "Tutorial 1: Launch my very first Amazon EC2 instance" which takes only about 10 minutes to complete. This tutorial guides you through launching an EC2 instance using default settings in the launch wizard, reviewing the configuration fields, and terminating the instance. It's designed for beginners with no prior EC2 experience.

After completing the first tutorial, you can progress to "Tutorial 2: Launch a test EC2 instance and connect to it." This 30-minute tutorial builds on the basics and teaches you how to launch a test instance, understand essential configuration settings, connect to your instance, and stop it when you're done.

Both tutorials are free tier eligible, meaning they won't cost you anything if you created your AWS account less than 12 months ago and haven't exceeded your Free Tier benefits. The tutorials help you select options that stay within the Free Tier benefits.

For a more structured learning path, you might also consider AWS Educate's "Getting Started Series," which offers self-paced learning covering core cloud concepts including compute (EC2), storage, networking, and security with beginner-friendly explanations and hands-on labs.

Remember to terminate or stop your instances after completing the tutorials to avoid incurring charges beyond the Free Tier limits.
Sources
Tutorial 1: Launch my very first Amazon EC2 instance - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
Tutorials for launching EC2 instances - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
Tutorial 2: Launch a test EC2 instance and connect to it - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
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