AWS + OpenTofu Level 100: Infrastructure as Code from Zero
Level 100 — Build Real AWS Infrastructure with Declarative Code
A progressive hands-on lab series that teaches AWS fundamentals and OpenTofu together. Start from understanding cloud infrastructure, then provision, secure, network, and troubleshoot real AWS environments using declarative Infrastructure as Code.
Learning Path Curriculum
6 Core Modules • 15 Detailed GuidesFoundations & First Steps
Understand AWS fundamentals, set up your first OpenTofu project, and learn the declarative infrastructure workflow.
AWS Fundamentals Before Infrastructure as Code
Understand AWS accounts, regions, availability zones, ARNs, the shared responsibility model, and why Infrastructure as Code exists.
Your First OpenTofu Project
Set up an OpenTofu project, configure the AWS provider, create an S3 bucket, and learn the complete init/plan/apply/destroy lifecycle.
Storage & Configuration Patterns
Build secure S3 storage, learn variables and outputs, and discover AWS resources with data sources.
Build a Proper S3 Bucket with Security Defaults
Configure S3 versioning, encryption, public access blocks, and ownership controls using OpenTofu resource arguments and nested blocks.
Variables, Outputs & Locals
Replace hardcoded values with variables, expose infrastructure attributes with outputs, and compute derived values with locals.
Data Sources & AWS Discovery
Query existing AWS infrastructure with data sources, discover availability zones dynamically, and look up AMI IDs without hardcoding.
Compute & Identity Security
Launch EC2 instances, configure IAM roles with least privilege, and enable secure management through Systems Manager.
Launch Your First EC2 Instance
Provision an EC2 instance with a security group, understand AMIs, instance types, and EBS volumes, and learn resource references and dependency graphs.
Secure EC2 Management with IAM & SSM
Create IAM roles and instance profiles, enable Systems Manager Session Manager, and eliminate SSH key management entirely.
IAM Policies & Least Privilege
Write granular IAM policies with Principal, Action, Resource, and Effect. Understand trust policies, permission boundaries, and explicit deny.
Networking & Troubleshooting
Build custom VPCs, place EC2 instances in your own network, and develop systematic network troubleshooting skills.
VPC Fundamentals
Design and provision a VPC with CIDR blocks, public and private subnets, route tables, an Internet Gateway, and security groups.
EC2 Inside Your Own VPC
Combine VPC, subnets, route tables, Internet Gateway, security groups, and EC2 into a functioning network with full resource dependency chains.
Security Groups & Network Troubleshooting
Debug intentionally broken infrastructure by diagnosing missing routes, blocked ports, stateless NACL traps, and absent public IPs.
State Management & Operations
Understand how OpenTofu tracks infrastructure with state, detect configuration drift, and import existing resources.
Understanding OpenTofu State
Deconstruct the terraform.tfstate JSON file. Master state inspection commands, resource metadata tracking, sensitive data handling, and state manipulation.
Drift Detection & Resource Import
Detect out-of-band ClickOps changes with tofu plan and refresh, reconcile infrastructure drift, and adopt unmanaged AWS resources into code using the modern import block.
Capstone Projects
Combine all Level 100 knowledge to build complete AWS environments and solve infrastructure requirements independently.
Build a Mini AWS Environment
Assemble VPC, multi-AZ subnets, EC2 web servers, IAM least-privilege, SSM access, and S3 into a complete modular environment with variables, locals, outputs, and validation.
Final Level 100 Challenge
The ultimate capstone exam: Design and provision a compliant AWS environment from an unassisted RFP specification, remediate live drift, and execute a zero-waste audit.