How to use an AWS account

What is an AWS account?

An Amazon Web Services (AWS) account is an Amazon.com account with AWS enabled. Through the AWS Management Console provided with the account, users can access AWS solutions including a broad set of global, on-demand cloud-based compute, storage, database, analytics, application and deployment services. Once logged in, users can also access the AWS marketplace where they find, test, buy and deploy thousands of third-party software solutions that run on AWS. By simply logging into their account, users can view AWS account activity, view usage reports and manage AWS security credentials.

There is no fee to create an account with AWS enabled. In fact, when an AWS is enabled on an account, users gain access to AWS Free Tier to explore the services such as EC2 and S3 and more for a full year as well as gain unlimited access to many other solutions. Fees incurred are based on the number and volume of services used beyond the Free Tier’s limits.

To learn about and experiment with AWS services, a personal Amazon.com account is recommended. A professional Amazon.com account is recommended for usage at a business or enterprise level to manage production workloads and business-critical dependencies.

Amazon accounts can be created quickly online.

How to create an AWS account

1. Create an account
   1. Provide email address
   2. Choose a password
   3. Provide contact information
   4. Set preferences
2. Add a payment method
   1. Verify phone number
   2. Provide a phone number that can be used to accept incoming phone calls
   3. Validate phone number by requesting a system-generated call and entering provided PIN on phone’s keypad when the call comes in
3. Select an AWS support plan – Basic, Developer, Business or Enterprise
   1. Basic – included for all AWS customers
   2. Developer – recommended for users who are experimenting or testing in AWS
   3. Business – recommended for users who have production workloads in AWS
   4. Enterprise – recommended for users who have business-critical workloads in AWS