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AWS SAA-C03 Study Guide

AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) tests whether you can design solutions on AWS that are secure, resilient, fast and cost-effective. It is one of the most widely taken AWS exams and a common step towards cloud architect roles.

  • Exam code SAA-C03
  • Associate level
  • 4 exam domains

This guide is free, with no sign-up. It explains every AWS SAA-C03 exam topic in plain English, one chapter at a time. Read them in order or jump straight to the topic you need.

  • 4chapters
  • 23topics
  • 10diagrams and exhibits
  • 1 h 56 minfast track
Start with Design Secure Architectures
  • Every topic follows the same simple pattern: what it is, how it works, common mistakes
  • Diagrams and real command output where a picture explains it best
  • Exam tips and worked subnetting and IPv6 practice, with answers

How the exam is weighted

Each domain is worth this share of the exam, so spend your study time in proportion. Select a domain to open its chapter.

Chapters

Open a chapter to see its topics and how long each takes.

1Design Secure Architectures6 topics · 31 min fast trackIAM and federation, network and application security, encryption, and data protection and retention.
  1. 1IAM Identities and Policies5 min
  2. 2Multi Account Access and Federation5 min
  3. 3Network Security and Edge Protection5 min
  4. 4Application Security and Threat Detection5 min
  5. 5Encryption with KMS and Certificates6 min
  6. 6Data Protection, Backup and Retention5 min
Read the chapter overview →
2Design Resilient Architectures5 topics · 26 min fast trackLoose coupling, serverless and containers, load balancing and scaling, high availability, and disaster recovery
  1. 1Loose Coupling with Queues and Events5 min
  2. 2Serverless and Microservices on AWS5 min
  3. 3Load Balancing and Auto Scaling5 min
  4. 4High Availability and Fault Tolerance6 min
  5. 5Disaster Recovery Strategies5 min
Read the chapter overview →
3Design High Performing Architectures7 topics · 34 min fast trackStorage, compute, databases, global and hybrid networking, plus data ingestion, transformation and analytics.
  1. 1High Performing Storage Solutions5 min
  2. 2Elastic Compute Options5 min
  3. 3High Performing Database Solutions5 min
  4. 4Global Delivery and Edge Networking5 min
  5. 5VPC and Hybrid Connectivity5 min
  6. 6Data Ingestion and Transfer5 min
  7. 7Data Transformation and Analytics4 min
Read the chapter overview →
4Design Cost Optimized Architectures5 topics · 25 min fast trackStorage classes, compute purchase options, database capacity modes, network data transfer and cost management tools.
  1. 1Cost Optimized Storage5 min
  2. 2Cost Optimized Compute5 min
  3. 3Cost Optimized Databases5 min
  4. 4Cost Optimized Networking6 min
  5. 5Cost Visibility and Governance4 min
Read the chapter overview →

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The full AWS SAA-C03 question bank has 823 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.

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