Week 1 — Cloud Foundations: building your base layer

Get the basics right before you dive into cloud environments

Author

Vishakha Sadhwani
September 04, 2025

In partnership with

Hola Inner Circle,

Welcome to Week 1.

We’re kicking off with a quick crash course on the cloud.

If you’re already familiar with these fundamentals, feel free to skim through and use this as a refresher. From next week, we’ll dive deeper into details.

If you’re new, this will give you the right kickstart for your cloud journey (at least that’s the plan 🤞).

Think of this as a “what, how, and need-to-know” primer with resources for you to explore further. I’m not going into intense detail here — that’s for later — but you’ll walk away with a solid mental framework.

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Week 1: Cloud Foundations

(Don’t open your free cloud account just yet — avoid burning those credits before you’re ready)

Let’s go..

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1. What is Cloud Computing?

5 things you should know:

  1. On-demand access → You can spin up servers, databases, or storage whenever you need them.

  2. Scalability → Start small, scale big. No need to buy servers upfront.

  3. Global reach → Providers like AWS, GCP, Azure & OCI run data centers worldwide.

  4. Managed services → You don’t have to worry about hardware failures, patching, or cooling systems.

  5. Pay for what you use → Just like your electricity or Wi-Fi bill.

Busting Common Myths:

  • Myth: "The cloud is free." This idea comes from the provider's "free tier," which offers limited resources to help you get started. In reality, the cloud operates on a pay-as-you-go model, and costs can escalate quickly if you exceed those free limits.

  • Myth: "The cloud is just someone else’s computer." You're not just renting a server; you're accessing a mature platform for infrastructure and software delivery.

  • Myth: "The cloud has no security issues." dangerously false assumption!! It’s based on the "Shared Responsibility Model" ~ where the cloud provider secures the infrastructure (the cloud itself), but you are always responsible for securing your data and applications in the cloud.

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2. Deployment Models

  • Public Cloud → Shared infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI). Example: Taking a bus — cheap, reliable, but shared with everyone.

  • Private Cloud → Owned by one company and runs in their data center. Example: Owning a car — you have full control, but it's costly to maintain.

  • Hybrid Cloud → A mix of public and private. Example: Driving your car but taking the metro when traffic is bad. There’s also multi-cloud which means using more than one public cloud provider. Example: Having both Uber and Lyft on your phone to pick based on price and wait time.

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3. Service Models

Three ways cloud services are offered (there are extensions top) — but for now let’s focus on these three:

Think of it as levels of control vs. convenience:

  • IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) → You rent the raw infrastructure (servers, storage, networking). You configure everything on top. Example: Amazon EC2.

  • PaaS (Platform as a Service) → The platform is ready; you just bring your code and deploy. No need to worry about infra setup. Example: Google App Engine.

  • SaaS (Software as a Service) → Fully managed software you just log in and use. No infra, no code deployment. Examples: Gmail, Zoom, Salesforce.

You need to know this.. I had a direct question around it (IaaS vs SaaS) during my interview and I had some real struggle explaining it. So GET THIS RIGHT!

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4. On-Prem vs. Cloud

  • On-Prem (CAPEX) → A big upfront cost. You buy the servers, set up the racks, and handle power & cooling. Think of it as a capital expense.

  • Cloud (OPEX) → Pay-as-you-go. Like renting instead of buying. This is an operational expense, which is easier on the cash flow, especially for startups.

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5. Intro to SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

Every project follows a cycle. A simplified flow looks like this:

  • Dev → Test → Deploy → Release

Developers write code → Testers validate it → It gets deployed to a production environment → It's released to users. Understanding this flow helps you see where all the different cloud and DevOps tools fit in.

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6. Git Basics

Git is a version control system used to track changes in code.

It lets you save different versions, roll back if needed, and collaborate with others without overwriting each other’s work.

  • Start with these commands: git init, git clone, git commit, git push, git pull.

  • Why it matters: Every single DevOps and cloud role requires Git. No exceptions.

Resource: Check out this detailed roadmap here (with labs and projects you can practice on).

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7. Linux Basics

Your terminal is your navigation compass in the cloud. Almost everything you do in cloud and DevOps roles will involve Linux in some way.

  • Navigation: cd, ls, pwd

  • Files: cat, touch, rm, cp, mv

  • Why it matters: The vast majority of cloud infrastructure runs on Linux. Getting comfortable in the terminal is non-negotiable.

Resource: Another roadmap with more details alongside labs and projects

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8. Cloud Access Methods

There are three main ways you'll interact with cloud providers:

  • Web Console (UI) → Point-and-click in your browser. It’s easy to start with and great for visualizing services.

  • CLI (Command-Line Interface) → The power tool. Perfect for scripts and automation, and much faster for repetitive tasks.

  • SDKs (Software Development Kits) → For developers. They use SDKs to integrate cloud services directly into their applications (e.g., using the Python SDK for AWS).

Resources:

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9. Billing Concepts

  • Pay-as-you-go → You only pay for the resources you actively use.

  • Free Tier → Limited resources you can use for practice (but be careful, the limits can run out and result in a bill).

  • Budgets & Alerts → Always set these up from day one to avoid any surprise bills.

Resources:

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Action Items for Week 1

  • Work through the first few levels from the roadmaps linked above.

  • Open a terminal and practice the basic Linux navigation and file commands.

  • Watch the linked videos on how to access a cloud environment using the UI vs. the CLI.

  • Watch <your-fav-cloud> specific video on cloud billing basics and learn how to set a budget alert.

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Conclusions

That’s your TL;DR for Week 1.

If some of these concepts feel basic, good — they should. But don’t skip them. Every advanced cloud skill builds on these fundamentals.

So this week, focus on Git, Linux, cloud basics, and billing awareness.

Next week, we’ll start applying these concepts inside the cloud provider environments — IAM, networking, and policies.

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