Access the Amazon Web Services Academy Learner Lab

Amazon Web Services (AWS) developed the AWS Academy to train people to use its cloud infrastructure. In this exercise, you will log into the Learner Lab that gives you access to a restricted set of AWS services.

Note that you must be invited to an AWS Academy course before being able to log in.

Accessing the Learner Lab

• You will receive an email invitation to an AWS Academy Course. The email will look similar to the following screenshot. Save this email.

• Click the Get Started link in the email.
  • If you do not have a Canvas account, you will need to create an account.
    • Select a password, set the time zone, and create your account.
    • Save this password (ideally in a password manager like Bitwarden).
• The Get Started email link will take you to the specific course you were invited to. The course homepage should look similar to the following.

• You might participate in several courses. You can see all of the AWS Academy courses you are registered in using the Dashboard.

• Amazon automatically names the courses. On the Dashboard, You should give each course a custom nickname that identifies the university course. For example, the screenshot below shows how to give a course the nickname "LL: IS 123 Fall 2026." You might be registered in several courses by different instructors, so setting nicknames will make sure you are doing work in the right environment.

Access the Learner Lab Modules

• Open the Learner Lab course on your Dashboard.

• Open the modules.

• In the Modules section, click the Launch Learner Lab link.

• You will be asked to accept the Acceptable Use Policy the first time accessing these resources. Violation of the Acceptable Use Policy will result in your AWS Academy account being deactivated. Notably, the policy prohibits:

  • Mining cryptocurrency,
  • Hosting sensitive data, such as protected health information,
  • Using the service to run a business, and
  • Doing anything illegal.

• Agree to the terms, and you will see the Learner Lab Console (explained in the next section).

Learner Lab Console

At this point, you should see the Learner Lab Console shown in the screenshot below. This is where you will start and stop your lab environment. Key elements of the interface are identified in the screenshot.

1. AWS Web Console Status. When the lab is started (using the Start Lab button), the web console will start. The status can be one of the following:
   • Red: Stopped
   • Yellow: Starting
   • Green: Running
2. Timer. By default, you have 4 hours to use the lab. After 4 hours, the lab environment will be put to sleep. You can extend the timer at any time by clicking the Start Lab button.
3. Start Lab. Clicking this button will start your AWS lab environment. If the lab is already running, this will extend the current lab session.
4. End Lab. Clicking End Lab will put your lab environment to sleep. Any virtual machines running in the cloud will be saved, but they will stop running. Ending your lab session helps preserve your credits.
5. AWS Details. After starting your lab, clicking this button will show your AWS account details. This is where you find your private key.
6. Readme. This document shows instructions and lab limitations.
7. Cost. Your total accumulated costs will be displayed here. You do not have to pay this amount. You will never be charged for using the Learner Lab. This cost is displayed here to make sure that you are budgeting your use appropriately.
8. Information. The AWS Details and Readme information will load here.
9. Command line interface. You can access AWS environment using a command-line interface. Commands run here are run in the cloud--not on your computer.

AWS Console Startup

The AWS Management Console you will use is the real-life interface that information technology professionals use to manage their cloud environments. This is not a toy environment. It is not a simulation. The set of services you can use has been restricted (mostly to avoid costly services), but there is a tremendous amount you can do with the services provided. In other lessons, you will learn to use these services.

• Click the Start Lab button. It will take a few minutes for the AWS status light to turn green.
• Once the AWS status light turns green, click the AWS Details button. Click the Download PEM and Download PPK links to save your private key. Remember where you save these files because you will need them later.

• Note that .pem and .ppk are just alternate file formats for private keys. You just downloaded one key in two different formats.
• Click the AWS button to open the AWS Management Console in a new browser tab. You should see your user account in the top right corner.

At this point, you are ready to start using the AWS cloud. It is important to remember that the resources created in the AWS cloud may be exposed to the internet, so you should protect the resources using cybersecurity best practices.