Forem: Chidi

# How to Create a VPC and Subnets on AWS

Chidi — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:48:25 +0000

🚀 Beginner’s Guide: How to Create a VPC and Subnets on AWS (Step-by-Step)

If you’re just getting started with AWS networking, creating your first VPC and subnets might sound complicated — but trust me, it’s easier than it looks.

In this guide, you’ll learn step by step how to set up your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and subnets on AWS.

🧠 What’s a VPC?

A VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) is your own private network inside AWS.

Think of it as a virtual data center — you decide the IP ranges, subnets, and how resources talk to each other securely.
Let’s dive in! 👇

🧭 Step 1: Log in to AWS Console

Go to AWS Console and sign in. Once logged in, search for VPC in the search bar and open the VPC Dashboard.

🏗️ Step 2: Create a New VPC

In the VPC Dashboard, click “Create VPC.”
Under Resources to create, select VPC only.
Fill in the details:
- Name tag: MyFirstVPC
- IPv4 CIDR block: 10.0.0.0/16
- Tenancy: Default
Click Create VPC.

✅ Boom! You’ve created your first VPC.

🌍 Step 3: Create Subnets

Subnets divide your VPC into smaller sections — typically one per Availability Zone (AZ) for high availability.

Let’s create three subnets.

On the left panel, click Subnets → Create subnet.
Under VPC ID, select your MyFirstVPC.
Add the following subnets:

Subnet Name	Availability Zone	IPv4 CIDR Block
Public-Subnet-A	us-east-1a	10.0.0.0/24
Public-Subnet-B	us-east-1b	10.0.1.0/24
Private-Subnet-A	us-east-1a	10.0.2.0/24

Click Create subnet.

🌐 Step 4: Enable Auto-Assign Public IP for Public Subnets

This ensures instances in your public subnets can connect to the internet.

Select Public-Subnet-A.
Click Actions → Edit subnet settings.
Enable Auto-assign IP settings → check Auto-assign IPv4.
Save changes.
Repeat for Public-Subnet-B.

🛣️ Step 5: Create and Attach an Internet Gateway

An Internet Gateway (IGW) allows your VPC to communicate with the internet.

In the VPC Dashboard, go to Internet Gateways.
Click Create Internet Gateway.
- Name: MyVPC-IGW
Click Create Internet Gateway, then Attach to VPC → select your MyFirstVPC.

🗺️ Step 6: Update Route Tables

We’ll connect our public subnets to the internet through the Internet Gateway.

Go to Route Tables in the VPC Dashboard.
Select the route table linked to MyFirstVPC.
Under Routes, click Edit routes → Add route:
- Destination: 0.0.0.0/0
- Target: Internet Gateway (MyVPC-IGW)
Click Save changes.
Under Subnet Associations, associate your Public Subnets (A & B) with this route table.

✅ Step 7: Verify Everything

Head back to your VPC → Subnets, and confirm:

You have 3 subnets (2 public, 1 private).
Public subnets have auto-assign IPs enabled.
Your route table connects to the Internet Gateway.

🎉 Congratulations — you’ve successfully created a VPC with subnets on AWS!

"Create an AWS IAM User: A Quick Beginner’s Guide"

Chidi — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 21:15:42 +0000

🛡️ How to Create an IAM User in AWS (Step-by-Step Guide)

Author: chitech

🧩 Step 1: Sign In to AWS Management Console

Go to https://aws.amazon.com/console/.
Log in with your root or admin credentials.
On the search bar, type IAM and open IAM Dashboard.

👤 Step 2: Create a New User

In the left sidebar, select Users → Add users.
Enter a Username (e.g., dev-user).
Under Select AWS access type, choose:
- ✅ Password – AWS Management Console access
- Or, Access key – Programmatic access (for CLI/API use).
Click Next: Permissions.

🔐 Step 3: Assign Permissions

You chose “Attach policies directly” — this means you’re giving the user permissions yourself (not through a group).
You searched for S3 policies and selected AmazonS3FullAccess.
This gives the user full control of all S3 buckets and objects in your account.

Click Next: Tags when done.

Step 4: Review and Create User

This step shows the final review before creating your IAM user.

The user name is AwsChatchteb-1 — you can choose any username you prefer.
The user will log in with a custom password (no reset required).
The AmazonS3FullAccess policy is attached, giving full access to all S3 buckets.
No tags have been added.

Finally, click “Create user” to complete the setup and add the new user to your AWS account.

Step 5: Retrieve Password and Finish Setup

If all your settings are correct, you’ll see this confirmation page — “User created successfully.”

It shows your sign-in URL, username, and password.
You can review the details, but it’s best to download your credentials by clicking “Download .csv file” — this is the only time you can view the password.

Your IAM user is now ready to log in to the AWS Management Console! 🎉

Summary

Creating an AWS IAM user is easy and important for keeping your account secure. Just follow these steps: set up the user, give only the permissions they need, review everything, and save their login info.

Always remember to give the least access necessary to keep your cloud safe. Now your new user can start using AWS securely. Great job! 🎉

How to Deploy a PostgreSQL Database on AWS RDS (Step-by-Step)

Chidi — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 23:41:46 +0000

🚀 Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying PostgreSQL on AWS RDS

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is a managed cloud database service by AWS.

It simplifies setup, maintenance, and scaling of relational databases — handling backups, software updates, monitoring, and scaling automatically.

Using PostgreSQL on RDS gives you the power of an open-source database with AWS automation and reliability.

🧠 Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

✅ An AWS account (free to create)
✅ Basic understanding of PostgreSQL
✅ A SQL client (e.g., DBeaver or PgAdmin) to test your connection

⚙️ Step 1: Open Amazon RDS

Log in to your AWS Management Console.
In the search bar, type RDS and open the RDS service.

🗄️ Step 2: Create a New Database

On the left panel, click Databases,
then Create database. .
Choose PostgreSQL as the engine type.

🧩 Step 3: Configure Database Settings

Choose your preferred PostgreSQL version (e.g., PostgreSQL 14.17-R1).
Under Templates, select Sandbox for demo/testing.
In Settings:
- Enter a unique DB identifier, e.g. postgresql-01.
- Select Self-managed credentials.
- Set your master username and password (keep this safe).

🔌 Step 4: Set Storage and Connectivity

In the instance configuration section, you can set the instance to “db.t3.micro” as we’re currently on demo. Then in the storage section leave all of the options as default values.

Step 4.2: Configure VPC & Networking Options

Keep the following as default values:

Compute resource
Network type
Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
DB subnet group

Step 4.3: Public Access & Security

Set Public access → Yes (to allow connection from your computer).

Leave the following as default:

VPC security group (firewall)
Availability zone

Step 4.4 – Additional Configuration

Database port: 5432

Step 4.5 – Authentication & Monitoring

Authentication: Password (default)
Monitoring: Default settings

Step 5: Launch and Test Connection

Before launching, it's recommended to monitor your AWS account usage to avoid unexpected charges.

When ready, click Create database at the bottom to deploy your PostgreSQL instance.

Step 5.1: Verify Database Creation

After a few minutes, the database list page will appear.

You’ll see a banner confirming your database has been created, and the status will show Available.

Step 6: Connect to Your PostgreSQL Database

Now that your PostgreSQL database is created, let's connect to it.

In this guide, we’ll use the free SQL editor DBeaver, but you can use any editor compatible with PostgreSQL.

Install DBeaver

Go to the official website 👉 https://dbeaver.io/download
Choose your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
Download and install

Step 6.1 – New Connection in DBeaver

Open DBeaver
Click New Connection
Select PostgreSQL → Next

Step 6.2: Get Your Database Connection Details

Next, you’ll need to specify your connection details in DBeaver.

To find them, go back to your AWS RDS Console:

Open the Databases list.
Click on your database name.
On the details page, locate the Endpoint (hostname) and Port.

These details will be used to connect from DBeaver.

Step 6.3 – Hostname Setup

Endpoint (example):
postgresql-01.cd2s88wgqc0p.us-east-2.rds.amazonaws.com

→ Copy and paste into DBeaver “Host” field

Step 6.4 – Database Credentials

Port: 5432

Database: postgres

Username: postgres

Password: (your Postgres DB password)

💡 Tip: Check "Save password locally" to avoid re-entering it each time.

Step 6.5 – Test Connection

Click Test Connection in DBeaver to check if it works.
If you get an error like: it may mean:
The database is not yet fully created → check that the status is Available in Amazon RDS.
Or, inbound connections are not allowed.

✅ To fix this, create or modify a Security Group in Amazon RDS to allow inbound connections on port 5432 from your computer’s IP address.

Step 6.6 – Modify Security Group

To fix the connection issue, go back to your AWS RDS Console.

Open the Databases list.
Click on your database name to open the Details page.
Locate and click on the VPC security group linked to your database.

Step 6.7 – Open VPC Security Group Settings

In the Connectivity & Security tab of your database, locate VPC security groups.
Click on the entry labeled default to open the VPC section.
You’ll see the Security Group associated with your database.
Scroll to the bottom and click the Inbound Rules tab.
On the right side, select Edit Inbound Rules to modify access settings.

Step 6.8 – Edit Inbound Rules

You should now be on the Edit Inbound Rules page.
Locate the existing rule and click the Delete button to remove it.
It’s recommended to delete and recreate the rule instead of modifying it — this helps prevent potential configuration errors later.

Step 6.9 – Add a New Inbound Rule

Click on Add Rule.
In the Type dropdown, select PostgreSQL.
The Protocol and Port Range fields will auto-fill automatically (default: TCP / 5432).
Under Source, choose Anywhere – IPv4 (0.0.0.0/0).
Click Save Rules.
After a few moments, the rule will be saved, and you’ll be redirected back to the Security Groups page.

💡 Tip: You can now press Enter or click the image to view it in full size if you’ve added a screenshot.

Step 6.10 – Test the PostgreSQL Connection Again

Return to DBeaver.
Open your previously created PostgreSQL connection.
Click Test Connection again.
You should now see a “Connection successful” message if everything is configured correctly.

✅ Note: You’ll also notice the new PostgreSQL rule we created at the bottom of the Inbound Rules page in AWS — confirming that external access is now allowed.

Step 6.11 – Confirm Successful Connection

If all goes well, you should see a “Connected” window confirming that the connection to your PostgreSQL database was successful.

Click OK to close the confirmation message.
Then click Finish on the connection setup window.

You’ll now see a new entry in your DBeaver connection list named postgres — this confirms that your database connection has been successfully established. 🎉

Step 7 – Deleting the Database (Optional)

If you no longer need the database, you can delete it. This is also a good way to prevent any future charges on your AWS account.

To do this:

Navigate back to RDS in your AWS Management Console.
If you're still on the Security Group section, use the search bar at the top to search for “RDS.”
Click on Databases on the left sidebar.
On the left side of each database entry, you’ll see a circle (checkbox).
- Select the database you want to delete.

Click on the circle to select the database, and then in the Actions dropdown at the top, select Delete.

If you want to create a snapshot, leave the BOX selected — but I don’t want to do that in this guide, so I’ll uncheck it.

Tick the acknowledge box that appears, and I’ll also uncheck “retain automated backups,” as I don’t want that either.

Finally, type "delete me" into the field at the bottom and click "Delete."

After a few moments, the database will be deleted.

So that’s how you can set up a new Postgres database on Amazon RDS, connect to it from your SQL editor, and delete it if you no longer need it.

🎉 That’s it! You’ve successfully deployed PostgreSQL on Amazon RDS.

If you found this guide helpful, follow me here on Medium for more beginner-friendly DevOps and AWS tutorials. 🚀

Tags:

AWS PostgreSQL Beginner

SQL vs NoSQL

Chidi — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 17:36:38 +0000

SQL vs NoSQL: What Beginners Need to Know

When you start learning about databases, one of the first choices you’ll hear about is SQL vs NoSQL. Don’t worry — it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Here’s a quick, beginner-friendly guide.

What is SQL?

SQL (Structured Query Language) databases are like organized filing cabinets. They store data in tables with rows and columns — just like a spreadsheet.

Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite
Best For: Applications where data must follow strict rules (banking apps, inventory systems).

Strengths:

Consistency and reliability
Easy to write queries using SQL language
Great for complex relationships between data

What is NoSQL?

NoSQL (Not Only SQL) databases are more flexible. They don’t have to use tables and can store data as documents, key-value pairs, graphs, or wide columns.

Examples: MongoDB, Redis, Cassandra
Best For: Apps that need to scale fast or handle unstructured data (social media feeds, IoT data, big data).

Strengths:

Flexible data models
High performance for large, fast-changing data
Easier horizontal scaling

Quick Comparison

Feature	SQL	NoSQL
Data Structure	Tables (rows & columns)	Documents, key-value, graphs, etc.
Schema	Fixed (must define structure first)	Flexible (can change structure easily)
Scaling	Vertical (upgrade the server)	Horizontal (add more servers)
Use Case	Banking, e-commerce, CRM	Real-time analytics, social apps, IoT

Which One Should You Learn First?

If you’re new, start with SQL — it’s the industry standard and easy to pick up. Once you’re comfortable, explore NoSQL to handle more complex, flexible data scenarios.

How to Create an Amazon S3 Bucket on AWS

Chidi — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 14:44:17 +0000

How to Create an Amazon S3 Bucket on AWS

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a scalable, secure, and durable object storage service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is commonly used to store files, host static websites, manage backups, and serve as cloud-based storage for applications.

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to create an S3 bucket using the AWS Management Console — designed for beginners or first-time users.

✅ Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

An active AWS account
Basic understanding of cloud concepts
A stable internet connection and modern web browser

🚀 Step 1: Sign in to the AWS Management Console

Visit https://console.aws.amazon.com
Log in using your AWS credentials
In the Search bar, type “S3” and select S3 from the services list

🪣 Step 2: Create a New S3 Bucket

On the Amazon S3 dashboard:

Click Create bucket
Configure the following settings:

📛 Bucket Name

Must be globally unique
Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
Example: global-assets-bucket-2025

🌍 AWS Region

Choose the region closest to your users or app
Consider latency, cost, and compliance requirements

🔧 Step 3: Configure Bucket Options

🔐 Block Public Access

Enabled by default
Recommended for private data
Only disable if you’re hosting public content

📑 Bucket Versioning (Optional)

Retain, retrieve, and restore all versions of objects
Useful for backups and recovery

🏷️ Tags (Optional)

Add key-value pairs to organize your resources
Example:
- Key: Environment
- Value: Development

🛡️ Step 4: Set Default Encryption

Enable encryption to secure your data:

SSE-S3 (S3 Managed Keys) — Simplest option
SSE-KMS (AWS KMS Keys) — For more control and auditing
SSE-C (Customer-provided keys) — Advanced users only

✅ Step 5: Review and Create the Bucket

Review all your settings
Click Create bucket
✅ Your bucket is now created!

📤 Step 6: Upload Files (Test)

From the S3 dashboard, click your bucket name
Click Upload
Select files from your local machine
Click Upload again to confirm

🎉 You’ve successfully uploaded your first object to S3!

🌍 Step 7: Make a File Public (Optional)

To share a file publicly:

Select the file in your bucket
Click Actions > Make public
Copy the Object URL and share it

⚠️ Security Note: Only make files public when absolutely necessary. Keep sensitive data private.

🙌 Conclusion

Creating an Amazon S3 bucket is one of the most essential skills in cloud computing. With your bucket ready, you can now upload, store, and manage your data securely in the cloud.

How to Create an EC2 Instance on AWS

Chidi — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:51:20 +0000

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create an EC2 Instance on AWS

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is one of AWS’s most popular services, that lets you launch and manage virtual servers in the cloud. Whether you're hosting a website, running a database, or testing software, EC2 provides scalable, secure, and customizable computing capacity.

This guide walks you through creating a basic EC2 instance using the AWS Management Console.

Prerequisites

An AWS account (sign up if you don’t have one)
Basic familiarity with cloud concepts
(Optional) SSH key pair for secure remote access

Step 1: Sign in to the AWS Management Console

Go to https://console.aws.amazon.com.
Sign in with your AWS credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard

In the AWS Console, search for EC2.
Click EC2 to open the EC2 Dashboard. ---

Step 3: Launch an Instance

Click Instances in the left navigation pane.
Click the Launch Instance button.

Step 4: Configure Instance Basics

On the Launch an Instance page:

Name: Enter a name for your instance (e.g., MyFirstInstance).
Application and OS Images (AMI): Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). For beginners, the Amazon Linux 2023 AMI (Free Tier eligible) is a good choice. Note: If you need Windows or another OS, select the corresponding AMI.
Instance Type: Choose the instance type (e.g., t2.micro for Free Tier eligibility). ---

Step 5: Create or Choose a Key Pair

In Key pair (login), choose an existing key pair or create a new one.
To create a new one:
1. Click Create new key pair.
2. Enter a name.
3. Choose the format (e.g., .pem for Linux/Unix).
4. Download it securely.

Important: Keep this file safe. You’ll need it to SSH into your instance.

Step 6: Configure Network Settings

AWS will auto-select a VPC and subnet by default.
Under Firewall (security groups):
- Create a new security group or choose an existing one.
- For SSH access, add a rule:
- Type: SSH
- Port: 22
- Source: Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0) or My IP (more secure).

⚠️ Warning: Opening SSH to “Anywhere” is less secure. Restrict it to your IP whenever possible.

✅ Best Practice: Avoid 0.0.0.0/0 for production. Always limit to trusted IP addresses.

Step 7: Add Storage

The default root volume is usually sufficient (e.g., 8 GiB gp2).
You can increase the size or add additional volumes if needed.

Step 8: Review and Launch

Review your instance configuration.
Click Launch Instance.

Step 9: View and Connect to Your Instance

Click View Instances after launching.
Wait until Instance State shows running.
Note the Public IPv4 address of your instance.

Step 10: Connect to Your Instance via SSH

Open your terminal and run:

Set the correct permissions on your key

chmod 400 /path/to/your-key.pem

Note: SSH username varies by AMI:

Amazon Linux: ec2-user

Ubuntu: ubuntu

Other distributions: Check AWS documentation for the correct username.

Example SSH Command

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem <your-user-name>@<your-ip>

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve launched your first EC2 instance and connected via SSH. You can now deploy applications, host websites, or explore AWS features.

A Beginner's Guide to Exploring Linux

Chidi — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 08:53:21 +0000

Introduction

Linux is a powerful and flexible open-source operating system, widely respected for its stability, security, and adaptability. As someone just beginning this journey, I’ve started exploring the foundational aspects of Linux—especially its command-line interface and core functionalities. In this article, I’ll be sharing some key insights I’ve picked up along the way to help fellow beginners navigate Linux with confidence.

🔍 Understanding the Linux Filesystem

The Linux filesystem is organized in a hierarchical structure that starts at the root directory (/). Here are a few important directories every user should know:

/home – Contains personal files for each user.

/etc – Houses system-wide configuration files.

/bin – Stores essential binary executables needed for system operations.

💻 Essential Linux Commands for Beginners

Getting comfortable with basic commands is a big step toward mastering Linux. Here's a breakdown of some key ones:

📂 Navigating the Filesystem

pwd – Prints the current working directory.

pwd  
/home/chidi
ls -l – Lists files and directories with detailed info.

ls -l
cd – Changes the directory.

cd /home/chidi/Documents

📝 File Operations

touch – Creates a new, empty file.

touch newfile.txt

cp – Copies files or directories.

cp file1.txt file2.txt

mv – Moves or renames files.

mv oldname.txt newname.txt

📖 Viewing & Editing Files

cat – Displays the content of a file.

cat file.txt

nano – Opens a simple terminal-based text editor.

nano file.txt

🔐 Permissions & Ownership chmod – Changes file permissions.

chmod 755 file.txt
chown – Changes file ownership.
chown user:group file.txt

📊 System Information

top – Shows active processes and system resource usage.

top ↑ (up arrow)

df -h – Displays disk space usage in a human-readable format.

df -h

🧠 Final Thoughts

Getting started with Linux has opened my eyes to the power and control this operating system offers. These basic commands have helped me navigate, manage files, and monitor my system more efficiently. As I continue to dive deeper, I’m eager to unlock even more of Linux’s potential—whether it's for development, server management, or just day-to-day computing.

If you’re just starting out like me, don’t worry about knowing everything at once. Start with these basics, and the rest will start making sense with practice. Stay curious

"Bridging the Gap: My Passion for Tech and DevOps"

Chidi — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:57:10 +0000

I Am Dj Orchido| Future DevOps Engineer | Tech Enthusiast

Technology isn’t just a career path for me—it’s a passion. The way systems, automation, and cloud computing come together to create seamless, scalable solutions excites me. That’s why I’m diving into the world of DevOps—where development meets operations to drive innovation, efficiency, and reliability.

I’m fascinated by the power of automation, CI/CD pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and how DevOps transforms the way businesses build and deploy software. I thrive on solving complex problems, optimizing workflows, and ensuring that systems run smoothly and securely.
As I continue learning tools like Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS, and Jenkins, my goal is to become a skilled DevOps engineer who bridges the gap between development and operations, enabling faster, smarter, and more efficient deployments.