EP113: AWS Services Cheat Sheet

This week’s system design refresher:

• Do You Know How Mobile Apps Are Released? (Youtube video)

• AWS Services Cheat Sheet

• A cheat sheet for API designs

• Azure Services Cheat Sheet

• How do computer programs run?

• SPONSOR US

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Do You Know How Mobile Apps Are Released?

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AWS Services Cheat Sheet

AWS grew from an in-house project to the market leader in cloud services, offering so many different services that even experts can find it a lot to take in.

The platform not only caters to foundational cloud needs but also stays at the forefront of emerging technologies such as machine learning and IoT, establishing itself as a bedrock for cutting-edge innovation. AWS continuously refines its array of services, ensuring advanced capabilities for security, scalability, and operational efficiency are available.

For those navigating the complex array of options, this AWS Services Guide is a helpful visual aid.

It simplifies the exploration of AWS's expansive landscape, making it accessible for users to identify and leverage the right tools for their cloud-based endeavors.

Over to you: What improvements would you like to see in AWS services based on your usage?

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3. HTTP1 vs HTTP2 vs HTTP3 - A Deep Dive

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5. What Happens When a SQL is Executed?

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A cheat sheet for API designs

APIs expose business logic and data to external systems, so designing them securely and efficiently is important.

• API key generation
  We normally generate one unique app ID for each client and generate different pairs of public key (access key) and private key (secret key) to cater to different authorizations. For example, we can generate one pair of keys for read-only access and another pair for read-write access.
  

• Signature generation
  Signatures are used to verify the authenticity and integrity of API requests. They are generated using the secret key and typically involve the following steps:
  
  - Collect parameters
  - Create a string to sign
  - Hash the string: Use a cryptographic hash function, like HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) in combination with SHA-256, to hash the string using the secret key.
  

• Send the requests
  When designing an API, deciding what should be included in HTTP request parameters is crucial. Include the following in the request parameters:
  
  - Authentication Credentials
  - Timestamp: To prevent replay attacks.
  - Request-specific Data: Necessary to process the request, such as user IDs, transaction details, or search queries.
  - Nonces: Randomly generated strings included in each request to ensure that each request is unique and to prevent replay attacks.
  

• Security guidelines
  To safeguard APIs against common vulnerabilities and threats, adhere to these security guidelines.

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Azure Services Cheat Sheet

Launching in 2010, Microsoft Azure has quickly grown to hold the No. 2 position in market share by evolving from basic offerings to a comprehensive, flexible cloud ecosystem.

Today, Azure not only supports traditional cloud applications but also caters to emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and blockchain, making it a crucial platform for innovation and development.

As it evolves, Azure continues to enhance its capabilities to provide advanced solutions for security, scalability, and efficiency, meeting the demands of modern enterprises and startups alike. This expansion allows organizations to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

The attached illustration can serve as both an introduction and a quick reference for anyone aiming to understand Azure.

Over to you: How does your experience with Azure compare to that with AWS?

Over to you: Does the card network charge the same interchange fee for big merchants as for small merchants?

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How do computer programs run?

The diagram shows the steps.

• User interaction and command initiation
  By double-clicking a program, a user is instructing the operating system to launch an application via the graphical user interface.
  

• Program Preloading
  Once the execution request has been initiated, the operating system first retrieves the program's executable file.
  
  The operating system locates this file through the file system and loads it into memory in preparation for execution.
  

• Dependency resolution and loading
  Most modern applications rely on a number of shared libraries, such as dynamic link libraries (DLLs).

• Allocating memory space
  The operating system is responsible for allocating space in memory.
  

• Initializing the Runtime Environment
  After allocating memory, the operating system and execution environment (e.g., Java's JVM or the .NET Framework) will initialize various resources needed to run the program.
  

• System Calls and Resource Management
  The entry point of a program (usually a function named `main`) is called to begin execution of the code written by the programmer.
  

• Von Neumann Architecture
  In the Von Neumann architecture, the CPU executes instructions stored in memory.
  

• Program termination
  Eventually, when the program has completed its task, or the user actively terminates the application, the program will begin a cleanup phase. This includes closing open file descriptors, freeing up network resources, and returning memory to the system.

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