FreeCompute_24_00001 - itnett/FTD02H-N GitHub Wiki

To help you maximize all the free services from cloud providers and GitHub Student Developer Pack over a 4-year period, we can break down the strategy into phases. Each phase will focus on learning and using key technologies without incurring costs, with the aim of becoming proficient in cloud services, automation, CI/CD pipelines, and multi-cloud orchestration. The goal is to take full advantage of time-limited free offerings while leveraging “always-free” services strategically to avoid unexpected costs.

Year 1: Foundations in Cloud Computing, DevOps, and CI/CD

Focus Areas:

Basic Cloud & DevOps Tools: Set up your foundational cloud accounts, CI/CD pipelines, and gain a deep understanding of containerization, automation, and serverless computing.

Hands-on Focus: Try multiple cloud services, explore basic scripting, and practice CI/CD pipelines.

Tools and Services (Free for the First Year):

  1. GitHub Copilot: Free AI-powered code suggestions to assist with coding and automation.

  2. GitHub Codespaces: Use free cloud-based development environments for writing and testing code.

  3. GitHub Actions: Free CI/CD pipeline setup with 2,000 free build minutes per month.

  4. Microsoft Azure:

$100 credit for one year.

Use this credit to try Azure Functions, Virtual Machines, and Databases.

  1. AWS Educate:

$100 in free credits.

Experiment with AWS Lambda, EC2, DynamoDB, and S3.

  1. Google Cloud Free Tier:

$300 credit for 90 days.

Build applications on Google Cloud Run, GKE (Kubernetes Engine), and BigQuery.

  1. Heroku: $13/month credits for 2 years, allowing you to deploy your first apps.

  2. DigitalOcean: $200 credits for one year, use this for small VM instances and droplets.

Hands-On Projects:

Set Up CI/CD Pipelines: Leverage GitHub Actions to automate deployments on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.

Basic Serverless and Containers: Deploy simple container-based applications using Docker on Azure App Services, Google Cloud Run, and AWS Lambda.

Multi-cloud Infrastructure: Explore spinning up VM instances across Azure, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean to compare performance.

Cloud Storage Comparisons: Use S3 (AWS), Blob Storage (Azure), and Google Cloud Storage to understand storage and backups.

Year 2: Scaling Applications and Exploring Advanced Cloud Services

Focus Areas:

Scaling & Performance: Understand how to scale applications across multiple providers using Kubernetes, serverless, and managed services.

Monitoring & Security: Learn cloud monitoring and security best practices.

Scripting and Automation: Start scripting in Python/Bash to automate multi-cloud deployments.

Tools and Services (Free for the First Year or Extended Offers):

  1. AWS Free Tier (Always Free):

Lambda: 1 million free requests per month.

DynamoDB: 25 GB of storage.

  1. Google Cloud: Always Free micro-instance (0.25 vCPU, 1GB RAM).

  2. Microsoft Azure (Always Free):

54+ services including App Services, Storage, Functions, and AI services.

  1. Heroku: Continue using $13/month free credits.

  2. DigitalOcean: Free-tier services such as Spaces (object storage).

  3. GitHub Actions: Continue with the free CI/CD services.

Hands-On Projects:

Deploy Multi-Cloud Microservices: Scale out microservices across multiple clouds, using GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine), AWS EKS, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

Monitor Applications: Set up monitoring using Datadog (free for students) and Sentry for error tracking.

Security & DevSecOps: Use 1Password and GitHub Advanced Security tools to enhance your DevSecOps practices.

CI/CD Integration with GitHub: Automate deployments across multiple clouds (e.g., AWS and Google Cloud) using GitHub Actions.

Year 3: Mastering DevOps, Cost Management, and Multi-Cloud Orchestration

Focus Areas:

Cost Optimization: Learn how to avoid unnecessary costs by using free-tier services smartly.

Advanced Orchestration: Use Kubernetes to orchestrate applications across cloud providers.

Cloud Native Tools: Leverage tools like Terraform for cloud orchestration.

Tools and Services (Free & Extended Use):

  1. AWS Free Tier:

Continue using free-tier services like Lambda, S3, DynamoDB.

  1. Azure Free Tier (Always Free):

Free services like App Services and Blob Storage.

  1. Google Cloud (Always Free):

Free micro-instance VM, BigQuery (1TB of querying), and Cloud Storage.

  1. GitHub Actions: Continue using free CI/CD pipelines.

  2. Terraform (Open Source): Use Terraform to manage infrastructure across multiple clouds.

Hands-On Projects:

Multi-Cloud Cost Management: Implement cost-saving strategies using services like AWS Cost Explorer and Azure Pricing Calculator.

Orchestrate Services with Kubernetes: Deploy a Kubernetes cluster across Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure.

Implement Infrastructure as Code: Use Terraform to manage and automate multi-cloud infrastructure.

Deploy Event-Driven Applications: Use AWS Lambda and Azure Functions to build event-driven architectures.

Year 4: Master Automation, Advanced Cloud Architectures, and Prepare for Certifications

Focus Areas:

Automation & Scripting: Automate everything using scripting and cloud-native tools.

Advanced Architectures: Learn how to design and deploy highly scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud architectures.

Certifications: Prepare for cloud certifications like AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Google Cloud Professional Architect.

Tools and Services (Free Forever):

  1. AWS Lambda: 1 million requests per month.

  2. Google Cloud: Always-free services like BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Compute Engine.

  3. GitHub Actions: Continue leveraging free CI/CD pipelines.

Hands-On Projects:

Build Serverless Architectures: Build complex applications using AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Azure Functions.

Automate Multi-Cloud Orchestration: Use Terraform and Ansible for automating infrastructure deployments.

Continuous Integration & Deployment: Expand CI/CD pipelines to automate testing, monitoring, and scaling.

Certifications: Spend time preparing for cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

Playbook Summary for Each Year:

Year 1: Set up foundational cloud services, CI/CD pipelines, and experiment with serverless.

Year 2: Scale applications, monitor performance, and start exploring security and automation.

Year 3: Focus on cost management, orchestration, and cloud-native tools like Kubernetes and Terraform.

Year 4: Master automation, advanced architectures, and prepare for cloud certifications.

This plan strategically rotates between free and time-limited services to ensure you maximize learning and hands-on experience without incurring any costs. By the end of this journey, you'll have a solid understanding of multi-cloud architectures, CI/CD pipelines, and advanced cloud orchestration.