Cloud from Zero
by Sergey Okinchuk
Ch. 1

Cloud from Zero

Welcome

A clear, plain-language tour of cloud computing for complete beginners. No background needed beyond using a computer — by the end you'll understand what the cloud is, the building blocks every cloud is made of, and how AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure compare. It's the big picture, explained, without the deep technical weeds.

11 chapters 52 topics covered 5 hours audio Knowledge check on every topic

About This Course

Everyone talks about "the cloud", but few people are ever shown what it actually is. This course fixes that. It builds the whole picture from nothing, in plain language: what the cloud really means, why it exists, the handful of building blocks every cloud is made of, and how it's all used to run the apps and websites you touch every day.

It is a tour of the landscape, not a lab. You won't sign into anything, type any commands, or set anything up — this course is about understanding, not operating. That understanding is the foundation everything else in the field is built on, and the thing a manager, a newcomer, or a career-switcher actually needs first.

And it doesn't pick sides. Every idea is taught in neutral terms, then shown across the three big providers — Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure — with the real differences between them pointed out. You finish able to follow any cloud conversation, whichever provider it's about.

Who This Is For

Anyone who wants a real, broad understanding of the cloud without going deep into the technical details. People switching into tech from another field. Students. Managers, founders, and non-engineers who work alongside cloud teams and want to genuinely follow the conversation. If "the cloud", "a server", or "AWS" are fuzzy words to you, you are exactly who this was written for.

What You Need to Know First

  • How to use a computer and a web browser as an everyday user — that's the only assumption
  • No prior knowledge of the cloud, servers, networking, or programming — every term is explained from scratch
  • No command line, no setup, no account required — nothing is operated, only understood
  • A willingness to meet new words; each one is defined the first time it appears

How the Course Is Built

The eleven chapters move from the ground up. The first two explain what the cloud is and who provides it. The middle chapters tour the core building blocks — computing power, storage, databases, networking — then how things scale, stay available, stay secure, and get paid for. The last chapters show how it all fits together in real use, and help you choose a cloud and a next step.

Every topic has the same gentle shape: an everyday hook to start, the idea explained step by step, one real-world comparison to make it stick, the mix-ups people usually run into, why it matters, and — where it helps — how the three big clouds each do it. A short knowledge check ends each one. It's patient, but it keeps moving.

No background assumed
You only need to know how to use a computer. Every term — server, network, database, the cloud itself — is explained from zero, the first time it appears. Nothing is taken for granted.
Understanding, not operating
This is a concept course. There's no signing up, no console, no commands. You build a clear mental map of how the cloud works — the foundation that makes every hands-on course afterward far easier.
Vendor-neutral, all three clouds
Each idea is taught once, in plain terms, then shown across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure — with the real differences named. You finish fluent in the concepts, whichever provider you meet.
Broad, honest, and current
The goal is a wide, accurate horizon, not deep weeds. Where something is simplified, we say so — you'll never have to unlearn what you were told here.

Chapter Map

Chapter 1
What the Cloud Actually Is
The plain meaning of "the cloud", why it exists, the shift from buying computers to renting them, and the words that frame everything else — IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and public versus private.
Chapter 2
The Providers and the Landscape
Who runs the cloud — AWS, Google Cloud, Azure — how they're more alike than different and where they truly differ, the other players worth knowing, and how a cloud is laid out across the globe.
Chapter 3
Compute: Renting Computing Power
The three ways to rent computing — virtual machines, containers, and serverless functions — what each is, when it fits, and what they're called across the three clouds.
Chapter 4
Storage: Keeping Data
The kinds of cloud storage — block, file, and the all-important object storage — how tiers save money on rarely-used data, and how the three clouds offer it.
Chapter 5
Databases
Why a database beats a pile of files, the relational and NoSQL families, what a managed database gives you, and the specialized stores — warehouses and caches — behind modern apps.
Chapter 6
Networking and Content Delivery
Your private slice of the cloud network, how it connects to the world, how names resolve to addresses, and how load balancers and CDNs keep big sites fast and standing.
Chapter 7
Scaling, Availability, and Reliability
Growing by bigger boxes or more boxes, capacity that follows demand automatically, surviving failures through redundancy, and the backups and recovery plans behind staying up.
Chapter 8
Security, Identity, and Trust
Who secures what, controlling who can do what, encryption and secrets, the classic mistakes that cause real breaches, and the compliance rules that shape cloud decisions.
Chapter 9
Cost and the Economics of the Cloud
How cloud pricing works, what really drives a bill, the levers that cut it, the discipline of FinOps, and how pricing and free tiers compare across the three clouds.
Chapter 10
How the Cloud Is Actually Used
The managed-versus-do-it-yourself trade, cloud-native thinking, a whole web app assembled end to end, how organizations move to the cloud, and the higher-level AI and data services.
Chapter 11
Choosing a Cloud and Where to Go Next
An honest comparison of AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, how to actually get started, the roles and careers in the cloud, and which path to take to go deeper.

Disclaimer

This course is an independent educational project created and maintained by Sergey Okinchuk. It is provided for learning and reference purposes only.

No affiliation. This course is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or officially connected to Amazon Web Services, Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft, or any other company or project mentioned. All opinions, interpretations, and recommendations expressed are those of the author.

Trademarks. "Amazon Web Services" and "AWS" are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. "Google Cloud" is a trademark of Google LLC. "Microsoft Azure" and "Microsoft" are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other names used are trademarks of their respective owners. Use of these names and marks is for identification and educational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement.

Accuracy and currency. Cloud platforms evolve continuously — services, names, free tiers, and prices drift over time. Facts in this course reflect the author's understanding at the time of writing and may not be current. This course teaches durable concepts rather than step-by-step instructions; always consult official documentation as the authoritative source before making operational or purchasing decisions.

No warranty. This material is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Explanations are simplified for learning and are not a substitute for professional advice. The author accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on the content.