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AWS Cloud Engineer career pathRoadmap, skills, salary and how to become an AWS Cloud Engineer in 2026

An AWS cloud engineer designs, builds and runs applications on Amazon Web Services: networks, compute, storage, serverless functions, security and cost, usually automated with infrastructure as code.

4stages
11steps
108hours of skills
0%your progress

AWS Cloud Engineer roadmap

Open any step to see its lessons, tools and lab, and mark it as learning or done. Your progress is saved in this browser only.

1

Foundations

3 steps · 30 hours
Linux essentials10h

Work confidently on Linux servers from the command line

What you learn

  • Shell, files and the Linux filesystem
  • Users, groups and permissions
  • Processes and services with systemd
  • Package management (apt, dnf)
  • Networking commands: ip, ss, curl, dig
  • Bash scripting basics

Tools

LinuxBash

Hands-on lab

Automate a web server setup with a Bash script

Learn it at SOTT

AWS DevOps Engineer Training · DevSecOps: Secure CI/CD & Supply Chain · SRE & Observability

Networking essentials10h

Understand and troubleshoot how networks really work

What you learn

  • OSI and TCP/IP models
  • IP addressing and subnetting
  • DNS, DHCP and NAT
  • HTTP, HTTPS and TLS
  • Ports, firewalls and troubleshooting tools

Tools

Wiresharkpingtraceroute

Hands-on lab

Diagnose 5 broken connectivity scenarios

Learn it at SOTT

IT Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop · CCNA (200-301) Training · Cybersecurity

AWS cloud foundations10h

Navigate and use core AWS services securely

What you learn

  • AWS global infrastructure
  • IAM: users, roles and policies
  • EC2 compute
  • S3 storage
  • VPC basics
  • Pricing, billing and support

Tools

AWS ConsoleAWS CLI

Hands-on lab

Host a static website on S3 with secure IAM access

Learn it at SOTT

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) · AWS DevOps Engineer Training · AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03)

2

Core skills

3 steps · 34 hours
AWS solution architecture14h

Design secure, resilient and cost-effective AWS architectures

What you learn

  • VPC design: subnets, routing, endpoints
  • Load balancing and Auto Scaling
  • RDS, Aurora and DynamoDB
  • High availability and disaster recovery
  • The Well-Architected Framework
  • Cost optimisation

Tools

EC2ELBRDSCloudFormation

Hands-on lab

Deploy a highly available three-tier application

Learn it at SOTT

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) · AWS Cloud Computing Workshop

Serverless on AWS8h

Build serverless applications with no servers to manage

What you learn

  • AWS Lambda
  • API Gateway
  • EventBridge, SQS and SNS
  • Step Functions
  • Serverless security and monitoring

Tools

LambdaAPI GatewayDynamoDB

Hands-on lab

Build an event-driven serverless API

Learn it at SOTT

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) · AWS Cloud Computing Workshop

AWS security12h

Secure AWS workloads and respond to threats

What you learn

  • IAM policies in depth
  • KMS and encryption
  • CloudTrail and Config
  • GuardDuty and Security Hub
  • WAF and Shield
  • Incident response on AWS

Tools

IAMKMSGuardDutySecurity Hub

Hands-on lab

Detect and fix a misconfigured AWS account

Learn it at SOTT

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) · AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) · Cloud Security: AWS & Azure

3

Advanced

3 steps · 32 hours
Terraform & infrastructure as code12h

Build cloud infrastructure from code

What you learn

  • HCL, providers and resources
  • State and backends
  • Modules
  • Workspaces and environments
  • Policy as code

Tools

Terraform

Hands-on lab

Provision dev, test and prod environments from modules

Learn it at SOTT

AWS DevOps Engineer Training · DevSecOps: Secure CI/CD & Supply Chain · Platform Engineering with Kubernetes & Terraform

DevOps on AWS12h

Automate build, test and deployment on AWS

What you learn

  • CodePipeline and CodeBuild
  • Infrastructure as code with CloudFormation and CDK
  • Deploying to ECS and EKS
  • Blue/green and canary releases
  • CloudWatch monitoring and alarms

Tools

CodePipelineCDKECSCloudWatch

Hands-on lab

Automated pipeline that deploys containers to ECS

Learn it at SOTT

AWS DevOps Engineer Training · Cloud Automation with DevOps

FinOps: cloud cost management8h

Control and optimise cloud spend

What you learn

  • The FinOps framework
  • Cost visibility and tagging
  • Rightsizing and commitments
  • Budgets and anomaly alerts
  • Unit economics

Tools

AWS Cost ExplorerAzure Cost Management

Hands-on lab

Cut 30% from a sample cloud bill

Learn it at SOTT

FinOps: Cloud Cost Management

4

Job-ready

2 steps · 12 hours
AWS exam preparation6h

Walk into the AWS exam prepared

What you learn

  • Exam domains and weighting
  • Question strategies and time management
  • Full-length practice tests
  • Weak-area revision

Tools

Practice exams

Hands-on lab

Two timed mock exams with review

Learn it at SOTT

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) · AWS DevOps Engineer Training · AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03)

Career launch6h

Present your skills confidently to employers

What you learn

  • Resume and LinkedIn that get shortlisted
  • Building your project portfolio
  • Interview preparation and mock rounds
  • Job search strategy

Tools

LinkedIn

Hands-on lab

Mock technical + HR interview with feedback

Learn it at SOTT

Generative AI & RAG Engineering · MLOps Engineering: Notebook to Production · DevSecOps: Secure CI/CD & Supply Chain

How to become an AWS Cloud Engineer

A practical, step-by-step plan. Skip any step you already know.

  1. 1
    Start with the foundations: Linux essentials, Networking essentials and AWS cloud foundations

    3 steps · about 30 hours

  2. 2
    Build the core skills: AWS solution architecture, Serverless on AWS and AWS security

    3 steps · about 34 hours

  3. 3
    Go deeper: Terraform & infrastructure as code, DevOps on AWS and FinOps: cloud cost management

    3 steps · about 32 hours

  4. 4
    Get job-ready: AWS exam preparation and Career launch

    2 steps · about 12 hours

  5. 5
    Build two or three portfolio projects

    Use the hands-on labs in each step, publish your work on GitHub and write a short README for each project. Projects are what interviewers ask about first.

  6. 6
    Prepare for interviews

    Practise the questions asked for this role, do mock interviews and polish your resume and LinkedIn profile. Practise AWS Cloud Engineer interview questions →

  7. 7
    Apply for AWS Cloud Engineer roles

    Start with roles that match your current level, keep learning on the job, and grow towards the senior skills in this path.

AWS Cloud Engineer salary in India (2026)

Indicative yearly pay, in lakh rupees (LPA). Pay varies with city, company, skills and certifications, so use these as a guide, not a promise.

Entry level0–2 years
₹3.5–7 LPA
Mid level3–5 years
₹8–16 LPA
Senior / lead6+ years
₹16–35 LPA

Rounded ranges from public salary surveys (AmbitionBox, Glassdoor and PayScale India), checked November 2026. Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune often pay above these ranges, and product companies and global capability centres pay more than service companies.

Read next

Courses that take you there

How it compares

AWS vs Azure

Both are leading clouds with similar building blocks. AWS has the larger overall market share; Azure is strong in companies that run Microsoft software. Learning one makes the other much easier.

AWS Cloud Engineer career path FAQ

How long does it take to become an AWS Cloud Engineer?+
This path covers about 108 hours of hands-on learning across 11 modules. How quickly you finish depends on your starting point and weekly time; our advisors can plan a timeline that fits you.
How do I become an AWS Cloud Engineer?+
Follow the stages in order: foundations, core skills, advanced and job-ready, then build two or three portfolio projects, prepare for interviews and apply. If you already know a topic, mark it done and skip ahead.
What is the AWS Cloud Engineer salary in India?+
As an indicative guide from public salary surveys, about ₹3.5–7 lakh a year at entry level, ₹8–16 lakh with 3–5 years and ₹16–35 lakh for senior roles. Pay varies a lot with city, company, skills and certifications.
Where should I start?+
With the Foundations stage: Linux essentials, Networking essentials and AWS cloud foundations. If you already know a topic, mark it as done and move to the next one.
What is the difference: AWS vs Azure?+
Both are leading clouds with similar building blocks. AWS has the larger overall market share; Azure is strong in companies that run Microsoft software. Learning one makes the other much easier.
Which SOTT courses cover this path?+
AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03), AWS DevOps Engineer Training, AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) and AWS Cloud Computing Workshop. Each one is taught live, in our Chennai classroom or online, with hands-on labs and placement assistance.
I have another question. Who can I ask?+
Our advisors are happy to help. Call or WhatsApp us, or send a message from the Contact page, and we will get back to you within one working day.

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