Power Spike Prep ⚡ - Setting Up Your AWS Foundation for Rift Rewind
Don't Leave Your Nexus Undefended: The Complete AWS Account Setup Guide
Learn to create and secure your AWS Free Tier account with MFA, IAM users, and budget alerts. This guide walks you through AWS safely within free limits - no feeding required.
Rift Rewind Developer Challenge - Day 1 🎮
Welcome to Day 1 of the Riot Games Rift Rewind Developer Challenge ! 🚀 Just like how you wouldn't dive into ranked without proper runes and masteries, you shouldn't start building on AWS without a properly configured account. Today we're setting up your AWS foundation the right way.
In about 30 minutes, you'll have a secure, cost-controlled AWS account that's ready for building - think of it as your base before you start pushing lanes. We're not just creating an account, we're setting up the security and billing protections that will keep you safe while you learn and build your projects.
This means enabling multi-factor authentication (because account security > everything), creating an admin user for daily work, and setting up alerts so you'll know if your costs start scaling like a fed ADC. The goal is to build your project this week within the Free Tier limits - no pay-to-win here.
By the end of today, you'll have your AWS account ready to start building. Let's get this W.
What You Will Accomplish Today
✅ Create your AWS Free Tier account
✅ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the root user
✅ Set up an IAM admin user for daily operations
✅ Create a budget with alerts when you approach or exceed your spending limit ($5)
✅ Understand how AWS Free Tier works
✅ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the root user
✅ Set up an IAM admin user for daily operations
✅ Create a budget with alerts when you approach or exceed your spending limit ($5)
✅ Understand how AWS Free Tier works
What You Will Need:
- Computer 💻
- Email address 📧
- Phone (for account verification and MFA setup) 📞
- Credit card (required for account verification, but won't be charged for Free Tier usage - it's not a micro-transaction) 💳
Step 1: Create Your AWS Free Tier Account 🚀
Time to create your AWS account! Think of this as your summoner name registration, but for the cloud.
Create your free tier account - Head to the AWS Free Tier page and click on "Create a Free account" (it's like clicking "Play" but for cloud computing)
Enter your details - AWS needs your email address for signing in, a password (make it stronger than "password123"), and an account name. Pro tip: maybe something cooler than "RiftRewind2024"
Verify your email - Check your inbox for a verification code and enter it when prompted (it's not spam, we promise)
Choose a Free account plan - You'll see two options: Free account plan or Paid account plan. Pick Free account plan – this gives you up to 6 months to explore with $100 in credits and no charges. It's basically like getting free RP, but for AWS.
Add your personal info - Fill in your contact details. Choose "Personal" when asked about account type (unless you're secretly running the next big esports org)
Payment method - Here's where you add that credit card we mentioned. AWS needs this to verify you're a real person (not a bot), but with the Free account plan, you won't be charged during your 6-month period or until your credits expire. Think of it as anti-smurf protection.
Phone verification - AWS will call or text you with a PIN. Enter it when you get it (don't ignore it like queue timers)
You'll know you're done when: You see a "Congratulations" page and receive $100 in credits automatically added to your account. GG!
Step 2: Secure Your Account Root User with MFA 🔐
Now that you have your AWS account, let's lock it down properly. Your root user has complete access to everything in your AWS account - all services, billing, and even the ability to close the account. That's more power than a fed Kassadin, so we need to protect it.
We'll use MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) to add an extra layer of security to your root user. MFA ensures that even if someone gets your password, they can't access your account without your phone. It's like having both Exhaust and Flash - double the protection.
Sign in to your AWS account - Go to aws.amazon.com and click on "Sign in to console" in the top right. Use the email and password you just created.
Find your account menu - Once you're in the AWS Console, look for your account ID and name in the top right corner and click on it (it's like your summoner info)
Go to security credentials - From the account dropdown menu, select "Security credentials"
Set up MFA - Look for the "Multi-factor authentication (MFA)" section and click "Assign MFA device"
Choose "Authenticator app" - First, give your device a name (like "MyPhone" or "iPhone" - be creative or don't, we're not your mom) in the "Device name" field, then select "Authenticator app" from the device options and click "Next"
Follow the setup wizard - Use an authenticator app like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Twilio Authy:
- Scan the QR code with your authenticator app (it's not a Riot QR code, sadly no free skins)
- Enter two consecutive codes from your app
- Click "Add MFA"
You'll know you're done when: You see "MFA device successfully assigned" and your Security credentials page shows an active MFA device. Your account is now more secure than Baron pit.
Step 3: Create Your IAM User 👤
⚠️ Important: During this step, you'll see options for "IAM Identity Center" - don't set that up right now as it might upgrade your account out of the Free account plan faster than you can say "jungle diff". We'll guide you to select "IAM user" instead.
Now that your root account is locked down, let's create a user for your daily work. Think of your root account as your main account and this IAM user as your smurf - but actually, it's the opposite. You'll use this IAM user for everything and keep your root account safe.
IAM (Identity and Access Management) is AWS's system for managing who can access your account and what they can do. AWS recommends avoiding the root account for everyday tasks - instead, you should create an IAM user with admin permissions for regular use.
Think of this like having a master key (root account) that you keep in a safe, and a regular key (IAM user) that you use every day. Both can unlock your house, but if you lose the regular key, your master key is still safe. It's like keeping your main account secure while playing on a smurf.
Go to IAM - In the AWS Console, search for "IAM" in the top search bar and click on it
Create a new user - In the IAM dashboard, click "Users" in the left sidebar, then click "Create user"
Set user details - Enter a username (like "admin" or your gamer tag) and check "Provide user access to the AWS Management Console"
Enable console access - Check the box for "Provide user access to the AWS Management Console" so your user can sign in to AWS (because what's the point of having an account you can't use?)
Choose user type - When you see the "User type" options, select "I want to create an IAM user" (not "Specify a user in Identity Center")
⚠️ Please follow this carefully: Don't set up IAM Identity Center right now, as it might automatically upgrade your account out of the Free account plan faster than Riot nerfs your main champion. We want to keep things simple and stay within your free limits for this challenge.
Set console password - You can choose "Autogenerated password" (AWS will create one for you - probably more secure than "password123"). Make sure "Users must create a new password at next sign-in" is checked. Click "Next"
Set permissions - You'll see three permission options. Keep "Add user to group" selected (it's the default and recommended approach - like following the meta)
Create an admin group - Since you don't have any groups yet, click "Create group" to make a new one
Configure the group - In the popup:
- Enter "Administrators" as the group name
- In the permissions policies list, check the box next to "AdministratorAccess" (it provides full access to AWS services - like having admin privileges in Discord)
- Click "Create user group"
Select your group - Back on the permissions page, you'll see your new "Administrators" group in the list. Check the box next to "Administrators" to select it, then click "Next"
Review and create - Review all your settings on the summary page (double-check like you would your runes), then click "Create user"
Save your credentials - On the final page, you'll see:
- Console sign-in URL (save this like you'd save your match history!)
- Your username
- Your password (click "Show" to see it, or download the .csv file)
Important: This is the only time you can see the autogenerated password, so save it now! It's like a one-time mission reward - miss it and it's gone.
You'll know you're done when: You see "User created successfully" and can copy your sign-in details. From now on, use this IAM user for all your daily AWS work, including the rest of this challenge.
Note: Stay logged in as the root user for now - we need to enable billing access for your IAM user in the next step before switching users.
Step 4: Switch to Your New Admin User 🔄
Before we can switch to your new IAM user, we need to give it access to billing information. By default, only the root user can see billing details - let's change that so your admin user can create budgets and track your spending.
Part A: Enable Billing Access (while logged in as root user)
Go to Account settings - In the AWS Console, click on your account ID in the top right, then select "Account"
Find IAM billing access - Scroll down until you find the section "IAM User and Role Access to Billing Information", then click "Edit"
Activate IAM access - Check the box next to "Activate IAM Access" to enable access to the Billing and Cost Management console
Save changes - Click "Update" to save your settings. You'll see a message confirming "IAM user/role access to billing information is activated"
Part B: Switch to Your IAM User
Sign out of root account - Click on your account name in the top right and select "Sign Out" (like leaving a game, but less tilting)
Sign in with your IAM user - Use the Console sign-in URL you saved earlier, along with your IAM username and password
Update your password - Since you chose "Users must create a new password at next sign-in", AWS will prompt you to create a new password. Make it good - something your teammates couldn't guess even if they tried.
You'll know you're done when: You're signed in as your IAM user (you'll see your username in the top right instead of the account name) and can access the Billing console.
This allows your IAM admin user to create and manage budgets, which is essential for the next step. Without this, only the root user could access billing information, and we're trying to avoid using that account like we avoid playing Teemo.
Step 5: Setup a Budget 💰
Now let's set up a budget to track your spending and get alerts if you approach your $5 limit. This will help you stay within the Free Tier and avoid unexpected charges - because nobody wants surprise bills like nobody wants surprise Shaco ganks. 🎁 Plus, creating a budget is one of the activities that earns you additional Free Tier credits!
Go to Billing and Cost Management - In the AWS Console, click on your account name in the top right, then select "Billing and Cost Management"
Navigate to Budgets - In the left navigation pane, click "Budgets"
Create a new budget - Click "Create budget" at the top of the page
Choose a template - Under "Budget setup", select "Use a template (simplified)"
Select monthly cost budget - Under "Templates", choose "Monthly cost budget" (this notifies you if you exceed or are forecasted to exceed your budget amount - like a heads up before you int)
Set your budget details:
- Budget name: Enter something like "Rift Rewind Monthly Budget" (or whatever fits your vibe)
- Budgeted amount: Enter "$5.00"
- Email recipients: Enter your email address to receive alerts
Create the budget - Click "Create budget"
You'll know you're done when: You see your new budget listed in the Budgets dashboard.
This budget will alert you when you hit 85% ($4.25), when you're forecasted to exceed $5, and when you actually exceed $5. Even though you have $100 in credits, this acts as an early warning system to catch unexpected charges - like wards for your wallet. As a bonus, completing this activity earns you additional Free Tier credits!
Important: Budget alerts aren't real-time - they're updated up to three times per day, so there can be delays between when you incur charges and when you receive notifications. Think of it like match history - there's always a bit of delay.
Step 6: Get to Know How the AWS Free Tier Works 🤓
Understanding the basics of your free account plan will help you make the most of your 6-month learning period. It's like learning the game mechanics before jumping into ranked:
Your Free Account Plan Duration ⏰
Lasts up to 6 months from when you created your account
You get $100 in credits automatically, plus you can earn up to $100 more by completing activities
The plan expires when you either hit 6 months OR use up all your credits (whichever comes first)
No charges will be incurred during your free account plan period
You get $100 in credits automatically, plus you can earn up to $100 more by completing activities
The plan expires when you either hit 6 months OR use up all your credits (whichever comes first)
No charges will be incurred during your free account plan period
Monitoring Your Usage 📊
Check your credit balance and expiration date in the Cost and Usage widget on your AWS Console home page. AWS will also send you periodic email alerts about your credit balance and approaching expiration, plus your budget alerts from Step 5 help track spending. It's like having a minimap for your AWS costs.
What Happens When My Free Plan Expires? 🤔
When your free plan expires, your account closes automatically and you lose access to your resources and data. Don't panic though - AWS keeps your data safe for 90 days, giving you time to upgrade to a paid plan if you want to restore access. If you don't upgrade within those 90 days, everything gets permanently deleted. Think of it like your account going inactive - you have time to come back, but not forever.
Service Access 🛠️
You have access to most AWS services during your free plan, but some high-cost services are restricted to prevent accidentally consuming all your credits faster than you can say "jungle diff". Plus, over 30 services offer "Always Free" monthly limits that continue even after your plan expires.
⚠️ Important Warning: Actions that End Your Free Plan
Some actions will immediately upgrade your account to a paid plan and end your free account plan, including creating or joining an AWS Organization. This can happen inadvertently through IAM Identity Center setup - it's like accidentally clicking "Purchase RP" when you meant to close the store. We'll help you avoid these throughout this challenge.
Next Steps 🚀
With your AWS account properly set up, you're ready to start the real challenge! Your account is now:
- ✅ Secure (MFA enabled)
- ✅ Properly configured (IAM user ready)
- ✅ Cost-monitored (budget alerts active)
- ✅ Free Tier optimized
Time to start building! May your code compile on the first try and your AWS bills stay at $0.
GG and GL HF! 🎮
If you learned something interesting or completed the challenge, comment below!
For complete and updated information, check the AWS Free Tier FAQs page - it's the source for all details about your free account plan.
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