AWS Builder Center

Builder Center

Free Tier for builders

Learn how your AWS Free Tier account works, configure your tools, and ship your first deployment. Then keep going: build a serverless API, connect a cloud database, launch a web server, deploy an AI agent. The guides show real code, real output, and what to check when something fails.

Get oriented

Before you build anything, it's a good idea to get familiar with what you need and how to use it. The articles below help you set up your Free Tier account, configure your dev tools, and deploy a live portfolio site.
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Everything you need to know to get started" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #1" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Everything you need to know to get started" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #1" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Article

Everything you need to know to get started with AWS Free Tier

Learn the first steps to set up your environment securely and what's included in your free AWS account. Also uncover how billing works, and how to avoid surprises.
Read article
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Setting up your dev environment" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #2" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Setting up your dev environment" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #2" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Article

Setting up your AWS developer environment

Learn how to install the AWS CLI, connect an AI coding assistant, and deploy your first app to AWS from your terminal.
Start setup
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Ship a portfolio website in 10 minutes or less" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #3" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Ship a portfolio website in 10 minutes or less" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #3" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Article and project

Ship a portfolio website in 10 minutes or less

Upload an HTML file to AWS Amplify and get back a live URL with HTTPS and CDN delivery. That's the whole process.
Build it

Now build something real

After you set up your account, dev environment, and ship a static site, you are ready to jump into bigger projects. Pick one of the projects below and use your AWS Free Tier credits to build it.
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Build a serverless dice roll API" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #4" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Build a serverless dice roll API" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #4" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Project

Build a serverless dice roll API

Write a Lambda function and deploy it with SAM, creating a live API endpoint that returns dice roll combos. You'll have your first serverless API running on AWS by the end.
Build it
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Deploy a web server to the cloud" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #5" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Deploy a web server to the cloud" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #5" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Project

Deploy a web server to the AWS Cloud

Launch an EC2 instance, install an HTTP server, and serve a custom web page at a public IP address.
Build it
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Build your first AI agent" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #7" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Build your first AI agent" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #7" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Project

Build your first AI agent with AWS Free Tier

Build a Python agent in about 40 lines of code using the Strands Agents SDK, a local model, and then Amazon Bedrock.
Build it
Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Connect your app to a cloud database" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #6" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.Green gradient graphic with monospace text "Connect your app to a cloud database" and "Free Tier Tutorial Series #6" over faint code snippets and connected nodes.
Project

Connect your app to a cloud database

Take a Flask API that loses data on every restart and connect it to a MySQL database on Amazon RDS so the data persists.
Build it
Pastel pink illustration of a browser window with hand-lettered text "Build your own daily notification bot" and decorative stars, cursor icon, and hashtags.Pastel pink illustration of a browser window with hand-lettered text "Build your own daily notification bot" and decorative stars, cursor icon, and hashtags.
Project

Build your own daily notification bot on AWS Free Tier

Wire up EventBridge, Lambda, and Bedrock to send a weather forecast and clothing recommendation to your phone every morning.
Build it
Pastel pink illustration of a browser window with hand-lettered text "Build your own blog post view counter" and decorative stars, cursor icon, and hashtags.Pastel pink illustration of a browser window with hand-lettered text "Build your own blog post view counter" and decorative stars, cursor icon, and hashtags.
Project

Build your own blog post view counter on AWS Free Tier

Add a view counter to your blog using Lambda, DynamoDB, and API Gateway. One script tag on your page, and you're tracking visits.
Build it

Find out what's next with AWS Free Tier

Here's what you need to know as you keep building on the Free Tier.
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