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Introduction to Cloud Computing

A field guide for graduating computer science students

Introduction to
Cloud Computing

A cumulative textbook about the machines, networks, platforms, and operating practices behind modern cloud applications.

13 chapters38,493 wordsUpdated July 2026
Begin with Chapter 1

One request, many owners

A cloud application does not live in an abstract place. Programs execute on processors in specific facilities. Network devices forward packets. Organizations operate identity, storage, and scheduling software. The first chapter follows one bookstore checkout across those objects before the book introduces cloud terminology.

A CampusCart checkout crosses independently operated machines. Each stage leaves different evidence.
1BrowserCreates an HTTPS request
2DNS + edgeLocates and protects the route
3Load balancerChooses a healthy application target
4ApplicationChecks identity and executes code
5DatabaseReads or changes durable records

The cumulative path

From a browser request to production judgment

Part 1

Part I · Orientation and foundations

  1. 01Cloud Computing: A Concrete System MapYou should know that a browser sends requests to a web server and that a relational database stores rows. Basic familiarity with source code, files, and a command-line shell is enough. No cloud account is required. Readers arriving through
  2. 02Computing Before the Public CloudRead Cloud Computing: A Concrete System Map, or be able to distinguish a browser request path from provider management operations. Basic knowledge of processors, memory, and files is sufficient. Historical machine details are introduced whe
  3. 03Networking Foundations for Cloud ApplicationsRead Cloud Computing: A Concrete System Map and Computing Before the Public Cloud, or know that browser requests and provider management requests follow different paths. You should recognize an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a web Unifo
  4. 04Virtualization and Cloud Service ModelsRead Networking Foundations for Cloud Applications, or understand that an application endpoint has an address, routes, and authorization rules. You should know the roles of a processor, memory, an operating system, and an application progra
Part 2

Part II · Providers and public-sector work

  1. 05AWS Core Platform and the Web Request PathPrerequisites. Read the earlier lessons on Internet Protocol (IP) addressing, Domain Name System (DNS) resolution, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and virtual machines. The networking lesson supplies the
  2. 06Comparing Google Cloud and Microsoft AzurePrerequisites. Read the preceding Amazon Web Services (AWS) request-path chapter and the earlier networking lessons. The AWS chapter supplies concrete meanings for Region, Availability Zone, Domain Name System (DNS) answer, load-balancer li
  3. 07Identity, Data Protection, Reliability, and CostPrerequisites. Read the provider request-path chapters and the earlier lessons on public-key cryptography, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), databases, and processes. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) chapter explains a Region, an Availabilit
  4. 08AWS for United States Government WorkPrerequisites. Read the chapters on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) request path, provider comparison, and identity, data protection, reliability, and cost. The identity lesson explains workload principals, audit events, encryption keys, reco
Part 3

Part III · Containers, orchestration, and the edge

  1. 09Containers and DockerMaya, a new CampusCart developer, receives a bug report on Monday morning. The bookstore application formats a receipt correctly on her macOS laptop but fails in the Linux test environment because a native image library is missing. Registra
  2. 10Kubernetes Architecture and OperationsAt 08:42 on registration day, CampusCart receives 390 checkout requests per second. Elena, the engineer on call, sees two application instances stop answering. The checkout address still resolves, and most students continue receiving respon
  3. 11Cloudflare, Domain Name System, and the Network EdgeNia, a student in Singapore, opens store.campuscart.example during registration. CampusCart's origin application runs in a cloud region in Virginia. Nia's browser first needs an Internet Protocol address. If the recursive Domain Name System
Part 4

Part IV · Production practice and continued study

  1. 12Production Observability, Reliability, Security, and CostAt 10:16 on a Tuesday, CampusCart's checkout success fraction falls from 99.95 percent to 97.8 percent. Priya, the engineer on call, receives an alert generated from completed checkout responses during a five-minute window. Processor use lo
  2. 13Capstone: Designing and Validating a Cloud ApplicationCampusCart's university approves a migration from two manually configured virtual machines to a supported cloud architecture. The existing application serves 5,000 daily users, usually completes 80 requests per second, and reaches 400 reque

How to use the book

Read sequentially on a first pass. Every chapter names its prerequisites and links back to the required foundation. Worked investigations separate direct observations from inferences. Exercises ask you to preserve commands, diagrams, calculations, or reports that another person can inspect.

The recurring CampusCart and CivicPermit applications give new mechanisms a stable setting. Provider names appear only when a provider-specific implementation matters. Durable principles remain separate from behavior that can change with a platform release.