Master Amazon Cloudfront: Complete Cdn & Http Caching Course

A deep dive into CloudFront, Content Delivery Networks, HTTP Caching and related AWS services

What you'll learn

Master fundamental CDN and HTTP caching concepts

Configure and optimize Amazon CloudFront distributions

Implement advanced CloudFront features, e.g. Origin Shield, Lambda@Edge

Integrate CloudFront with AWS services, e.g. WAF, ALB, Lambda, CloudWatch

Secure CloudFront distributions

Deploy and manage CloudFront infrastructures using Infrastructure as Code

Requirements

Familiarity with AWS fundamentals and the AWS Console

Basic understanding of web technologies

Basic knowledge of cloud computing concepts

Description

Are you tired of slow-loading websites that frustrate your users and hurt your business?Do you want to understand how global companies like Netflix and Amazon deliver content lightning-fast to users worldwide? If you're ready to master content delivery networks and take your AWS skills to the next level, this course is exactly what you need.Why This Course Exists6+ years of building applications on AWS gave me the opportunity to dive deep into CloudFront through several challenging projects. What I discovered is that most developers and architects treat CloudFront as a "set it and forget it" service, missing out on its incredible potential for performance optimization and cost savings. This course shares everything I learned the hard way, so you don't have to.What Makes This Course DifferentThis isn't your typical "click through the console" tutorial. We start from the ground up with HTTP caching fundamentals - because I'm a strong believer that understanding the underlying principles makes you a better engineer. You'll see real-world examples of how caching patterns are applied in production, then learn how CloudFront implements these concepts at massive scale.All demos use Infrastructure as Code. Our hands-on examples are built with Terraform/OpenTofu and available on GitHub. While these are educational demos with some limitations (which I'll clearly explain), they provide solid starting points that you can adapt and extend for your own use cases. You'll learn the patterns and best practices, then understand how to apply them properly in production environments.What You'll Master in This CourseBuild Your Foundation (CDN Concepts)Understand exactly how CDNs work and why they're game-changers for web performanceMaster HTTP caching headers like Cache-Control, and learn when to use each directiveImplement cache revalidation strategies that keep your content fresh without hammering your backendApply cache busting techniques that let you have long cache lifetimes AND frequent updatesBecome a CloudFront Expert (Core Features)Design CloudFront distributions that optimize for your specific use caseConfigure behaviors, cache policies, and origin request policies like a proSet up Origin Shield to protect your backend from traffic spikesImplement failover strategies with Origin Groups for high availabilityMaster invalidations and custom error pages for better user experiencesIntegrate Like a Pro (AWS Service Integrations)Secure your distributions with custom domains and SSL certificatesSet up comprehensive logging and monitoring with CloudWatchProtect your content with Web Application Firewall (WAF) integrationHandle complex scenarios like VPC origins and API Gateway integrationWork with KMS-encrypted S3 origins for sensitive contentAdvanced Techniques (Request/Response Modification)Hook into CloudFront's request flow to modify requests and responsesChoose between CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge for different use casesUnderstand when and how to modify headers, URLs, and request attributesLearn practical use cases like redirects, header manipulation, and request routingSecure Your Content (Authentication Patterns)Understand the cryptographic principles behind CloudFront's security featuresImplement signed URLs for time-limited access to premium contentUse signed cookies for session-based authenticationUnderstand how to build custom authentication systems that work seamlessly with cachingHow This Course WorksTheory Meets Practice: Each section combines clear explanations with demonstrations. You'll see the concepts in action, understand the trade-offs, and learn when to apply each technique.Real-World Examples: The demos are based on realistic scenarios you'll encounter in practice. While they're educational examples with some limitations, they show you the patterns and approaches used in production environments.Infrastructure as Code: Every demo uses Terraform configurations that you can examine and learn from. You'll see modern deployment practices alongside CloudFront concepts.Test Your Knowledge: Each module ends with a quiz to help you validate your understanding and identify areas that need more attention.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Section 2: Foundational CDN & HTTP Caching Concepts

Lecture 2 Cache Lifetimes

Lecture 3 How CDNs work

Lecture 4 Private & Shared Caches

Lecture 5 The Cache-Control HTTP Header

Lecture 6 Cache Revalidation

Lecture 7 Cache Busting

Lecture 8 Putting everything together & Summary

Section 3: CloudFront: Core Features

Lecture 9 CloudFront Architecture

Lecture 10 Demo - Exploring a simple CloudFront setup in OpenTofu

Lecture 11 Request Flow through CloudFront

Lecture 12 Behaviors

Lecture 13 Origin Request Policy

Lecture 14 Cache Policy

Lecture 15 Response Headers Policy

Lecture 16 Demo - Exploring a more advanced CloudFront setup

Lecture 17 Origins

Lecture 18 Origin Shield

Lecture 19 Origin Groups

Lecture 20 Invalidations

Lecture 21 Custom Error Pages

Lecture 22 Reports & Analytics

Lecture 23 Summary: CloudFront Overview

Section 4: Service Integrations

Lecture 24 Configuring Custom Domains & Certificates

Lecture 25 Log Management

Lecture 26 Monitoring & Alerting

Lecture 27 Rate Limiting with the Web Application Firewall

Lecture 28 VPC Origins

Lecture 29 API Gateway

Lecture 30 KMS-encrypted S3 Origins

Lecture 31 Custom Origins

Lecture 32 Summary

Section 5: Request & Response Modifications

Lecture 33 Request & Response Hooks

Lecture 34 CloudFront Functions & Lambda@Edge

Lecture 35 CloudFront Functions & Key-Value-Store

Lecture 36 Lambda@Edge I

Lecture 37 Lambda@Edge II

Lecture 38 Summary

Section 6: Authentication

Lecture 39 Overview & Cryptography Primer

Lecture 40 Signed URLs & Signed Cookies

Lecture 41 Custom Authentication Solutions & Summary

Cloud engineers and DevOps professionals who want to optimize content delivery and reduce latency for their applications using AWS CloudFront,Web developers and architects looking to implement robust caching strategies and improve website performance for global audiences,System administrators and site reliability engineers responsible for managing high-traffic websites and applications,Technical leads and CTOs who need to make informed decisions about CDN implementation and content delivery strategies