The 80/20 of AWS (the services that actually matter)

AWS has over 200 services. That number is intimidating. You log into the console, see a wall of icons, and immediately feel like you need a certification just to figure out where to start. Here's the good news: most companies use the same 10 to 15 services for almost everything. The rest are niche tools for specific problems you probably don't have yet. This is the 80/20 of AWS. The small set of services that handles the vast majority of what you'll actually build. We're going to walk through each one, explain what it does in plain language, and tell you when you'd reach for it. No deep dives, no architecture diagrams. Just enough to know what's available and when to use it. A note on the free tier: AWS changed its free tier model in July 2025. If you created your account before July 15, 2025, you get the traditional 12-month free tier with specific service limits. If you signed up after that date, you get up to $200 in credits valid for 6 months. The free tier details below reflect th