Home labs & practical projects
Explain the bill for a seasonal online shop
A project to do with your own tools, with guidance on what to create and capture.
What you could create
An online shop has quiet weekdays and a seasonal sales spike. Its owner wants to understand which cloud costs vary and who protects customer information.
| Evidence | What to capture |
|---|---|
| Annotated monthly cost model | Show the inputs, scope and decisions behind this record. The peak estimate uses different usage assumptions from the quiet period. |
| Plain-English account responsibility briefing | Include the evidence supporting your conclusion. Stored data still has a cost when the application is idle. |
What you'll need
Document, spreadsheet or diagram tool
Write a sample demand profile with normal and peak traffic. Use current AWS service descriptions and a pricing calculator; no deployment is required.
Project record
Keep the working files for annotated monthly cost model and record assumptions as you go.
Current reference material
Use the linked provider resources to verify the features, access terms and version relevant to your project.
Access & cost
No paid platform is needed for the written version. Use a document, spreadsheet or diagram tool you already have.
The organisation and records are fictional. Write down assumptions; do not substitute confidential employer information.
Suggested milestones
- 1
Plan and investigate
Sketch an application using compute, object storage and a database.
- 2
Develop your approach
Identify variable usage, retained capacity and data-transfer assumptions.
- 3
Verify and explain
Explain shared responsibility and identify which account protections the shop must configure.
Useful resources
Use these resources to deepen your understanding and check key details.
Review the current provider requirements and relevant subject areas.
Check relevance, platform versions and current access terms.
Find relevant providers and check features, access requirements and costs.
A useful starting point
Write a sample demand profile with normal and peak traffic. Use current AWS service descriptions and a pricing calculator; no deployment is required.
What a good result looks like
- The peak estimate uses different usage assumptions from the quiet period.
- Stored data still has a cost when the application is idle.
- The owner can distinguish provider responsibilities from their own.
Finish the project
Keep the decision record and note unanswered questions. A written design is not evidence that a technical control has been tested.
Independent home-project guidance, not an official vendor lab or a claim of complete exam coverage. Use your own tools and label the work accurately.