Home labs & practical projects
Design recovery for a two-tier booking service
A project to do with your own tools, with guidance on what to create and capture.
What you could create
A booking service must survive the loss of one availability zone. The business accepts up to 15 minutes of lost bookings and a one-hour recovery window.
| Evidence | What to capture |
|---|---|
| Failure-domain architecture diagram | Show the inputs, scope and decisions behind this record. The design identifies every remaining single point of failure. |
| Recovery test plan with decision rationale | Include the evidence supporting your conclusion. Recovery objectives are tied to data restoration and service validation. |
What you'll need
Document, spreadsheet or diagram tool
Define a web tier, relational booking data and uploaded receipts. Use AWS architecture and service documentation to compare two designs.
Project record
Keep the working files for failure-domain architecture diagram 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
Draw traffic, application and data paths across availability zones.
- 2
Develop your approach
Separate availability measures from backup and disaster recovery.
- 3
Verify and explain
Describe a zone-failure test and calculate the trade-off between resilience, complexity and cost.
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
Define a web tier, relational booking data and uploaded receipts. Use AWS architecture and service documentation to compare two designs.
What a good result looks like
- The design identifies every remaining single point of failure.
- Recovery objectives are tied to data restoration and service validation.
- The failure test states what would demonstrate an unsuccessful recovery.
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.