> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Course Prerequisites

> AWS CloudFormation course prerequisites covering basic AWS, Amazon S3 and EC2 familiarity, networking fundamentals, estimated prep time, and recommended learning resources for hands on templates.

This lesson outlines the recommended background to get the most value from the course. Below you'll find a concise checklist, why each item matters, and quick links to targeted preparatory material.

* Basic understanding of AWS Cloud fundamentals (Cloud Practitioner level).
* Familiarity with Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), since we'll use these services frequently in hands-on CloudFormation templates.
* A willingness to learn and experiment with templates and infrastructure-as-code.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/kodekloud-c4ac6d9a/B1yFRQ9vtSd-w6Tu/images/AWS-CloudFormation/Course-Introduction/Course-Prerequisites/course-prerequisites-aws-s3-ec2-motivation.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=B1yFRQ9vtSd-w6Tu&q=85&s=1571faf35ed1ccc5d9613de55769f071" alt="A slide titled &#x22;Course Prerequisites&#x22; stating that basic AWS knowledge is required, with recommended familiarity with Amazon S3 and Amazon EC2. It also highlights &#x22;Willingness and Motivation to learn.&#x22;" width="1920" height="1080" data-path="images/AWS-CloudFormation/Course-Introduction/Course-Prerequisites/course-prerequisites-aws-s3-ec2-motivation.jpg" />
</Frame>

What you'll use in this course

* Hands-on CloudFormation templates that create and configure AWS resources such as S3 buckets and EC2 instances.
* Occasional references to other AWS services; basic familiarity with the AWS Management Console, VPCs, subnets, and security groups is helpful but not mandatory.

Prerequisite checklist

| Prerequisite                         | Why it helps                                                                      | Suggested resource                                                                                          |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| AWS Cloud Practitioner basics        | Understand account structure, IAM, billing, and high-level AWS concepts           | [AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/aws-cloud-practitioner-clf-c02) |
| Amazon S3                            | Many templates create or reference S3 buckets for assets, templates, or artifacts | [Amazon S3 course](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-simple-storage-service-amazon-s3)        |
| Amazon EC2                           | Templates will launch and configure EC2 instances for compute workloads           | [Amazon EC2 course](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-elastic-compute-cloud-ec2)              |
| Basic networking (VPC, subnets, SGs) | Helps you understand how templates place and secure resources on the network      | Any introductory AWS networking guide or console walkthrough                                                |

Estimated preparation time: 1–4 hours (depending on prior experience).

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  If you are new to AWS, consider quickly reviewing the introductory guides for [Amazon EC2](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-elastic-compute-cloud-ec2) and [Amazon S3](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-simple-storage-service-amazon-s3). A short refresher on VPC basics will also make the hands-on CloudFormation examples much easier to follow.
</Callout>

Links and references

* [AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/aws-cloud-practitioner-clf-c02)
* [Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) course](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-simple-storage-service-amazon-s3)
* [Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) course](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/amazon-elastic-compute-cloud-ec2)

Ready? Proceed to the next lesson where we'll begin creating CloudFormation templates that provision S3 buckets and EC2 instances step-by-step.

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