All,

I am studying web dvp, and one of my classes is project-based. We have to build a functional site that demonstrate our understanding of:

• HTML,
• CSS,
• Javascript,
• php,
• MySQL,
• And potentially Ajax or some other web component.

For the project, we can use a local server using WampServer and basically build the site entirely on our laptop. If I have time, I would like to create a real site, and I thought it would be a good way to familiarize myself with Amazon's AWS services. So if I purchase a domain name, can I rely on AWS to host the site from A-to-Z? I understand I can use AWS to host content, the database, and do the background computations, if needed. What else do I need and what are the parts that AWS cannot help me with?

Second, is there good documentation for a beginner to navigate AWS and learn how to use it (either on Amazon, or some 3rd party sites, or even a good book, as long as is up to date). The ideal documentation would be a tutorial on creating a web site from a-to-z on AWS, as detailed as possible.

As you can guess, I have limited understanding of the IT issues. I have 0 Linux or sysadmin experience, but this is a good opportunity to change that. I hope you can help me.

Thank you,

JDelage

PS: Please keep the answers AWS-specific. At this point, I am only interested in alternative services to the extent that they plug a hole in Amazon's offering.