The AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) is a great way to start building APIs and other applications, but API endpoints are open by default. Amazon Cognito is a solution to add user sign up and sign in to a project. By the end of this post you will have created an API endpoint that requires authentication, registered a user, and called the endpoint.

My AWS account is several years old now. I started with the single free EC2 instance and now run several “production” applications. I’ve always been a fan of trial by fire. I dive into a complex project, fail a lot, and eventually get it working. Sometimes this results in a less than optimal solution. The The Cloud Resume Challenge helps with that.

Cloud skills are hot right now, but unlike learning Python or running a Docker container, building in the cloud will cost you. Fortunately there are some secrets to maximizing the AWS free tier and getting credits to cover your monthly bill.

The internet is full of awesome free tools. I use CyberChef almost every day. Another example is Have I Been Pwned. These are great services and they do a lot of good. The tool we’ll focus on is codebeautify.org which among other things, beautifies code.

I’m not one for playlists. My Spotify routine typically involves listening to my Discover Weekly, liking songs, then listening to the Liked Songs playlist. Years of a shared family cellphone plan also traumatized me into saving mobile data. If I’m going to listen to something while I drive, I’ll download it. Unfortunately my Liked Songs playlist, like yours, is massive.