As a student diving into cloud platforms like AWS and GCP, I'm a bit torn on whether I should prioritize learning the terminal (CLI) or the console. I've heard that each has its own advantages when it comes to industry relevance. Can industry experts weigh in on which of these skills is more crucial to master for career readiness?
5 Answers
Honestly, I rarely use the AWS CLI because the console is so intuitive for exploring services and managing resources. Applying IaC through tools like Terraform (or CloudFormation) is how many businesses actually set things up nowadays. It's also nice that AWS maintains consistent APIs, which makes troubleshooting a breeze, no matter which tool you're using.
In my decade of experience with AWS, I’d recommend getting into the Cloud Development Kit (CDK) using a programming language of your choice. It makes managing your cloud infrastructure a lot smoother.
A lot of folks agree that focusing on Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and the command-line interface (CLI) is key. The console can sometimes abstract things too much, and you might miss important concepts when learning. So, getting comfy with the CLI could give you a better grasp of cloud architecture.
The console is perfect for hands-on exploration. It allows you to visually navigate configurations and metrics without diving into code right away. Many start by setting things up in the console, then transition to using the CLI for deployment—gaining that practical understanding of how to craft your Infrastructure as Code later on.
As a student, familiarizing yourself with the console helps link everything together visually, especially when you're learning. However, real power comes from the CLI, and it opens up a whole world of options. My suggestion? Get enough console skills to navigate documentation effectively, then shift to mastering the terminal along with its structural patterns.
Totally! Plus, if you're aiming for industry standards, Terraform is a strong bet for resource provisioning, especially across AWS and GCP.