what is amazon web services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive cloud computing platform and subsidiary of Amazon, launched in 2006, that provides on-demand IT resources such as compute power, storage, databases, and networking over the internet. Customers—including individuals, startups, large enterprises, and government agencies—use AWS services to rent virtual servers and other cloud infrastructure instead of owning and managing physical servers. AWS offers more than 200 fully featured services, including virtual servers (EC2), storage solutions (S3), managed databases (RDS), and serverless computing (Lambda). It operates globally through multiple data centers called regions and availability zones, ensuring high availability, scalability, and security. AWS uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model, allowing clients to scale usage and costs dynamically. It is widely recognized as the leading cloud service provider with a strong emphasis on innovation, security, and large-scale global infrastructure.