This is a roadmap to AWS documentation and other technical content for .NET developers.

If you're a .NET developer working on AWS, you'll naturally need technical information from time to time. Whether you're brand new to AWS, or experienced but working with a new AWS service, key technical content can be the difference between a fast ramp-up or a prolonged period of uncertainty or even going down a wrong path. Nothing can be more frustrating than failing to find what you need, when you need it—especially when you have a deadline to meet. It leaves you unsure whether the content you need is missing, or you just haven't located it.

Let's face it, AWS has a large surface area: over 200 services, multiple SDKs, and numerous tools, packages, and open source projects. Without some navigational instincts, it can feel like you're searching for a needle in a very large haystack. Let's fix that and equip you for finding what you need. As an AWS developer, you'll want to be aware of service features, best practices, learning resources, pricing model, and what the free tier gives you. As a .NET developer, you'll likely be hungry for SDK documentation, C# code samples, and guidance on integrating with frameworks like ASP .NET. You're going to need to know how to navigate general AWS resources, like AWS service references, as well as where to find any .NET-specific content. We'll cover both categories in this post.

Know The Primary Hubs

We all hope a Google search will take us right to the content we need, but when it doesn't you need to methodically track down what you're looking for. There are a few key hubs for AWS docs and technical content you'll want to bookmark and use often.

Service Detail Pages

Every AWS service has a service detail page (really a set of pages). If you're evaluating or getting familiar with a new AWS service, the service detail pages are essential. Here you'll find an overview of the service, how it works, use cases, features, pricing model and free tier details, FAQs, getting started content, and other resources. There's a lot of good stuff here. You can find service detail pages easily from a search engine by searching for the name of an AWS service. The service details page will be one of the first in your search results.

Depending on the service, you may or may not find links to .NET specific developer content in this area. That's why it's important to also look for re:Invent sessions, AWS blogs, and community blogs. The .NET on AWS website can point you to much of this content.

AWS SDK for .NET Documentation

The AWS SDK for .NET documentation hub provides the orientation .NET developers need to work with AWS services programmatically. Some key AWS SDK for .NET references available here are the API documentation, a Developer Guide, and code samples.

Don't overlook the AWS SDK for .NET Developer Guide, 332 pages of goodness about working with the AWS SDK for .NET, including best practices.

AWS Architecture Center

The AWS Architecture Center is where you'll find reference architectures, proven solutions, best practices, design patterns, and even PowerPoint icons. Although little of this content is .NET-specific, it's essential reference information you'll want to consult for making good architectural decisions.

AWS Skills Builder Training Courses

AWS Skills Builder courses are self-paced digital training you can take. You can zoom in on your area of interest with the search bar, and setting a filter to your preferred language will narrow the results.

When there's a skills builder course for an area you're needing to learn, I recommend taking them. They're easy to work through, and the experience is first-rate for developers. You can see the course outline, and skim or skip sections as you desire. Some courses include a hands-on lab and some have assessment modules.

AWS Blogs

AWS blogs frequently. There are lots and lots of AWS blogs, such as the AWS Architecture blog, the AWS Compute blog, the AWS Container Blog, the AWS Database Blog, and the AWS Developer Tools blog.

You can either visit these blogs directly, or use the AWS News Blog to see all of it together. I like to search the AWS Blogs search page for ".NET" regularly to see what's new in the .NET on AWS world across all AWS blogs.

.NET on AWS Website

The .NET on AWS website is the .NET developer hub, your best friend for finding .NET on AWS content. It's a good starting point, because it links to a lot of the other content mentioned here.

The Getting Started page includes training, quick starts, workshops, and tutorials.

The Services page links to commonly used service documentation, emphasizing compute, containers, and serverless. The Tools page links to IDE toolkits, .NET CLI and PowerShell tools, and assistive tooling for migration and modernization.

The .NET Digital Library page contains .NET on AWS content you can search or browse categorically.

The Community page connects you to AWS and community blogs and YouTube channels, people to follow on social media, and open source projects.

.NET on AWS YouTube Playlist

You'll find .NET videos from AWS on the .NET on AWS YouTube Playlist. This includes .NET sessions from AWS re:Invent.

Community Blogs and YouTube Channels

There's a lot of good community content for .NET on AWS. That includes YouTube channels from Nick Chapsas in the UK, Wes Doyle in the US, Rahul Nath in Australia.

Useful .NET on AWS developer blogs include Bryan Hogan's No Dogma Blog, my own Hello, Cloud blog, François Bouteruche's blog and Steve Roberts' blog.

Open Source Projects

You can view a gallery of .NET on AWS open source projects on the .NET on AWS website Community page.

Little-Known General Resources

Documentation Root Page

You probably find a lot of documentation through a Google search, like most developers. You may not be aware that there is an AWS documentation root page. This handy page gives you broad categories like Compute and Storage, with links to AWS service pages.

AWS Glossary

As you read through documentation, you might come across terminology you're unfamiliar with, which can derail you. From "availability zone" to "spot instance", nothing's more frustrating than encountering an unfamiliar term when you're digesting new technical material. Fortunately, there's an AWS glossary, a handy reference for filling in those gaps.

AWS Documentation is Open Source

Did you know that a lot of AWS documentation is open source? There are over 270 repositories in Amazon Web Services - Documentation including the AWS SDK for .NET documentation.

If you think a documentation reference is lacking in some way, you can suggest changes. Jeff Barr explains the process to make a contribution in this AWS News Blog. You can even Watch a doc repo of importance to you, and get an email whenever there's an update, new issue, or new pull request.

Summary

Now that you have some guideposts to where .NET on AWS documentation is lurking, it should be easier finding what you need. Happy developing!