Cloud Resume Challenge – Jonathan Layman

Implementation of the AWS Cloud Resume Challenge
https://cloudresumechallenge.dev/docs/the-challenge/aws/

This repository contains the source code and documentation for my implementation of the challenge.

The goal of this project is to demonstrate real-world cloud engineering skills by designing, securing, and deploying a serverless personal website on AWS, while documenting each phase of the build.

Live Site
https://jonathanlayman.com

Project Overview

The Cloud Resume Challenge is a hands-on project designed to demonstrate practical cloud knowledge beyond certifications.

This implementation focuses on building a production-style architecture using AWS services and modern DevOps practices.

The project includes:

• A static website hosted on AWS
• Secure HTTPS delivery using CloudFront
• A serverless visitor counter
• Version-controlled infrastructure
• CI/CD deployment automation
• Ongoing improvements using Infrastructure as Code

Current Architecture

User Browser
      ↓
CloudFront CDN
      ↓
S3 Static Website
      ↓
JavaScript API Call
      ↓
API Gateway
      ↓
AWS Lambda (Python)
      ↓
DynamoDB

Core AWS Services Used:

• Amazon S3 – Secure static website hosting
• Amazon CloudFront – Global CDN with HTTPS
• AWS Certificate Manager – TLS certificate management
• Amazon Route 53 – DNS management
• AWS Lambda – Serverless backend logic
• Amazon DynamoDB – Persistent visitor counter storage
• Amazon API Gateway – HTTP API endpoint
• GitHub – Source control and CI/CD workflow

Project Build Phases

This project is documented through a series of build logs on my website.

Phase 1 – Development Environment

• Configured development workflow using Visual Studio Code
• Organized project structure
• Implemented Git version control

Phase 2 – Static Website Hosting

• Built personal resume website
• Deployed site to Amazon S3
• Configured secure bucket policies

Phase 3 – Domain and DNS Configuration

• Configured custom domain
• Implemented Amazon Route 53
• Connected DNS records to CloudFront

Phase 4 – Secure HTTPS Delivery

• Implemented Amazon CloudFront
• Enabled HTTPS using AWS Certificate Manager
• Configured Origin Access Control (OAC)

Phase 5 – CI/CD Automation

• Connected GitHub repository
• Configured automated deployments
• Website updates now deploy through a CI/CD pipeline

Phase 6 – Cost Monitoring

• Implemented AWS Budgets
• Configured cost alerts
• Introduced basic FinOps practices

Phase 7 – Serverless Visitor Counter

• Implemented visitor tracking using:

  • AWS Lambda (Python)
  • Amazon DynamoDB
  • Amazon API Gateway

• Frontend JavaScript retrieves visitor count through an API

Phase 8 – Infrastructure as Code (In Progress)

• Migrating infrastructure to Terraform
• Goal: manage AWS resources using Infrastructure as Code

Deployment Workflow

Developer updates website code
      ↓
Push to GitHub repository
      ↓
CI/CD pipeline runs
      ↓
Website files deploy to Amazon S3
      ↓
CloudFront cache refreshes
      ↓
Updated website served globally

Branching Strategy

master        → Production-ready website code
Project/blog  → Blog posts and development notes
feature/*     → Feature development branches

This simplified workflow mirrors practices used in many development teams.

Project Repositories

Frontend (Website Code)

https://github.com/jlayman09/Layman_CloudResumeWebsite

Serverless Backend

https://github.com/jlayman09/cloud-resume-backend

Why This Project Matters

This project demonstrates practical experience with:

• Cloud architecture design
• Secure web delivery using AWS
• Serverless application development
• API integration
• DevOps workflows
• Infrastructure as Code concepts

It complements my background in cybersecurity education and supports my transition into cloud and cloud security roles.

About Me

Jonathan Layman

Cybersecurity Educator | Cloud Security | AWS

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Certifications

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate AWS Certified AI Practitioner AWS Certified Security – Specialty CompTIA Security+ CompTIA Network+

Currently Studying

HashiCorp Terraform Associate

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanlayman

Website

https://jonathanlayman.com