Jonathan Layman

I am really excited to be starting this AWS Cloud Resume Challenge. I have already broken up this project into 5 main phases, which takes me from setting up a complete AWS Organization, to deploying the site to then implementing various Security, Solutions Architect, and AI features. diving into Phase 1 of the AWS Cloud Resume Challenge. Explore my process of building this site's infrastructure and the lessons learned while working hands-on with AWS services.

Phase 1: Building the Site and Getting It Live on AW

This project started with going back to the basics and building the site itself.

I looked through a few different HTML and CSS templates to get ideas for layout and structure. Instead of using any single template as it was, I mixed and matched pieces from several of them and then rewrote a lot of the code to get the look I was going for. That process turned into a good refresher on web design fundamentals and helped me relearn a lot of things I had not touched since my earlier web design days.

This part of the project was really about getting comfortable again with front end work. I spent time cleaning up HTML structure, adjusting CSS, and making sure everything looked right across different screen sizes. It was slow at times, but it helped rebuild confidence and reminded me how much I actually remembered once I started working through it.

Once the site was in a good place locally, I moved on to AWS. I set up my AWS account, configured the basics, and created an S3 bucket to host the site as a static website. After uploading the files and setting the correct permissions, the site was live. Seeing it hosted in AWS for the first time was a small but important milestone.

Right now the site is intentionally simple. The goal of this phase was just to get something clean, working, and deployed. With that foundation in place, I can now focus on improving security, setting up HTTPS, and starting to add more advanced cloud features.

This is just the first step, but it sets the groundwork for everything that comes next.

Upcoming Projects

Phase 2: Securing and Launching My Site with AWS

The next phase of my website focuses on production-ready deployment and security. I'm implementing HTTPS across the entire site by placing my static S3 website behind Amazon CloudFront, ensuring encrypted traffic and modern web security standards. Once CloudFront is in place, I'll configure a custom domain and DNS routing using Amazon Route 53, pointing my personal domain directly to the CloudFront distribution. This step completes the transition from a basic static site to a secure, globally distributed web presence—mirroring real-world cloud deployment practices. This milestone marks the official “go-live” moment for my site.

Phase 3: Serverless Visitor Counter (Full-Stack AWS)

After the site is live and secure, I'll move into building a fully serverless back end to support a real-time visitor counter. This project will integrate front-end JavaScript with AWS managed services: A JavaScript component on the site to track page visits A DynamoDB table to persist visitor counts An API Gateway + AWS Lambda (Python) backend to securely handle requests between the website and the database The goal is to design a lightweight, scalable, and cost-efficient architecture that demonstrates event-driven, serverless application design—one of the core patterns used in modern cloud environments. This project bridges front-end development, cloud infrastructure, and back-end logic into a single cohesive system.