SAA-C03 Resources — Official & Essential Links
Curated official resources for AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03): exam guide, registration, Well-Architected, core service docs, design whitepapers, pricing tools, and training.
On this page
Below are official (or primary) resources to anchor your prep. Skim the exam guide first, then use the Well-Architected materials and core service docs while practicing scenarios.
Exam & Registration
- AWS Certification — Solutions Architect Associate (official landing)
https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate/ - Exam Guide (blueprint/objectives PDF)
https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-sa-assoc/AWS-Certified-Solutions-Architect-Associate_Exam-Guide.pdf - Schedule/Manage Exam (AWS Certification Portal)
https://www.aws.training/Certification - Exam Policies, ID, and Recertification
https://aws.amazon.com/certification/policies/
Design Foundations
- AWS Well-Architected Framework (main)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/framework/welcome.html - Well-Architected Pillars
Reliability: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/reliability-pillar/welcome.html
Security: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/security-pillar/welcome.html
Performance Efficiency: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/performance-efficiency-pillar/welcome.html
Cost Optimization: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/cost-optimization-pillar/welcome.html
Operational Excellence: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/operational-excellence-pillar/welcome.html - Well-Architected Labs (hands-on)
https://www.wellarchitectedlabs.com/
Core Services (Frequently Tested)
- VPC (Networking, Subnets, Routing, Endpoints, NAT, TGW)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/what-is-amazon-vpc.html - Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB/GWLB)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/userguide/what-is-load-balancing.html - EC2 & Auto Scaling
EC2: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/concepts.html
Auto Scaling: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/autoscaling/ec2/userguide/what-is-amazon-ec2-auto-scaling.html - S3 (Classes, Lifecycle, Replication)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html - EBS / EFS / FSx
EBS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AmazonEBS.html
EFS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/whatisefs.html
FSx: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/WindowsGuide/what-is.html - RDS / Aurora
RDS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html
Aurora: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/CHAP_AuroraOverview.html - DynamoDB
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/Introduction.html - IAM & Organizations
IAM: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/introduction.html
Organizations & SCPs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_introduction.html - KMS (Encryption & Keys)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kms/latest/developerguide/overview.html - Secrets Manager & Parameter Store
Secrets Manager: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/latest/userguide/intro.html
SSM Parameter Store: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/latest/userguide/systems-manager-parameter-store.html - CloudFront
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudFront/latest/DeveloperGuide/Introduction.html - Route 53 (Routing & Health Checks)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/Welcome.html - CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config, GuardDuty, Security Hub
CloudWatch: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/WhatIsCloudWatch.html
CloudTrail: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awscloudtrail/latest/userguide/cloudtrail-user-guide.html
Config: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/config/latest/developerguide/WhatIsConfig.html
GuardDuty: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/guardduty/latest/ug/what-is-guardduty.html
Security Hub: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/securityhub/latest/userguide/what-is-securityhub.html
Whitepapers & Reference
- AWS Well-Architected (PDF whitepaper)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/framework/wellarchitected-framework.pdf - Reliability Pillar (PDF)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/reliability-pillar/wellarchitected-reliability-pillar.pdf - Security Pillar (PDF)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/security-pillar/wellarchitected-security-pillar.pdf - Performance Efficiency Pillar (PDF)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/performance-efficiency-pillar/wellarchitected-performance-efficiency-pillar.pdf - Cost Optimization Pillar (PDF)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/cost-optimization-pillar/wellarchitected-cost-optimization-pillar.pdf - AWS Architecture Center (patterns & diagrams)
https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/
Pricing & Cost Tools
- AWS Pricing Calculator
https://calculator.aws/ - Cost Explorer & Budgets
Cost Explorer: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cost-management/latest/userguide/ce-what-is.html
Budgets: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cost-management/latest/userguide/budgets-managing-costs.html - Compute Optimizer
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/compute-optimizer/latest/ug/what-is-compute-optimizer.html - Cost & Usage Report (CUR)
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cur/latest/userguide/what-is-cur.html
Training & Hands‑On
- AWS Skill Builder (free & paid courses)
https://skillbuilder.aws/ - AWS Workshops
https://workshops.aws/ - Well-Architected Labs
https://www.wellarchitectedlabs.com/
Security & Encryption Deep Dives
- KMS multi‑Region keys
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kms/latest/developerguide/multi-region-keys-overview.html - S3 Block Public Access
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/access-control-block-public-access.html - VPC Endpoints & PrivateLink
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/privatelink/what-is-privatelink.html - S3 Server‑Side Encryption
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/serv-side-encryption.html
Exam-Day Logistics
- Accommodation Requests
https://aws.amazon.com/certification/policies/ - Certification Verification
https://aw.certmetrics.com/amazon/public/badge.aspx
Bookmark this page. As you practice, open the relevant doc side‑by‑side to reinforce correct patterns and defaults.