The Well-Architected Realm · SAA-C03 study map
Every location in The Well-Architected Realm
Each region of the map is one SAA-C03 exam domain, sized by its real exam weight. Every landmark is a topic from our free AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate study guide: click through to any lesson below.
Bastion Highlands
Design Secure Architectures · 30% of the examIAM Citadel · Secure Access to AWS Resources
Every traveler entering the realm passes the citadel gate. Learn who gets in, what they may touch, and how the guards decide.
- IAM Fundamentals (Users, Groups, Roles, Policies)
- IAM Best Practices & Least Privilege
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- AWS Security Token Service (STS) & Temporary Credentials
- Cross-Account Access & Resource Sharing
- AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO) & Control Tower
- Service Control Policies (SCPs) & Organizations
- Directory Services & Federation (SAML, OIDC)
VPC Ramparts · Secure Workloads and Applications
A walled town where every street is a subnet and every gate keeps its own allowlist. Firewalls here are stacked in layers.
The Cipher Vault · Data Security Controls
Nothing leaves this keep in plaintext. The keymasters rotate their secrets and never let a master key out of the vault.
Resilience Coast
Design Resilient Architectures · 26% of the examDecoupling Docks · Scalable and Loosely Coupled Architectures
Cargo never moves hand to hand here. Everything goes through queues on the pier, so no ship ever waits on another.
Failover Lighthouse · High Availability and Fault Tolerance
Two beacons stand on the point. When one goes dark, the second lights within a heartbeat and no sailor notices the switch.
Throughput Plains
Design High-Performing Architectures · 24% of the examThe Storage Stacks · High-Performing Storage Solutions
Endless rows of barns hold the realm's goods. Some are kept by the door for speed, some deep in cold rows for pennies.
Compute Forge · High-Performing Compute Solutions
The smiths pick a different hammer for every job. Choosing the wrong instance here wastes coal and ruins the blade.
Query Keep · High-Performing Database Solutions
The realm's records live in this tower. Its librarians index everything and keep hot copies for readers in every wing.
Latency Bridge · High-Performing Network Architectures
The only crossing on the river. Traffic engineers argue daily about peering, gateways, and the fastest route to the coast.
Streamfall Mill · Data Ingestion and Transformation
The mill never stops turning. Raw grain streams in from the river and leaves as flour, sorted, labeled, and ready to query.
Frugal Dunes
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures · 20% of the examLifecycle Oasis · Cost-Effective Storage Solutions
Nomads here never carry more water than the day needs. Old stores sink into cool archives beneath the sand.
Spot Bazaar · Cost-Effective Compute Solutions
Prices at these stalls change by the hour. Traders who tolerate interruption buy compute for a tenth of the posted rate.
Reserve Caravanserai · Cost-Effective Database Solutions
Book a room for three years and the innkeeper cuts the rate in half. Wanderers who pay by the night fund the discount.
Budget Watchtower · Cost-Effective Network Architectures
From this tower the wardens watch every coin that crosses the border. Nothing surprises them at the end of the month.