AWS Global Infrastructure

Definition: AWS runs data centres all over the world, organised into Regions and Availability Zones. Knowing this structure is key to building fast, reliable systems.

Regions

A Region is a geographic area (for example, North Virginia, Ireland, Singapore). You choose a Region close to your users to reduce delay, and to meet data-residency rules. Each Region is isolated from the others.

Availability Zones (AZs)

Each Region contains several Availability Zones — separate data centres with their own power and networking, a short distance apart. If one AZ has a problem, the others keep running.

Why it matters

• Low latency — pick a Region near your users
• High availability — spread your app across multiple AZs so a single failure does not take you down
• Compliance — keep data in a Region that meets local laws

💡 Best practice: for important apps, always run across at least two Availability Zones.