This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Gabriel Taiwo OLALEYE
I’ve always dreamed of having my own personal profile website, a space where I could tell my story, showcase my skills, and connect with others.
For a long time, it felt like something “only web developers” could do, but the AWS Builder Challenge #2 gave me the perfect opportunity to finally make it happen finally.
In the process, I built more than just a website: I built confidence, new skills, and a bridge between my past and future careers.
Live Website: https://www.gabrieltaiwoolaleye.com/
My Journey: From Chemistry to Cloud
My academic path began with Chemistry, before I moved into Pharmaceutical Science, where precision, documentation, and analysis were at the heart of everything. While I valued that field, I found myself increasingly drawn to technology, especially cloud computing and its ability to transform how we live and work.
Transitioning into cloud technology wasn’t just a career shift; it was a leap into a new world. I had to start from the ground up: AWS, identity management, automation, and now web hosting. Building this website became symbolic of my journey from studying molecules in a lab to working with servers, networks, and applications in the cloud.
What I Built
For this challenge, I created a personal “About Me” profile website hosted entirely on AWS’s Free Tier.
It includes:
A secure site with HTTPS enabled
A professional “About Me” page telling my story
A working contact form powered by serverless backend services
A custom theme and styling that reflects my personal brand
This wasn’t just standing up a template; it was about creating something uniquely mine.
What I Learned (Day by Day)
Day 1 – Setting up AWS
Setting Up my AWS Free Tier Account
Day 2 – Domain and DNS
I learned to navigate the AWS Management Console, create an S3 bucket, and enable static website hosting. My first “aha!” moment was realising hosting doesn’t need racks of servers.
Day 3 – Uploading Web Content to S3
On Day 3 of the AWS Builder Challenge #2, I created and customised my personal website content before securely uploading it to Amazon S3. Even though I was new to HTML and CSS, I was able to take up the challenge. I enabled SSL certificates with AWS Certificate Manager, and now, that familiar lock icon in browsers suddenly made sense.
Day 4 – CDN Configuration
I focused on solving a key issue every website faces: delivering fast, secure access to users around the world. Websites often load slowly for distant visitors because data must travel thousands of kilometres between the server and the user. For example, a request from Tokyo to a server in Mexico City travels over 22,000 km, causing delays, unreliable connections, and poor user experience.
To address this, the world’s largest websites (Amazon, Netflix, Google) use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). A CDN distributes copies of website files across global servers, allowing users to access content from the nearest location. This approach improves speed, reliability, security, and reduces load on the origin server. This was when my website first came alive.
Day 5 – Professional Deployment with GitHub & AWS Amplify
My focus shifts from manually hosting a website on S3 + CloudFront to adopting a professional, automated deployment workflow using GitHub and AWS Amplify. This modern approach streamlines updates, provides better version control, and mirrors how developers manage real-world projects.
Why Git & GitHub?
Git is a powerful version control system that tracks every change to your code, enabling backups, experimentation, and collaboration. GitHub hosts these repositories in the cloud, acting as both a secure storage system and a professional portfolio. Unlike manual uploads to S3, GitHub integrates seamlessly with Amplify, enabling automatic updates whenever code is modified.
Day 6 – Building a Contact Form and Personalisation
In this step of the challenge, I learnt to add a working contact form to the AWS Amplify-hosted website. The goal is to make websites interactive by enabling visitors to send messages that trigger email notifications, while also gaining hands-on experience with serverless computing and modern web development patterns.
I implemented a custom theme with CSS, incorporating subtle animations and a personalized layout that truly reflects my identity, where technology met creativity. Additionally, I configured Route 53 for my domain. While DNS once felt abstract, completing the setup gave me a clear, practical understanding of how it works.
Day 7 – Testing & Launch
This past week, I completed the AWS Builder Challenge #2, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my cloud journey. Coming from a background in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, I never imagined I would one day be building and hosting my own website in the cloud. But with AWS, I made it happen!
Over seven days, I went from setting up my AWS account with proper security controls to deploying a live website that now tells my story. I learned how to use Amazon S3 for secure storage, and then connected it with CloudFront for fast global delivery. Using AWS Amplify, I set up a smooth deployment pipeline so every code change I make is automatically reflected online. I even built a serverless contact form powered by Lambda and SNS, something I once thought was far beyond my skills.
This challenge gave me more than technical knowledge; it gave me confidence. I’ve seen firsthand how the cloud connects services together to create real solutions. My biggest takeaway? You don’t need to know everything at once; just keep learning, one AWS service at a time.
This is just the beginning of my cloud story! 
Tested everything, fixed issues, and officially launched. Seeing my domain live on AWS infrastructure was a huge milestone.
Key Skills I Developed
Cloud Hosting with S3 & Route 53
Security with AWS Certificate Manager
Serverless development with Lambda & API Gateway
Front-end design with HTML/CSS
Website deployment & scaling with AWS Amplify
Documentation & storytelling, translating my journey into clear, engaging content
Tips for Future Builders
Don’t overthink it, start small and build gradually.
Test as you go; small fixes early save headaches later.
Make your website personal. It’s not just a project; it’s your story.
Conclusion
Building this website wasn’t just a technical challenge; it was a personal milestone. I now have a profile website that represents my transition from Chemistry → Pharmaceutical Science → Cloud Technology, built entirely with AWS.
Most importantly, I proved to myself that with curiosity, persistence, and the right tools, I can keep building my future in the cloud.
Live Website: https://www.gabrieltaiwoolaleye.com/
To see how I built it, subscribe to my YouTube channel
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Gabriel Taiwo OLALEYE