AWS Architect vs. Developer

Posted on  

September 9, 2022

Published by: Codemonk

Experts anticipate the global cloud computing market to grow from USD 445.3 billion in 2021 to USD 947.3 billion by 2026, at a steady rate of 16.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Henceforth, the demand for dedicated cloud professionals has been on the rise!

When talking about cloud technology, AWS dominates a big part of the industry; there is a rising need for experts like AWS architects and developers, with tremendous job openings in the market. 

But when choosing it as a career path, people often get stuck with one question: which field is best for me? Is it reasonable to become an AWS architect or try your hand in AWS development? Worry not! We have tried to help you choose the best career path by comparing AWS Architect vs. AWS Developer.

But for beginners, let's start by learning all about AWS and its contributions to the IT field.

What is AWS?

AWS, or Amazon Web Services, is a secure cloud platform that offers computing power, storage, content delivery, databases, etc., on a pay-as-you-go basis.

It is the latest technology and IT industry development, and many organizations have already started transforming their in-house infrastructure to cloud environments. Studies show that almost 94% of enterprises use cloud services, and 60% of all corporate data is stored in the cloud.

Its popularity is due to the more than 200 fully featured services that can help you create futuristic and robust solutions.

Along with the wide range of services offered by AWS, it also created many jobs based on building on AWS. Among all the jobs, AWS architects and developers play a crucial role in executing the AWS-based software system.

Now let us get into the details of what these two jobs offer!

Who are the AWS Architects and AWS Developers?

AWS Architects are the ones who design, build, deploy, and maintain the AWS Cloud’s business applications and infrastructure. 

The developed skills and expertise of AWS architects help them design and develop advanced cloud-based solutions and migrate existing systems to the cloud.

While AWS developers are the ones who set up, maintain, and evolve web applications' cloud infrastructure, AWS architects design and build them. Hence, AWS developers understand the core AWS services better than others and apply the most suitable practices concerning security and scalability.

Now that we know how AWS architects and developers work, let us see their roles in the IT industry and how they differ!

What are the roles of AWS Architects and Developers?

While both AWS solution architects and developers work with cloud technology, their roles are quite different. So let’s see what they do!

Roles and Responsibilities of AWS Certified Architects:

  • Creating cloud-based solutions
  • Moving archaic systems 
  • Keeping downtime and data leaks to a minimum
  • Create and implement cost-control techniques with a progressive approach
  • Developing suitable strategies to resolve complex software applications in the cloud
  • Supervise the networking and develop connecting issues for the cloud system
Key Soft Skills
Analytical Skills Teamwork Time Management Adaptive

Roles and Responsibilities of AWS Developers:

  • Understand the application structure and suggest new changes or upgrades
  • Overseeing the maintenance of the infrastructure and its migration with minimal downtime
  • Continuous knowledge management of the product
  • Monitoring stack and executing service capacity strategies
Key Soft Skills
Analytical Skills Teamwork Time Management Adaptive

Now that we have established what work  AWS architects and developers do, let us see why there is confusion between the roles.

Why do AWS Architects and Developers' Roles Confuse Aspiring IT Employees?

For fresh graduates and even employees looking to switch jobs, the roles of AWS architects and developers are often confusing. And that leads to misunderstanding of the job responsibilities in the two functions.

While the roles of AWS developers and architects differ significantly, they share some positions. Some of the similar functions of AWS architects and developers are:

  • Both AWS architects and developers help migrate and adopt the existing systems to the cloud.
  • Both use AWS APIs, CLI, and SDKs to develop and execute their applications and software.

Due to the similarity between their roles, new IT workers often get confused. Along with the similarities, AWS architects and developers have to work together to complete any project and often work as teams.

How Do AWS Architects Differ from AWS Developers?

We already know the roles and responsibilities of AWS architects and developers. Now let us see the main difference between the two in terms of various features.

AWS Architect AWS Developers
Job Objective In any project, they are responsible for building and integrating AWS-based computer systems and data. While AWS developers work on the development and design of scalable and robust solutions for the client.
Work Process For AWS solution architects, using scripting languages in a Linux environment to work on the cloud architecture is essential. AWS developers have to work with the high-level programming language to carry out the concept and services of AWS.
Salary When working as an AWS architect in the US, you can expect the average salary to be around $150K annually. While AWS developers get around $130K while working in the US.
Eligibility
  • To be eligible to work as an AWS solutions architect you must have knowledge of IT services and how they are used on the AWS platform.
  • Must have a minimum 6 months working experience in AWS cloud in a sales, managerial, purchase, technical, or financial role.
  • Must have mastered at least one programming knowledge.
  • Should understand the core AWS services, uses of services and the basic AWS architecture. That includes the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, application lifecycle management, and the use of containers in the development process.
  • Demand The demand for AWS Solution Architects is quite high for the following reasons:
  • Many businesses have seen the potential of cloud computing and are moving their businesses to cloud platforms.
  • When businesses shift to AWS, they first need an AWS architect to design a software blueprint. Without this blueprint, the coding part won't go forward.
  • So, yes, the demand is quite high. And, a good thing is that the salary figures are excellent, too. A win-win situation.
    AWS developers are in high demand. The reasons are as follows:
  • The developers are responsible for the majority of code building. Since many businesses are moving to AWS, the demand is rising as businesses need developers to write code.
  • A report highlights that over 60% of cloud computing job posts require AWS certification. So an AWS developer certification can give you a competitive advantage over other candidates.
  • AWS is popular as businesses have realized the true potential of cloud computing. AWS developers can easily find jobs in many industries as they have the skills and expertise to run the cloud proficiently.

    How To Know Which Career Is The Perfect Fit For You?

    After learning all about the two of the most popular AWS jobs, you must be wondering which one is the best fit f to highlight your skills!

    Below are  a few points that can help you to make an informed choice. 

    1. Take Your Personality Into Account While Choosing A Job

    AWS developers need to deal with the coding part. So, if  you want to choose an AWS developer career, you need to be comfortable with the coding part. 

    On the other hand, the AWS solution architect deals with design and structure. It is best for those who have previous knowledge in building IT architectures. 

    1. Choose A Career That Fits Your Qualifications

    A proper qualification and certification is a must to land up in a desired job.. So it is imperative that you choose to complete an appropriate certification that helps boost your resume for your dream career.

    To work as an AWS architect or developer in any of the IT companies, you must achieve the mandatory eligibility requirements and have an excellent grasp of the core of AWS services and practices!

    1. Make Sure To Consider AWS Certification Exams While Choosing Your Career

    AWS certifications are vital for all careers in the AWS system, and your resume is incomplete without taking the AWS exams. You can take the solutions architect and developer exams, which test your knowledge of the AWS system.

    The difficulty level of the solutions architect and developer exams differs as the AWS developer exam is primarily fact-based  while the AWS solutions architect exams highlight scenario-based questions. You can choose which exams you wish to take depending upon their difficulty levels.

    Closely evaluating your current skill set and career goals can help you pick the exam that benefits you the most. 

    In the End, What is a Better Choice, AWS Architect or AWS Developer? 

    Well, after all the comparisons and the differentiating we have done till now, we hope you will know which career is the one for you. 

    We have gathered all the information on both jobs, and now it is up to you to decide where you belong in the vast IT industry!

    Only you can know the correct answer to these questions, and we hope this blog helps you find it!

    So, which path are you choosing? Designing AWS architecture or programming AWS-based software solutions?

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