#Phase 2: Programming & AI Integration
⏱️ Estimated time: 4-5 weeks
Welcome to Phase 2! This phase is all about programming with Python and integrating AI capabilities into your applications.
Programming is a fundamental skill for cloud engineering, enabling you to create, manage, and optimize cloud resources efficiently. Additionally, integrating AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) into applications is becoming an essential skill for modern cloud engineers.
You don't need to know how to build UIs but you need to know how to work with APIs and other cloud services like storage, databases, and AI services. Knowing how to program and integrate AI will make you more competitive in the hiring market.
:::warning Important As learners finish this phase, many will share their code. We recommend you do not copy and paste anybody's solution. You are only doing a disservice to yourself and will not make it in this field if that is the mentality you have.
Additionally, we recommend you turn off any AI assistants for code completion, though using AI to ask for explanations and clarification is highly recommended. :::
#🎯 Objectives
By the end of this phase, you will have:
- Learned the basics of programming and Python
- Learned the basics of how REST APIs work
- Learned the basics of FastAPI
- Learned how to work with Generative AI APIs
- Learned prompt engineering fundamentals
- Learned how to use cloud SDKs to interact with cloud services via code
- Completed the Capstone project with AI integration
#📋 Prerequisites
- Completed Phase 1: Linux and Bash
- Completed Phase 1: Linux CTFs
#📚 Topics
| No. | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Python | Programming fundamentals with Python |
| 2 | APIs | Understanding REST APIs |
| 3 | FastAPI | Building APIs with FastAPI |
| 4 | Databases | Working with databases |
| 5 | GenAI APIs | Integrating generative AI |
| 6 | Prompt Engineering | Effective prompting techniques |
| 7 | Build the App | Capstone project |
#✅ Phase Checklist
Before moving on, make sure you can answer "yes" to these:
- I can write Python scripts and understand core concepts
- I understand how REST APIs work
- I can build a basic API with FastAPI
- I know how to work with databases
- I can integrate GenAI APIs into my applications
- I completed the capstone project