10 Cloud Computing Projects to Build Your Portfolio

The World Economic Forum calls the technology a “game changer” for businesses in India, noting that it will comprise approximately 8 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product by 2026 [1]. As growing numbers of organisations adopt cloud computing programs nationwide, professional opportunities will also increase. The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) anticipates the technology will create 14 million Indian jobs by 2026 [2].

Trying simple starter projects using cloud computing may be a good idea if you want a job in this field. These projects can help you build your skills while providing examples to show potential employers. Here are a few cloud computing projects you can try on your own.

Chatbot

A chatbot is an interface that allows you to have a “conversation” with the computer. You can design a chatbot using cloud computing to interact with human users and respond based on input from the user. A chatbox may utilise artificial intelligence to guide it as it asks and answers questions. It can be a good tool for online customer service, where a chatbox can help diagnose a customer issue and recommend a potential fix without needing a human on the customer service end of the interaction.

Attendance system

Try building a cloud-based attendance system that students or employees can use to check in and out of classes or offices. To add complexity to your program, you could add fields such as check-in time and check-out time so you can keep track of an employee’s hours or add additional information, like a user ID, depending on the needs of the organisation. Uploading this information to a cloud allows you to easily pull it together to track attendance for a school or office.

Bus ticketing

Create a program that allows bus riders to track their tickets for streamlined ticketing systems. Users should be able to buy tickets online, including checking available tickets, scheduling rides, and paying for fares online with a credit card or other form of payment. You could also add helpful information for users, such as ticket discounts or a bus tracker so passengers know when a bus will arrive.

Bookstore

You can create this cloud computing project to keep track of large amounts of data from a bookstore's inventory. Cloud computing can help users find books by title, author, cost, or availability. Depending on the needs of your potential bookstore client, you may also want to include a few brief paragraphs about the book or other fields. For an added challenge, you could build a notification system that lets potential buyers know when a book is back in stock.

Serverless website

Instead of housing a traditional website on a server, you can build a serverless website using cloud computing. Serverless applications allow you to focus more on your server's application and less on maintaining the servers. This type of application is highly scalable, which makes it a great option for building things like an e-commerce site or a site that may grow over time.

Personal cloud

Why share a cloud with others when you can have one just for yourself? Build a personal cloud that you can use to store information on a cloud server, which you can easily access regularly. You may need Raspberry Pi and a micro SD, but this project can help you better understand the basics of cloud computing while building something you can use as a test case or an example for a future employer.

Traffic management system

Cloud computing can create effective traffic management systems that quickly address traffic issues by identifying them using a cloud-based system. Traffic management can detect traffic flow issues or analyse ways to reduce congestion. You can also use it to find problems with a specific road or intersection that could be causing issues for drivers.

Bug tracker

When building software, you may experience errors, known as “bugs.” By keeping track of these bugs, you can avoid better making the same mistake in the future. One potential project is building a cloud-based “bug tracker,” which logs bugs over time when testing new software functions. You can also build this application to monitor project progress and staff activity.  

University campus system

A cloud-based university campus system can help track learners in various ways as they move throughout the academic system. This project could include metrics like student enrolment, attendance records, class schedules, grading, and more. You may also design different login options and consider how students, staff, and teachers interact with the cloud-based program.

E-learning

More and more learners have become adept at working online as part or all of their learning experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. You can use cloud-based computing skills to set up a base for students, including offline, online, and even live learning. You also may want to include areas for study materials, videos, or other information that’s used regularly to help students through the learning process.

Where you can learn cloud computing with Coursera

You can explore several options for learning cloud computing programs on Coursera, including cloud computing Professional Certificates and Specialisations that can help you advance in your career. For example, you might explore the following:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Solutions Architect 

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Engineer Professional Certificate

If you’d like to get started with an entry-level course, consider taking courses like Google Cloud Product Fundamentals, IBM’s Introduction to Cloud Computing, or AWS Fundamentals to get started.