The Best Free Tools & Platforms to Practise Cloud Computing Skills in 2025/26
Cloud computing has become the backbone of digital transformation. From small start-ups to multinational enterprises, organisations are moving workloads, applications, and even entire infrastructures into the cloud. This shift has fuelled demand for skilled professionals who understand not just the theory, but the practical application of cloud services.
If you want a career in cloud engineering, DevOps, cloud architecture, or even data science with cloud specialisation, hands-on practice is essential. Employers are no longer satisfied with theoretical knowledge; they want candidates who can prove they’ve spun up a server, deployed a container, or automated infrastructure on a real platform.
The good news? You don’t need to break the bank. Dozens of free tiers, open-source frameworks, and sandbox environments exist to help you practise cloud computing skills at zero cost. In this article, we’ll cover the best free tools and platforms in 2025 that let you experiment, build projects, and showcase your cloud expertise.
Why Practising Cloud Skills is Critical
Cloud computing roles are some of the most competitive in the UK technology job market. By practising with free tools, you:
Build credibility: Employers look for proof of real-world skills.
Experiment safely: Free tiers and sandboxes allow you to try services without racking up a huge bill.
Stay current: Cloud platforms evolve rapidly, and hands-on use helps you keep up.
Develop problem-solving skills: Practical experience prepares you for technical interviews.
Whether you want to specialise in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or open-source private cloud tools, starting with free platforms will give you the foundation you need.
1. AWS Free Tier & AWS Educate
No cloud learning journey is complete without Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Key Features
AWS Free Tier: Provides 12 months of free access to services like EC2 (750 hours/month), S3 (5 GB storage), and Lambda.
Always Free Services: DynamoDB, Lambda, API Gateway, and many monitoring tools remain free with usage limits.
AWS Educate: Tailored to students and beginners, offering $100 in free credits, guided labs, and no credit card requirement.
Why It’s Useful
Practising with AWS free resources prepares you for one of the most in-demand cloud ecosystems in the job market.
2. Microsoft Learn & Azure Free Tier
Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud provider and a favourite among enterprises.
Key Features
Azure Free Tier: Includes £150 in credits for 30 days and access to over 40 services free for 12 months.
Microsoft Learn: Free modules and sandbox environments where you can practise without needing an Azure subscription.
Azure for Students: £100 free credits annually, plus always-free services.
Why It’s Useful
Azure dominates many corporate and government sectors in the UK, making it an essential platform to practise.
3. Google Cloud Skills Boost & Free Tier
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) powers everything from YouTube to BigQuery analytics.
Key Features
GCP Free Tier: $300 in credits for 90 days plus always-free services like Cloud Run, Firestore, and BigQuery (1 TB/month).
Skills Boost: Guided labs, skill badges, and career-focused pathways.
Free Qwiklabs Access: Temporary GCP accounts for hands-on labs.
Why It’s Useful
Practising on GCP is great for careers in AI, data engineering, and modern web apps.
4. Oracle Cloud Free Tier
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) offers one of the most generous free tiers.
Key Features
Two Always Free Autonomous Databases.
Two AMD Compute VMs with block storage.
Load balancing and monitoring tools.
Why It’s Useful
OCI is popular in finance and enterprise environments. Its free tier is a hidden gem for practice.
5. IBM Cloud Free Services
IBM Cloud offers free services perfect for exploring AI-driven cloud applications.
Key Features
Watson AI services free for small projects.
Kubernetes cluster with one worker node.
Free monitoring and logging.
Why It’s Useful
IBM Cloud is excellent for experimenting with AI, IoT, and blockchain in the cloud.
6. Kubernetes Playground
Kubernetes has become the standard for container orchestration.
Key Features
Online simulators like Katacoda Kubernetes Playground.
Play with clusters without installing anything locally.
Free guided scenarios for Helm, operators, and networking.
Why It’s Useful
Kubernetes skills are among the most requested in DevOps and cloud jobs.
7. Docker Playground
Containers underpin cloud deployments. Docker Playground provides a free way to experiment.
Key Features
Browser-based container environment.
Access to Docker Hub.
Run, stop, and link containers in minutes.
Why It’s Useful
Understanding containers is the first step towards mastering cloud-native applications.
8. Terraform Cloud Free Tier
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is critical for cloud professionals. Terraform Cloud offers a free tier.
Key Features
Free state management for up to 500 resources.
Version control integration with GitHub.
Automation for cloud infrastructure provisioning.
Why It’s Useful
Terraform is widely used in enterprise DevOps pipelines. Practising for free gives you a job-ready skill.
9. Pulumi Free Account
Pulumi provides another IaC platform using familiar programming languages like Python and JavaScript.
Key Features
Free account with unlimited individual use.
Supports AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Strong documentation and examples.
Why It’s Useful
Pulumi bridges the gap between coding and infrastructure management.
10. GitHub Codespaces
GitHub Codespaces offers cloud-based development environments.
Key Features
Free tier with 120 core hours and 15 GB storage per month.
Pre-configured dev containers for cloud projects.
Seamless integration with GitHub repositories.
Why It’s Useful
Ideal for practising DevOps pipelines and collaborative coding.
11. Heroku Free Services
Although its free tier has reduced, Heroku still provides free options for developers.
Key Features
Free Postgres database (limited).
Deploy small web apps easily.
Great for learning Platform as a Service (PaaS).
Why It’s Useful
Heroku is a simple way to practise deploying applications to the cloud.
12. VMware Tanzu Community Edition
VMware Tanzu offers a free edition of its Kubernetes platform.
Key Features
Manage containerised workloads.
Learn enterprise Kubernetes practices.
Experiment with DevSecOps tools.
Why It’s Useful
Tanzu is widely used in enterprise private cloud environments.
13. OpenStack
OpenStack is the leading open-source cloud platform for private deployments.
Key Features
Learn IaaS by building private clouds.
Large community and documentation.
Free DevStack installation for local practice.
Why It’s Useful
OpenStack experience is valued in data centre and telco roles.
14. CloudSim & FlexCloud Simulators
For those interested in research, simulation tools are invaluable.
Key Features
CloudSim: Model cloud data centres, VM scheduling, and workloads.
FlexCloud: Simulate allocation strategies.
iFogSim: Explore fog and edge computing.
Why It’s Useful
These simulators help students and researchers practise cloud concepts without hardware.
15. Free Learning Platforms & MOOCs
edX (Linux Foundation, Berkeley): Free to audit.
Coursera (Google IT Support & AWS): Free previews and trials.
Great Learning: Lifetime free access with certificates.
Pluralsight Cloud Adventures: Free themed courses.
16. YouTube Channels
Don’t overlook video tutorials. Recommended free channels:
Google Cloud Tech.
AWS Online Tech Talks.
Microsoft Azure Academy.
FreeCodeCamp (Cloud & DevOps content).
17. UK-Specific Resources
If you’re UK-based, explore:
Gov.uk Digital Service Cloud resources.
NHS Digital cloud case studies.
Digital Catapult hackathons.
UKCloud (public sector focus).
18. Cloud Communities
Reddit (r/aws, r/azure, r/googlecloud).
Discord groups for DevOps & Cloud.
Stack Overflow cloud tags.
LinkedIn groups (Cloud Computing Professionals UK).
How to Use These Tools Effectively
Start small: Launch a free VM on AWS or Azure.
Experiment with containers: Use Docker Playground and Kubernetes labs.
Automate: Write Terraform or Pulumi scripts.
Simulate scenarios: Use CloudSim for theoretical research.
Build projects: Deploy a website or chatbot using free tiers.
Document: Post your projects on GitHub.
Network: Share learnings on LinkedIn, join cloud groups, and get feedback.
Final Thoughts
Cloud computing is not a field you learn passively. You have to log in, deploy, configure, and break things to truly understand it. The good news is that with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes labs, Terraform, OpenStack, and more, you can do all of this for free.
Consistency is key. Practise weekly, build a portfolio of small projects, and document your work. Over time, you’ll gain the skills that UK employers are actively searching for.
So open that free cloud account today and start experimenting. The cloud career you want is waiting.
