The AWS Well-Architected Framework is a set of best practices designed to help customers build and deploy mission-critical applications on AWS. It focuses on creating secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure. By following this framework, organizations can build and deploy applications faster, reduce risks, make informed decisions, and learn AWS best practices.

The AWS Well-Architected Framework is based on five pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimization. Each pillar addresses specific aspects of application architecture, such as managing daily operations, protecting data, ensuring system reliability, efficiently using resources, and controlling costs.

A Well-Architected review typically takes 1-3 hours and involves a meeting with an AWS Solutions Architect (SA). During this session, the SA will ask your team questions related to each of the five pillars of the framework. It is beneficial to have representatives from various teams involved in the application’s development and maintenance. After the review, you will receive a report detailing how your application aligns with best practices and highlighting areas for improvement.