Studying the Higgs boson with the ATLAS experiment

The present understanding of the properties of the recently discovered Higgs boson is discussed, based on the most recent results from the ATLAS experiment. These results include measurements of the mass, spin, production mechanisms, and couplings to fermions and bosons, and are based in most cases on the full data sample recorded during the first LHC run (2010-2012). The experimental foundations and challenges of these accomplishments, as well as their physics implications, are discussed. Future prospects for further exploration of the Higgs sector and of the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism at the LHC are outlined.