Introduction to AWS EC2

Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) provides scalable and resizable virtual servers in the cloud, allowing on-demand application hosting. It offers various instance types optimized for different workloads, ensuring efficient performance and cost-effectiveness. EC2 enables rapid scaling to meet changing demands and operates on a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Users have full control over their instances, including the choice of operating systems, network configurations, and installed software. Seamless integration with other AWS services enhances its flexibility and functionality. EC2 is essential for deploying and managing applications in a scalable, flexible, and cost-efficient way.

EC2 instance types:

General Purpose:

This type of instance provides balanced compute, memory, and networking resources, making it suitable for web servers, small databases, and development environments. Examples include t3, t3a, m5, m5a, and m6g.

Compute Optimized:

This type of instance is used for compute-intensive tasks like high-performance web servers, scientific modeling, and batch processing. Examples include c5, c5a, and c6g.

Storage Optimized:

These instances are used for high disk throughput and IOPS, suitable for NoSQL databases, data warehousing, and distributed file systems. Examples include i3, i3en, d2, and h1.

Memory Optimized:

These instances are used for memory-intensive applications like large databases, real-time big data analytics, and in-memory caches. Examples include r5, r5a, and r6g.

Accelerated Computing:

These instances are used for GPU-intensive applications like machine learning, graphics rendering, and hardware acceleration. Examples include p3, p4, g4, and f1.

Burstable Performance:

These instances are for applications with variable CPU usage that need occasional high performance, such as web servers, small databases, and development environments.

Each instance type within these categories offers different combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity, allowing users to select the most appropriate instance for their specific application requirements.

Purchasing Options for Amazon EC2 instances:

On-Demand Instances:

On-Demand instances allow us to pay for compute capacity by the second, with no long term commitments or upfront payments. These type of instances can be used with applications with short-term, unpredictable workloads that cannot be interrupted or when starting with AWS for the first time.

Reserved Instances:

Reserved Instances provide a significant discount upto 75% compared to on-demand pricing in exchange for a commitment to use a specific instance type in a particular region for a one or 3 year term.

Options for Reserved Instances:

Standard RIs: They are best suited for steady-state usage.

Convertible RIs: They allow changes to the instance attributes if the exchange results in the creation of Reserved Instances of equal or greater value.

Reserved Instances are used for applications with predictable usage that require reserved capacity.

Spot Instances:

Spot Instances allow you to bid for unused EC2 capacity at significantly reduced rates upto 90%off On-Demand prices.Instances can be interrupted by AWS with two minutes of notice. These instances can be used for flexible applications such as batch processing, data analysis, and workloads that are resilient to interruptions.

Savings Plans:

Savings Plans offers significant savings over On-Demand pricing, similar to Reserved Instances, but with more flexibility. Savings Plans apply automatically to any EC2 usage.

Options of Savings Plans:

Compute Savings Plans: It provide the most flexibility and are applicable across any EC2 instances regardless of region, instance families, operating systems or tenancy.

EC2 Instance Savings Plans: It can be applied to specific instance families within a region, offering the highest discount rates.

Savings Plan will be applicable to long-term consistent workloads where you want to reduce costs without inflexibility of Reserved Instances.

Dedicated Hosts:

Dedicated Hosts are physical EC2 servers dedicated for your use. They help meet compliance requirements and reduce costs by allowing you to use r=existing server-bound software licenses. They are used in the cases of regulatory requirements that do not support multi-tenant virtualization, licensing models that restrict licensing to virtual instances on shared infrastructure.

Dedicated Instances:

Dedicated Instances run in a VPC on hardware dedicated to a single customer. They differ from Dedicated Hosts in that the underlying hardware is managed by AWS. they can be used for workloads where physical isolation is required at the host hardware level.

Capacity Reservations:

Capacity Reservations ensures you have access to EC2 capacity when you need it, for any duration you specify. You pay for the entire duration of the reservation, whether or not you are using the instances. It can be used for mission critical workloads that need guaranteed capacity in a specific Availability zone.