EC2 Instance Types - 3.3.1 | Chapter 3: Deep Dive into Compute Services | AWS Basic
K12 Students

Academics

AI-Powered learning for Grades 8–12, aligned with major Indian and international curricula.

Academics
Professionals

Professional Courses

Industry-relevant training in Business, Technology, and Design to help professionals and graduates upskill for real-world careers.

Professional Courses
Games

Interactive Games

Fun, engaging games to boost memory, math fluency, typing speed, and English skillsβ€”perfect for learners of all ages.

games

3.3.1 - EC2 Instance Types

Enroll to start learning

You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take mock test.

Practice

Interactive Audio Lesson

Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.

Understanding EC2 Instance Types

Unlock Audio Lesson

Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson

0:00
Teacher
Teacher

Alright everyone, today we'll explore EC2 instance types. Who can tell me the definition of an EC2 instance?

Student 1
Student 1

It's a virtual machine in the AWS cloud!

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! A virtual server that you can configure. Now, can anyone name the different families of EC2 instances?

Student 2
Student 2

General Purpose, Compute Optimized, Memory Optimized, Storage Optimized, and Accelerated Computing!

Teacher
Teacher

Great job! Let's remember them as 'G-C-M-S-A'. Does anyone want to explain what each one is used for?

Student 3
Student 3

General Purpose is for balanced workloads, while Compute Optimized is for CPU-intensive tasks.

Teacher
Teacher

Correct! And what about Memory Optimized?

Student 4
Student 4

It’s for applications that use a lot of memory, like databases.

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! [summarizes] So remember 'G-C-M-S-A' for the instance types: General, Compute, Memory, Storage, and Accelerated.

Instance Use Cases

Unlock Audio Lesson

Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson

0:00
Teacher
Teacher

Let's dive deeper into when we might choose each instance type. Who can give a use case for the General Purpose instances?

Student 1
Student 1

They’re great for web servers!

Teacher
Teacher

Correct! And what about Compute Optimized?

Student 2
Student 2

They'd be used for batch processing and high-performance web servers.

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Now, which instances should we use for database applications?

Student 3
Student 3

Memory Optimized instances for sure!

Teacher
Teacher

Perfect! [summarizes] So remember, General Purpose for balanced loads, Compute for performance, and Memory for databases!

Pricing Models of EC2

Unlock Audio Lesson

Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Lesson

0:00
Teacher
Teacher

Now, let's talk about how we pay for EC2 instances. Can someone explain On-Demand Instances?

Student 4
Student 4

They let you pay per hour or second without a commitment.

Teacher
Teacher

Good! Why would someone choose Reserved Instances?

Student 1
Student 1

To save money if they plan to use them continuously for a year or more.

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! How about Spot Instances?

Student 2
Student 2

You can bid for spare capacity and save money, but they can get interrupted.

Teacher
Teacher

Correct! They are great for batch jobs. [summarizes] So we pay for instances either On-Demand, Reserved, or via bidding on Spot Instances.

Introduction & Overview

Read a summary of the section's main ideas. Choose from Basic, Medium, or Detailed.

Quick Overview

This section explores the various types of Amazon EC2 instances and their pricing models, enabling users to choose optimal configurations for specific workloads.

Standard

Amazon EC2 provides a variety of instance types tailored for specific tasks such as general purpose, compute optimized, memory optimized, storage optimized, and accelerated computing. Pricing models include On-Demand, Reserved, Spot Instances, and Savings Plans, allowing users to select the best economic strategy for their usage patterns.

Detailed

EC2 Instance Types and Pricing Models

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) offers multiple instance types optimized for a range of workloads. Each instance has unique specifications tailored to different use cases. Users can utilize families like General Purpose for balanced needs, Compute Optimized for intensive CPU tasks, Memory Optimized for heavy-memory applications, Storage Optimized for IO-intensive workloads, and Accelerated Computing for GPU tasks like machine learning.

1. Instance Types

  • General Purpose: Balanced CPU, memory, and networking for web servers and development environments.
  • Compute Optimized: Ideal for high-performance web applications.
  • Memory Optimized: Suited for databases and big data analytics.
  • Storage Optimized: Best for real-time data warehousing.
  • Accelerated Computing: Supports GPU workloads for demanding applications such as machine learning.

2. Pricing Models

  • On-Demand Instances: Allow users to pay for compute capacity by the hour or second, with no long-term commitment, beneficial for unpredictable workloads.
  • Reserved Instances: Offer a significant discount (up to 75%) in exchange for committing to a longer usage term (1 or 3 years), suitable for steady-state workloads.
  • Spot Instances: Allow users to bid for spare capacity at substantially reduced prices, useful for flexible workloads that can tolerate interruptions.
  • Savings Plans: Provide flexibility with discounts based on a commitment to consistent usage.

Understanding the strengths of each instance type and the implications of varying pricing models is essential for optimizing cost-effectiveness and performance in cloud application deployments.

Audio Book

Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.

Overview of EC2 Instance Types

Unlock Audio Book

Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book

AWS offers many instance types optimized for different workloads:

Family Description Use Case Examples
General Purpose (t3, m5) Balanced CPU, memory, and networking Web servers, dev/test environments
Compute Optimized (c5) High CPU to memory ratio Batch processing, high-performance web servers
Memory Optimized (r5) Large memory sizes Databases, real-time big data analytics
Storage Optimized (i3) High IO performance NoSQL databases, data warehousing
Accelerated Computing (p3) GPU-based computing Machine learning, video processing

Detailed Explanation

AWS offers several types of EC2 instances, each designed for specific use cases. This allows users to choose an instance that meets their workload requirements:

  1. General Purpose Instances (t3, m5): These instances provide a balance of compute, memory, and networking resources. They are suitable for a variety of applications, including web servers and development/test environments.
  2. Compute Optimized Instances (c5): These instances are designed for workloads that require high CPU power relative to memory. They are excellent for batch processing and high-performance web servers.
  3. Memory Optimized Instances (r5): Instances that offer larger memory sizes, ideal for memory-intensive applications like databases and real-time big data analytics.
  4. Storage Optimized Instances (i3): These instances deliver high input/output performance, making them suitable for NoSQL databases and data warehousing.
  5. Accelerated Computing Instances (p3): These instances are equipped with GPU capabilities for tasks such as machine learning and video processing.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine you're shopping for a car. Different types of cars serve different purposes: a sedan is great for families, a sports car is built for speed, a truck is ideal for heavy lifting, and an electric car saves on fuel costs. Similarly, AWS EC2 instance types cater to different application needs, ensuring you pick the perfect 'vehicle' for your cloud workloads.

Pricing Models for EC2 Instances

Unlock Audio Book

Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book

Pricing Models:

  • On-Demand Instances:
    Pay per hour or second, no long-term commitment. Useful for unpredictable workloads or short-term testing.
  • Reserved Instances:
    Commit for 1 or 3 years and get up to 75% discount. Good for steady state workloads.
  • Spot Instances:
    Bid for spare AWS capacity at up to 90% discount. Ideal for flexible, interruptible workloads like big data and batch jobs.
  • Savings Plans:
    Flexible pricing model offering discounts in exchange for a commitment to consistent usage.

Example:
Running a t2.micro On-Demand instance might cost $0.0116 per hour, but with a 1-year Reserved Instance, it could drop to $0.007 per hour.

Detailed Explanation

AWS EC2 offers several pricing models to accommodate various usage patterns:

  1. On-Demand Instances: These allow you to pay for the compute capacity you use by the hour or second, without any long-term commitment. This is great for workloads that are unpredictable or for short-term projects, making it a flexible option.
  2. Reserved Instances: By committing to use an instance for a 1 or 3-year term, you can receive significant discounts (up to 75%). This model is ideal for predictable workloads that require consistent usage over time.
  3. Spot Instances: These instances allow customers to bid on spare AWS capacity at highly reduced prices, sometimes up to 90% less than the standard rates. Spot instances are perfect for flexible workloads that can withstand interruptions, such as batch jobs.
  4. Savings Plans: Similar to Reserved Instances, this flexible pricing model gives you discounts based on a commitment to use specific amounts of compute usage over a given period, enhancing cost efficiency.

An example provides a clearer picture: Running a t2.micro instance as an On-Demand instance might cost you $0.0116 per hour. However, if you opt for a 1-year Reserved Instance, the price could drop to $0.007 per hour.

Examples & Analogies

Think about how you pay for utilities in your home. You might pay monthly for electricity (On-Demand), commit to a long-term contract at a fixed rate (Reserved), take advantage of special off-peak rates (Spot), or enroll in a plan where you pay a flat fee for a certain amount of usage (Savings Plans). Similarly, AWS offers flexible options to optimize costs based on your cloud usage habits.

Definitions & Key Concepts

Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.

Key Concepts

  • Amazon EC2: A service to rent virtual machines in the cloud.

  • EC2 Instance Types: Different families of instances for various workloads.

  • Pricing Models: Different ways to pay for EC2 instances such as On-Demand and Reserved.

Examples & Real-Life Applications

See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.

Examples

  • A web server application could use a General Purpose EC2 instance for balanced resources.

  • A financial modeling application could benefit from a Compute Optimized instance for intensive calculations.

Memory Aids

Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.

🎡 Rhymes Time

  • When you need a cloud space, EC2's a great place!

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • G-C-M-S-A for instance types: General, Compute, Memory, Storage, Accelerated.

🎯 Super Acronyms

POSS (Pricing Options

  • On-Demand
  • Spot
  • Savings Plans
  • Reserved).

Flash Cards

Review key concepts with flashcards.

Glossary of Terms

Review the Definitions for terms.

  • Term: EC2 Instance

    Definition:

    A virtual machine that runs in the AWS cloud and can be tailored with various resources.

  • Term: General Purpose

    Definition:

    EC2 instance types offering balanced CPU, memory, and networking.

  • Term: Compute Optimized

    Definition:

    Instances optimized for high CPU performance.

  • Term: Memory Optimized

    Definition:

    Instances designed for high memory requirements.

  • Term: Spot Instances

    Definition:

    Instances that allow you to bid for spare AWS capacity at lower prices.

  • Term: Reserved Instances

    Definition:

    Instances that offer discounted pricing for a commitment to use the service for 1 or 3 years.