Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is a foundational web service provided by AWS that delivers secure, resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It allows users to launch virtual servers, known as instances, within minutes and scale capacity up or down based on demand.
Key features of Amazon EC2 in…Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is a foundational web service provided by AWS that delivers secure, resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It allows users to launch virtual servers, known as instances, within minutes and scale capacity up or down based on demand.
Key features of Amazon EC2 include:
**Instance Types**: EC2 offers various instance types optimized for different use cases, including general purpose, compute optimized, memory optimized, storage optimized, and accelerated computing. Each type provides different combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity.
**Pricing Models**: EC2 provides flexible pricing options including On-Demand (pay by the hour or second), Reserved Instances (commit for 1-3 years for significant discounts), Spot Instances (bid on unused capacity at reduced rates), and Savings Plans (flexible pricing based on usage commitment).
**AMIs (Amazon Machine Images)**: These are templates containing software configurations (operating system, applications, etc.) that you use to launch instances. AWS provides pre-configured AMIs, or you can create custom ones.
**Security**: EC2 integrates with Amazon VPC for network isolation, Security Groups act as virtual firewalls controlling inbound and outbound traffic, and Key Pairs provide secure login information for instances.
**Elasticity and Scalability**: Combined with Auto Scaling, EC2 can automatically adjust the number of running instances based on defined conditions, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency.
**Storage Options**: EC2 instances can use Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) for persistent block storage or instance store for temporary storage.
EC2 is fundamental to AWS infrastructure, enabling businesses to run applications, host websites, process data, and perform virtually any computing task while only paying for resources actually used. This eliminates the need for upfront hardware investments and provides unprecedented flexibility in managing computing resources.
Amazon EC2 - Complete Guide for AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam
Why Amazon EC2 is Important
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is one of the most fundamental and widely-used AWS services. It forms the backbone of cloud computing on AWS, providing scalable computing capacity that eliminates the need to invest in hardware upfront. Understanding EC2 is essential for the Cloud Practitioner exam as it represents core cloud concepts like elasticity, scalability, and pay-as-you-go pricing.
What is Amazon EC2?
Amazon EC2 is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. In simple terms, EC2 allows you to rent virtual servers (called instances) on which you can run your applications. These virtual servers can be launched in minutes and configured with the operating system, CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity you need.
Key Components of EC2:
• Instances - Virtual servers running in the AWS cloud • Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) - Pre-configured templates containing the operating system and software • Instance Types - Various configurations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity • Key Pairs - Secure login information for your instances • Security Groups - Virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic • Elastic Block Store (EBS) - Persistent storage volumes for your instances • Elastic IP Addresses - Static IPv4 addresses for dynamic cloud computing
How Amazon EC2 Works
1. Select an AMI - Choose a pre-configured template or create your own 2. Choose an Instance Type - Select the hardware configuration based on your needs 3. Configure Instance - Set up networking, IAM roles, and user data 4. Add Storage - Attach EBS volumes for persistent data 5. Configure Security Groups - Define firewall rules for traffic control 6. Launch - Start your instance and connect to it
EC2 Pricing Models
• On-Demand Instances - Pay by the hour or second with no long-term commitments. Best for short-term, unpredictable workloads.
• Reserved Instances - Commit to 1 or 3 years for significant discounts (up to 72%). Best for steady-state, predictable usage.
• Spot Instances - Bid on unused EC2 capacity for up to 90% discount. Best for flexible, fault-tolerant workloads. Can be interrupted by AWS with a 2-minute warning.
• Dedicated Hosts - Physical servers dedicated to your use. Best for regulatory requirements or software licensing.
• Savings Plans - Flexible pricing model offering savings in exchange for consistent usage commitment.
EC2 Instance Types Categories
• General Purpose (T, M series) - Balanced compute, memory, and networking • Compute Optimized (C series) - High-performance processors for compute-intensive tasks • Memory Optimized (R, X series) - Fast performance for memory-intensive workloads • Storage Optimized (I, D series) - High sequential read/write access to large datasets • Accelerated Computing (P, G series) - Hardware accelerators like GPUs
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Amazon EC2
Pricing Model Questions: • If a question mentions unpredictable workloads or short-term needs, think On-Demand • If a question mentions steady-state or predictable usage for 1-3 years, think Reserved Instances • If a question mentions fault-tolerant, flexible start/stop times, or batch processing, think Spot Instances • If a question mentions compliance requirements or licensing restrictions, think Dedicated Hosts
Security Questions: • Security Groups act as virtual firewalls at the instance level • Security Groups are stateful - return traffic is allowed automatically • Remember that Security Groups only have allow rules, not deny rules
Scalability Questions: • Vertical Scaling - Increasing instance size (scaling up) • Horizontal Scaling - Adding more instances (scaling out) using Auto Scaling
Key Phrases to Remember: • EC2 provides Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) • You have full control over the operating system and applications • EC2 supports the shared responsibility model - AWS manages the infrastructure, you manage the guest OS and above
Common Exam Scenarios
• A company needs to run a web application with variable traffic → On-Demand with Auto Scaling • A data analytics job that can be interrupted → Spot Instances • A database server running 24/7 for 3 years → Reserved Instances • Meeting compliance requirements for dedicated hardware → Dedicated Hosts