What is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)?

03/05/24, 7:01 PM

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Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)

! By Rahul Awati David Carty, Site Editor

" What is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)?

# Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a web-based service that enables businesses to
run application programs in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud. With Amazon
$ EC2, companies can access scalable and secure computing capacity on demand to run

% many kinds of workloads in AWS.

Amazon EC2 is a cloud-based platform that provides on-demand, scalable computing Sponsored News

capacity for many kinds of enterprise applications and workloads.

Driving Digital Transformation With Flexible IT
from Dell and VMware
–Dell Technologies
Through Amazon EC2, teams can access reliable, scalable infrastructure and secure
computing capabilities in the AWS cloud to develop applications without having to invest in How to Maximize Agility, Simplicity, and Cost
Control Through Application ...
expensive on-premises hardware. –Dell Technologies

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It's easy to add or reduce capacity based on changing business requirements and control
AWS costs based on capacity used. The AWS cloud consists of more than 200 individual
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services, and as shown here, AWS is one of the largest cloud providers.
Amazon EC2 Instances, Supported by
A chart showing how the top public cloud providers rank in market share Intel® Xeon® Processors, Saved Major
US ...
–Intel

' How the top public cloud providers rank in market share & Netflix Optimizes Amazon Instance
Performance, and Reduces Costs, Using
Intel® ...
The Amazon EC2 platform includes more than 750 instances (virtual servers) of different –Intel

types to support different types of enterprise workloads. Users can also choose from the
latest processor, storage, networking, operating system and purchase model to meet their
requirements. These components are packaged into pre-configured templates for every
Amazon EC2 instance.

Key use cases for Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2 is a good computing platform for running cloud-native and enterprise
applications. It can help organizations looking to launch virtual servers, configure security
and networking, and manage storage in the cloud. Its ability to provide on-demand, scalable
infrastructure and capacity, plus a wide range of instance types, also makes it highly suitable
for all these use cases:
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Web servers.

Code repositories.

Batch processing.

Media transcoding.

High-performance web servers.

High-performance computing (HPC).

Scientific modeling.

Dedicated gaming servers.

Processing of large memory data sets.

Ad server engines.

Input/output (I/O)-intensive applications.

Computational fluid dynamics.

Weather forecasting.

Molecular dynamics.

Amazon EC2 is also optimized for machine learning inference, deep learning and generative
artificial intelligence applications. Users can also use Amazon EC2 to build on-demand
macOS workloads for Apple devices and platforms.

What is AWS (Amazon Web Services)? An Introduction

Amazon EC2 instance types

An Amazon EC2 instance is a virtual server offering an appropriate mix of resources used to
run applications on the AWS infrastructure without having to purchase any hardware. These
instances, which differ in terms of the central processing unit (CPU), memory, storage and
networking capacity offered, include the following:

General purpose. These instances can be used for many different workloads, especially
workloads that depend upon a balance of compute, memory and networking resources.

Compute-optimized. These instances are meant for compute-bound or compute-

intensive applications, such as batch processing, media transcoding and HPC.

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Memory-optimized. This set of instances delivers fast performance for workloads that
process large memory data sets.

Accelerated computing. These instances use hardware accelerators to perform certain

functions more efficiently compared to CPU software.

Storage-optimized. These instances deliver a high amount of low-latency, random I/O

operations per second (IOPS) for workloads that require high sequential read/write
access to large local data sets.

HPC-optimized. These instances offer the best price performance for running HPC
workloads at scale on AWS, such as complex simulations and deep learning workloads.

Regardless of which instance users select, Amazon EC2 enables them to scale their
resources to match the requirements of their target workloads. It's also possible to choose
between Fixed Performance instance families and Burstable Performance instance families,
with the latter providing a baseline level of CPU performance, plus the ability to burst above
the baseline.

Amazon EC2's Elastic Block Store-optimized instances deliver dedicated throughput

between Amazon EC2 and Amazon EBS, which minimizes contention between Amazon
EBS I/O and other traffic from the EC2 instance and provides optimal performance for EBS
volumes. For an additional fee, some Amazon EC2 instance types can run as an EBS-
optimized instance.

What is a Cloud Database? Cloud vs. On-Premises Databases

How Amazon EC2 works

To begin using Amazon EC2, users sign up for a root account on AWS. They can then use
AWS Management Console to manage Amazon EC2.

Next, they identify the instance type that's most suitable for their workload. They then create
a virtual machine (VM) by selecting Launch Instance in the Amazon EC2 dashboard. Once
the instance is launched, it's easy to connect to it. The easiest way to connect to the
instance, if it has a public IPv4 address, is with EC2 Instance Connect, a browser-based
client, via this simple four-step process:

1. In the Amazon EC2 console navigation pane, choose Instances.

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2. Select the EC2 instance -- where the connection is required -- and choose Connect.

3. Select EC2 Instance Connect.

4. Verify the username, and choose Connect.

If a new terminal window opens, it means the user is connected to that instance.

It's also possible to connect to an Amazon EC2 instance via the following:

Use a Secure Socket Shell key and then connect to the instance from a preferred SSH
client while using the EC2 Instance Connect application programming interface.

Configure AWS Command Line Interface, and use the instance ID and an SSH client to
connect to the instance via Amazon EC2 Instance Connect.

Important features of Amazon EC2

Some of the important features of Amazon EC2 are the following:

Multiple storage options. Users can choose between multiple storage options, including
block-level storage, instance storage and object storage for their specific requirements.
Additionally, Amazon EBS provides persistent storage volumes and three volume types --
General Purpose, Provisioned IOPS and Magnetic -- depending on the workload type and
need.

Enhanced Networking. This provides high packet-per-second performance, low network

jitter and low latency compared to traditional implementations.

Access to Intel's features. Amazon EC2 instances that feature an Intel processor lets
users access many processor features, including Intel Advanced Encryption Standard
New Instructions, Intel Advanced Vector Extensions, Intel Deep Learning Boost and Intel
Turbo Boost Technology.

Support for cluster networking. Some Amazon EC2 instances support cluster
networking when launched into a common cluster placement group for low-latency
networking between the instances in the cluster.

Auto Scaling. Users can automatically scale Amazon EC2 capacity up or down by
adding or removing instances according to their own conditions, using EC2's dynamic and
predictive scaling policies.

Optimized CPU configurations. With this feature, users can better control their Amazon
EC2 instances by specifying a custom number of virtual CPUs when launching new
instances. They can also disable Intel Hyper-Threading Technology for workloads that
perform well enough with single-threaded CPUs.

Amazon EC2 users can also benefit from these features:

AWS Regions and Availability Zones (AZs) to improve availability and reduce latency.

Access to Amazon Time Sync Service, a highly accurate, reliable and available time
source.

Amazon EC2 Fleet to optimize scale, performance and cost.

Elastic Fabric Adapter to run applications requiring high levels of interinstance

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communications at scale on AWS.

AWS PrivateLink to access Amazon services in a highly performing, highly available

manner.

Regular maintenance performed by AWS with minimal disruptions across instances.

Amazon EC2 pricing

Like all other AWS services, Amazon EC2 is available on a pay-as-you-use basis. Users are
billed for per-second use and pay only for what they use.

The cost of instances depends on their type: On-Demand, Reserved or Spot.

&

' A breakdown of Amazon EC2 instances and their associated prices

On-Demand Instances enable organizations to access computing capacity as needed and

pay for it by the hour or second. There are no long-term commitments.

Reserved Instances (RIs) provide a price discount of up to 72% (discounted hourly rate) in
exchange for one- or three-year contract commitments. Organizations can use these
instances to reserve capacity in a specific AZ. Three types of RIs are available: Standard,
Convertible and Scheduled. Standard and Convertible RIs are suitable for steady-state
usage, and Scheduled RIs are suitable for matching capacity reservation to a predictable
recurring schedule.

Amazon EC2 Spot Instances are available at up to a 90% discount compared to On-Demand
Instances. Spot Instances can be combined with RIs and On-Demand Instances to optimize
cost and performance. On their own, Spot Instances are suitable for running several
workload types: containerized, big data, machine learning, HPC and continuous
integration/continuous delivery pipelines.

Apart from these instance types, Amazon EC2 customers can also adopt a flexible EC2
Instance Savings Plan to save up to 72% compared to On-Demand Instances. The plan
automatically applies to eligible AWS usage but requires a one- or three-year hourly spend
commitment.

Amazon EC2 benefits

It's easy to get started with Amazon EC2 and access on-demand computing capacity as
required. After the instance has been launched, users can connect to it. They can use EC2
Instance Connect, for example, and employ it as easily as a computer that's sitting in front of
them.

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Amazon EC2 offers multiple instance types and offers a wide range of computing, memory
and networking resources, making it a suitable solution for many kinds of enterprise
workloads. The instances are secured using numerous controls to support all applications.
One such control is a security group -- a virtual firewall that controls incoming and outgoing
traffic. In addition, both private and public keys are used to authorize users and prevent
unauthorized access.

Amazon EC2 supports dynamic cloud computing with elastic IP addresses. These addresses
are static IPv4 addresses, with each address associated with the user's account rather than
a particular instance. Also, users can control the address until they explicitly release it or
choose not to do so.

Users can create Virtual Private Clouds to launch Amazon EC2 resources in a virtual
network. This network is user-defined and logically isolated from the rest of the AWS cloud. It
uses AWS' scalable infrastructure and can be connected to the user's own network.

Another benefit of Amazon EC2 is that it offers a free tier. With this tier, users can familiarize
themselves with some of its features and pay only when they are ready for the full offering.
The free version includes 750 hours of Linux and Windows t2.micro instances per month for
a year.

Challenges with Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2 does have some implementation challenges:

Resource utilization. Developers must manage the number of instances to avoid costly
large, long-running instances.

Security. Developers must ensure that public-facing instances are running securely.

Deploying at scale. Running a multitude of instances can result in cluttered

environments that are difficult to manage.

Management of Amazon Machine Image (AMI) lifecycle. Developers often begin by

using default AMIs. As computing needs change, custom configurations will likely be
required.

&

' Steps in the lifecycle of an Amazon Machine Image

Ongoing maintenance. Amazon EC2 instances are VMs that run in Amazon's cloud.

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However, they ultimately run on physical hardware, which can fail. AWS alerts developers
when an instance must be moved due to hardware maintenance. This requires ongoing
monitoring.

Amazon EC2 history

Amazon EC2 was the idea of engineer Chris Pinkham, who conceived it as a way to scale
Amazon's internal infrastructure and build an "infrastructure service for the world." Pinkham
and fellow engineer Benjamin Black presented their ideas to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who
then requested more details about virtual servers in the cloud.

Amazon EC2 was then developed by a team in Cape Town, South Africa. Pinkham provided
the initial architecture guidance, gathered a development team and worked on the project
along with Black and Willem van Biljon.

In 2006, Amazon announced a limited public beta test of Amazon EC2, and in 2007, the
company added two new instance types: Large and Extra-Large. Amazon announced the
addition of static IP addresses, AZs and user-selectable kernels in spring 2008, followed by
the release of EBS in August 2008.

Amazon EC2 went into full production on Oct. 23, 2008. Amazon also released a service-
level agreement for Amazon EC2 that day, along with Microsoft Windows and SQL Server in
beta form on Amazon EC2. Amazon added AWS Management Console, load balancing,
autoscaling and cloud monitoring services in 2009.

Today, Amazon EC2 is among the most popular of AWS' products and remains one of the
foundational elements of Amazon's cloud computing service.

Amazon EC2 vs. Amazon S3

Amazon EC2 and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) are important services that help
developers maximize the use and benefits of the AWS cloud.

The main difference between the services is that Amazon EC2 is a computing service that
enables companies to run servers in the cloud and access computing capacity for different
types of workloads, whereas Amazon S3 is an object storage service used to store and
retrieve data from AWS through the internet. Amazon S3 is like a giant hard drive in the
cloud, while Amazon EC2 offers computing resources like CPU and RAM beside storage.

Many users and organizations use both services for their cloud computing needs. With
Amazon S3, users can store files and data sets that are used with Amazon EC2 instances.
The data can be stored and retrieved for many kinds of use cases, including data lakes,
websites, backups and big data analytics.

Amazon EC2 and AWS Lambda meet different needs in an AWS cloud environment. They
can also work together, however. Check out our overview of Amazon EC2 vs. AWS Lambda.

This was last updated in March 2024

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( Continue Reading About Amazon Elastic

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Compute Cloud (EC2)
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··
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·
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How to avoid common errors in EC2 Instance Connect

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