⚙️ AWS Compute Overview

Introduction

AWS provides multiple compute services for different workload types. Choosing the right service is key to building scalable and cost-effective applications.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you'll understand:

• AWS compute service options

• When to use each service

• Pricing models and scalability

• Real-world scenarios

• Service selection criteria

AWS Compute Services

1. EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)

Best For: Full server control, long-running applications

# Launch instance
aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id ami-12345678 \
  --instance-type t3.micro \
  --key-name my-key-pair

Key Characteristics:

• IaaS - full OS control

• Manual or auto-scaling

• Pay per minute

• Multiple instance types

2. Elastic Beanstalk

Best For: Web apps, APIs, traditional deployments

# Deploy application
eb create my-app-env
eb deploy

Key Characteristics:

• PaaS - managed platform

• Automatic scaling

• Multi-language support

• Integrated monitoring

3. Lambda

Best For: Event-driven, serverless, variable load

# Create function
aws lambda create-function \
  --function-name myFunction \
  --runtime nodejs18.x \
  --role arn:aws:iam::ACCOUNT:role/lambda-role \
  --handler index.handler \
  --zip-file fileb://function.zip

Key Characteristics:

• Serverless

• Pay per execution

• Scales to zero

• Event-triggered

4. ECS (Elastic Container Service)

Best For: Docker containers, microservices

# Create task definition
aws ecs register-task-definition \
  --family my-app \
  --container-definitions file://containers.json

Key Characteristics:

• Container orchestration

• Auto-scaling

• Pay per resource

• Docker compatible

Comparison Table

Key Takeaways

• **EC2** provides maximum control

• **Beanstalk** simplifies web app deployment

• **Lambda** scales to zero for cost efficiency

• **ECS** manages containers at scale

• Choose based on control, scaling, and expertise

Next Steps

Explore EC2 for VMs, or dive into Lambda for serverless.