AWS EC2 Instance types detailed guide
Tags: aws, cloud, beginners, tutorial
Published: 2023-09-18 12:19:59

Hello Cloud Learners! 🌐👋

Hope everyone is doing upskilling on AWS and Today, let's dive deep into the world of **AWS EC2 Instance types**. EC2 or Elastic Compute Cloud provides scalable computing capacity in the AWS cloud and is a fundamental part of AWS services. But did you know there are many instance types available? Let's explore! 💻🚀

### AWS EC2 Instance Types 🎛️

EC2 instances come in a multitude of types, each optimized to cater to different use cases based on memory, compute capacity, storage, and networking capacity. The key types include:

1. **General Purpose (A, T, M, and Mac instances):** These are balanced types, providing a combination of compute, memory, and networking resources, ideal for web servers, dev environments, and small databases. A great example would be using a t3.medium for hosting a small WordPress site!

2. **Compute Optimized (C instances):** These instances are suited for compute-intensive workloads like batch processing, media transcoding, high performance web servers, and scientific modeling. Imagine running a high-traffic e-commerce site on a c5.large!

3. **Memory Optimized (R, X, and Z instances):** Perfect for memory-intensive applications like high-performance databases, distributed web-scale in-memory caches, and real-time big data analytics. An x1e.xlarge instance could power your large-scale, Apache Cassandra distributed database.

4. **Storage Optimized (D, H, and I instances):** These instances are designed for workloads that require high, sequential read and write access to large data sets on local storage, such as Hadoop distributed computing, or log processing applications. Think of running a massive Hadoop job on a d3.8xlarge.

5. **Accelerated Computing (P, Inf, G, and F instances):** These instances use hardware accelerators, or co-processors, to perform functions such as floating-point number calculations, graphics processing, or data pattern matching more efficiently than software running on CPUs. Ideal for machine learning, graphics processing, or game streaming in the cloud - you might be running your next-gen AI/ML model on a p4d.24xlarge!

### Cost Comparison 💰

Cost varies significantly across instance types and sizes - from a few cents per hour for a small t2.micro instance to several dollars per hour for a large x1e.32xlarge! Make sure to compare the prices using the AWS Pricing Calculator or the EC2 pricing page.

### Key Features of Different Instance Types 🗝️

1. **Flexible Computing Options:** With the broadest and deepest selection of instances, you can optimize costs for your specific workload.
2. **Multiple Storage Options:** Choose from SSDs for low-latency workloads, or HDDs for throughput intensive workloads.
3. **Networking Performance:** Enhanced networking capabilities are available on many instance types to provide low-latency, high packet-per-second performance.

### Limitations ⚠️

Remember, not all instance types are available in all regions or through all purchasing options. Make sure to check the AWS Regional Services List for the latest info.

### Dedicated Hosts vs. Dedicated Instances 🔄

While both Dedicated Instances and Dedicated Hosts are instances that run on hardware dedicated to a single customer, Dedicated Hosts provide additional visibility and control by allowing you to place your instances on a specific, physical server.

### EC2 Purchase Options 🛍️

1. **On-Demand Instances:** Pay for what you use without upfront costs. Ideal for short term, irregular workloads that cannot be interrupted.
2. **Reserved Instances:** Commit to a specific instance type for a 1 or 3 year term for significant discounts.
3. **Spot Instances:** Bid for unused capacity at a discount of up to 90% compared to On-Demand pricing. Great for flexible, interruption-tolerant workloads.

### Server Migration & Selecting Instance Types 🔄

When migrating servers to EC2, it's crucial to choose the right instance type. Consider factors like compute requirements, memory needs, storage I/O, and network performance. AWS provides the EC2Rescue tool and AWS Application Discovery Service to help you with this!

That's a wrap for today, folks! 🎉 Remember, the right instance type can significantly impact your cloud experience, so choose wisely. Feel free to drop questions below, and let's continue our AWS journey together! 🌐🚀 Connect with me on [LinkedIn ](https://linkedin.com/in/logeswarangv) for more knowledge sharing.

Happy Upskilling !!!!