🚀 Getting Started with EC2 Instances: A Beginner's Guide
Tags: cloudcomputing, aws, beginners, ec2
Published: 2023-05-04 04:40:08

The popularity of cloud computing, services and resources in the cloud computing ecosystem keeps on growing as time goes by. AWS (Amazon Web Services) at the time of this writing is the largest provider of cloud services in the world, holding a momentous share of the cloud computing market. What we are interested in today though, is talking about some Infrastructure as a Service offerings (also known as IaaS is a cloud computing business model that allows customers to rent IT infrastructure, such as virtual machines, storage, and networking, from a provider such as AWS) in the AWS cloud. AWS has a wide variety of services that fall under the IaaS class. The service with which we are concerned today is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) which is one of Amazon's most popular services. So without any further delay, let's go on to see what EC2 is all about.

## What is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)?

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a service offered by AWS that provides secure and resizable compute capacity in the cloud. In simpler terms, it's a virtual machine service that you can rent from AWS to run your own applications. These virtual machines are called EC2 instances. EC2 offers many options that enable you to build and run virtually any application.

An EC2 instance is like renting a computer on an hourly basis, where you can install your own operating system, software, and applications. This means you don't have to worry about the heavy lifting of purchasing and maintaining physical hardware. EC2 instances come in various sizes and configurations which makes them highly customizable to suit different workloads and performance requirements. Using EC2, you can launch as many or as few instances as you need, and you only pay for what you use. You can also choose from a range of pricing options, including On-Demand, Reserved, and Spot Instances(more on these later).

Amazon EC2 provides a highly scalable, reliable, and secure environment for running your applications in the cloud. It is a powerful service that allows you to easily and cost-effectively run your applications in the cloud without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure.

## EC2 Instance types
You'll agree with me that the world of computing is quite broad and so companies and businesses will require compute capacity for various use cases. Amazon EC2 provides a wide variety of instance types optimized for different use cases. Each instance type offers varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and network capacity. Here are some of the most common instance types offered by EC2:

**_General Purpose Instances_** — They are designed to offer a balanced ratio of CPU, memory, and networking resources. These instances are suitable for a wide range of workloads, including web servers, small to medium databases, and development or testing environments. They offer a good balance of compute, memory, and network resources and are optimized for applications that use a moderate amount of CPU and RAM. If you're unsure which instance type to choose, a general-purpose instance is a good place to start.

**_Compute-Optimized EC2 instances_** — They are designed to provide high performance for compute-intensive workloads such as high-performance computing (HPC), scientific modelling, and batch processing. They offer a high ratio of vCPUs to memory, making them ideal for applications that require a lot of processing power. These instances are optimized for workloads that are heavy on CPU and are designed to deliver the best performance per vCPU. They also come with enhanced networking capabilities, which allow for high-speed communication between instances, making them ideal for distributed workloads. If you have workloads that are compute-intensive and require a lot of processing power, Compute-Optimized EC2 instances may be a great choice for you.

**_Memory-optimized EC2 instances_** — They are designed to handle large-scale in-memory workloads, such as real-time big data analytics, high-performance databases, and other memory-intensive applications. These instances have a large amount of memory and high memory bandwidth to support large data sets and in-memory processing. They typically have fewer vCPUs compared to compute-optimized instances because the focus is on memory rather than processing power. Memory-optimized instances are a good fit for workloads that require fast and frequent access to large amounts of data, such as data warehousing, real-time processing of big data, and high-performance databases.

**_Storage-optimized EC2 instances_** — They are designed to provide high amounts of storage for applications that require it. They are perfect for applications that need to store large amounts of data on local storage drives. These instances are ideal for databases, big data processing, and other applications that require high-speed, high-capacity storage. The local storage on these instances uses Solid State Drives (SSDs), which are fast and reliable. Storage-optimized instances are available in different sizes to fit the storage needs of your application. They are commonly used for data warehousing or applications that require high-speed and high-volume data access.

**_GPU-Optimized EC2 instances_** — They are designed to deliver the processing power of GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) to power-demanding applications such as machine learning, video transcoding, and scientific simulations. GPUs are specialized hardware that is specifically designed to perform complex mathematical operations that are essential for these types of workloads. GPU instances come with one or more dedicated GPUs, which can be used to offload the CPU and perform highly parallel computations. This makes them suitable for use in applications that require large amounts of processing power.

## Security in Amazon EC2

In the world of Amazon EC2, security is like a fortress that surrounds and protects your virtual kingdom. Just as you would build walls and ditches to keep out intruders, Amazon has implemented a range of security measures to keep your EC2 instances and data safe. First, like guards guarding the entrance to a castle, EC2's security groups act as virtual firewalls, controlling inbound and outbound traffic to and from your instances. These security groups enable you to dictate what type of traffic is allowed to enter your instances, giving you complete control over who can access your virtual kingdom. To further fortify your defences, Amazon provides key pairs(made up of public and private keys) that work like secret passwords to allow secure access to your instances. It's like a secret handshake between you and your instance, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access your virtual kingdom. For added protection, Amazon EC2 also provides several tools to help you monitor and safeguard your instances. These include AWS Identity and Access Management (check [this article](https://bit.ly/3Nw0eOG) I wrote to learn more), which enables you to create and manage user accounts and permissions, and Amazon Inspector, which helps you identify potential security vulnerabilities in your instances. Finally, Amazon EC2 also provides a range of data encryption options to protect your data from prying eyes.

## Amazon EC2 Pricing

Now let's talk pricing. Amazon EC2 offers three different pricing options to meet the needs of various workloads and use cases. But before we talk about these three pricing options, let's talk about the EC2 free tier offered by AWS. Amazon EC2 offers a free tier that allows users to run certain types of instances for free, up to a certain limit. This is a great way for beginners to get started with EC2 and explore its different features without incurring any costs. The EC2 free tier includes 750 hours of usage per month for a single Linux or Windows t2.micro(a type of general-purpose instance) instance for the first 12 months after signing up for an AWS account. Now on to the three pricing options for EC2 instances:

1. **_On-Demand Instances_** — With the on-demand pricing option, you pay for compute capacity by the hour or second, depending on the instance type you use. This means that you only pay for the compute capacity you actually use and can spin up instances as needed without any upfront commitment. This pricing option is ideal for workloads that are unpredictable and for applications that can't be interrupted. With on-demand pricing, you have the flexibility to start and stop instances as you need them, so you can scale your resources in or out based on your needs. However, it's important to note that on-demand pricing can be more expensive than other pricing options, especially if you run your instances for a long time. For more predictable workloads, you might want to consider other pricing options, such as Reserved Instances or Spot Instances, which can offer cost savings in the long run.

2. **_Reserved Instances_** — With this option, you can reserve an instance for a fixed period, typically one or three years, and receive a significant discount on the hourly rate compared to on-demand pricing. This option is best suited for workloads that have predictable usage patterns and run for extended periods. With Reserved Instances, you pay an upfront fee to reserve the instance. This fee is non-refundable, but the hourly rate is greatly reduced(typically a 40% discount for one-year reservations and up to 60% discounts for three-year reservations). You can choose between three payment options: all upfront, partial upfront, or no upfront, which allows you to pay for the reservation over the term. They also provide you with greater flexibility in terms of instance type and operating system, allowing you to exchange or modify your reservation if your needs change. This can be particularly useful if you have a long-term project or application with steady usage.

3. **_Spot Instances_** — This option allows you to bid on unused EC2 instances. The price of a Spot Instance fluctuates based on supply and demand, and if your bid is higher than the current Spot price, you get to use the EC2 instance at that price until the instance is needed by someone who has bid more. This pricing option is great for workloads that are flexible with their start and end times, or for those who can tolerate interruptions in their computing resources. Spot Instances are often used for big data analytics, image and video rendering, and other types of batch-processing operations or workloads. Just keep in mind that if the Spot price exceeds your bid, your Spot Instance will be terminated and you'll need to start your workloads again.

## Why EC2?

Using EC2 instances allows you to have complete control over your computing environment without the need to invest in hardware or worry about maintenance. You can quickly spin up instances when you need them, and terminate them when you don't. This flexibility can save you from unnecessary costs compared to traditional on-premises computing solutions. Secondly, EC2 offers a wide range of pre-configured machine images, making it easy to get started with popular software stacks and applications. EC2 also provides a wide range of security features, such as virtual private clouds (VPCs), security groups, and encryption options. You can easily configure your instances to meet your specific security needs and ensure that your data and applications are safe from unauthorized access.

## Conclusion

If you are looking for a scalable and flexible way to run your applications or services, then Amazon EC2 is a great choice. EC2 provides virtual servers that can be configured to meet your specific needs. You only pay for what you use, and you can easily scale up or down as your needs change. I'll recommend that you learn how to launch an instance using the AWS management console. Check out this [getting started guide](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/getting-started/) by [AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/) or if you prefer video content, you can watch this [youtube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZMkgOMYYIg). Thank you for reading this article and be sure to check out my other articles on AWS services. You can find links to the articles below.
- [💪 AWS Identity and Access Management(IAM) Unleashed: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.](https://medium.com/@dbrandonbawe/aws-identity-and-access-management-iam-unleashed-everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-started-c073623a8b0d)