EC2 Flashcards
What is EC2?
A web service that provides secure and resizable compute capacity in the cloud. Simply put, it is an Amazon service that lets you deploy a virtual machine in the cloud.
What is the purpose of EC2?
- Makes web-scale computing easier for developers.
2. Gives you control of your own instances.
What are the four types of available pricing for EC2?
- On demand
- Reserved
- Spot
- Dedicated
What is the cheapest and most flexible payment option?
On Demand.
Briefly elaborate on the On-Demand pricing option
- You pay by the hour
- You pay only for time when your instance is running
Briefly elaborate on the Reserved pricing option.
- You are reserving EC2 capacity
- You commit to using a certain amount of instances and get a discount
- Operate at regional level
- Great if you are able to make upfront payments
If you reserve capacity in the US-East and spin up an EC2 instance in the US-West, will you get a discount?
No. You do not get discounts on instances you spin up outside the region of your reserved capacity.
For which type of application would it be best to opt for Reserved capacity?
- Apps with predictable usage patterns
- Apps with specific capacity requirements
- If you are
For which type of application would it be best to opt for On-Demand?
- Aapps with short-term, unpredictable workloads that cannot be interrupted
Name the three types of reserved instances and briefly touch on each one.
- Standard Reserved Instance –you reserve a certain quantity of a reserved instance type
- Convertible Reserved Instance –similar to a Standard Reserved Instance, but you are able to change to a different Reserved Instance of equal or greater value if you need to upgrade your instance (discount received is lower)
- Schedules Reserved Instance –enables you to launch a Reserved Instance within a specified time-frame so that you can match your capacity reservation to a predictable schedule
Briefly elaborate on the Spot pricing option.
- You purchase unused capacity at a discount
- You are able to bid whatever price you want for instance capacity
- When the maximum price you bid is exceeded, the instance is terminated or hibernated
Who is the Spot pricing option most suitable for?
Users with an urgent need for large amounts of additional computing capacity.
Who is the Reserved pricing option most suitable for?
Users who can make upfront payments
Who is the On-Demand pricing option most suitable for?
Users looking for something with low costs, lots of flexibility and no upfront payments
For which type of application would it be best to opt for the Spot pricing option?
- Apps with flexible start and end times (not for apps that need to be up and running all the time)
- Apps that are only feasible at low compute prices
