Aws
10 Aug 23

5 Different EC2 Instance Types

Today, we will examine one of the most used AWS services: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).

EC2’s are virtual servers provided by AWS that allow users to run web applications. They come in different types to cater to different workloads, with different combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and network capacity.

In this article, we will be breaking down some of these different instance types:

  1. General Purpose
  2. Compute Optimised
  3. Memory Optimized
  4. Accelerated Computing
  5. Storage Optimized

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General Purpose

General-purpose instances are used for the majority of workloads.

This instance is suitable for applications that need a balance of compute, memory, and network capacity.

Examples of these workloads include web applications that simply serve traffic.

Compute optimised Instances (C Types)

As the name implies, this instance is best suited for workloads that need higher processing resources to carry out operations. These workloads use a lot of Compute power (CPU)

E.g., dedicated game servers - A gaming website needs to be fast, and it requires a larger capacity to be able to accommodate and process numerous requests sent at the same time.

Memory Optimized Instance (R types):

These are for workloads that need large datasets.

Best suited for workloads that need to process previous data before executing a new request.

E.g., portals that students use to access their results

This instance type is used to run applications that require a lot of memory capacity.

Memory-optimized instances (R types) are best suited for workloads that need to process large datasets, such as a school student portal that students access to see their results. This instance type helps you run applications that require a lot of memory capacity.

Accelerated Computing Instances:

This is best suited for workloads with specific functions (specially Optimised) for workloads that need high processing power and a low-latency network, like Data Analytics and deep learning.

Storage Optimized Instance:

This is for workloads that demand fast read and write access to huge datasets.

Such as Data Warehousing applications that require higher storage capacity and low latency while accessing data.

Irrespective of the kind of workload ( applications and websites) you can think of creating. AWS has services to cater to them all.

We hope you now have a better grasp of the various EC2 instances available and can find a way to express the knowledge in your next interview ;)

If you would like to give yourself the best chance of landing your first cloud job, make sure you enrol in our Cloud Career Acceleration Program

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