Understand the server you are choosing
An instance type determines the balance of compute, memory, networking and other capabilities available to a virtual server. Start with workload needs rather than choosing the largest option.
A small test application and a memory-heavy analytics job have different requirements. Record what each needs before comparing instance families.
Connect the surrounding components
An instance uses an Amazon Machine Image for its starting environment. Its subnet, security groups and storage settings affect connectivity, access and data persistence.
Launching a server is only one step. You also need to install or deploy your application, configure access and decide how to monitor it.
Plan its full lifecycle
Think about patching, backups, monitoring and retirement from the beginning. Stopping a server and terminating it are different operations, and associated resources may still incur charges.
Keep a list of volumes, addresses and other resources used by a lab. Review them during cleanup rather than assuming a stopped instance removes everything.
Try it yourself
Describe a small web server using five decisions: operating system, instance type, Region, access method and storage. Explain why each choice fits the workload.
A common question
Is an EC2 instance a physical server I own?
An EC2 instance is a virtual server you use through AWS. You configure the instance while AWS operates the underlying infrastructure.
References & video notes
An original CloudFolks companion guide to the topic. Older video interfaces and offers may differ from current services. Use the current documentation for implementation details.
Keep learning
- Public, private and hybrid cloud explained
- IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS: who manages what?
- AWS Regions and Availability Zones explained