INSTANCE IN AWS(EC2):
In Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provides scalable
computing capacity in the cloud. Here’s an overview of EC2 instances, snapshots, and
volumes:
EC2 Instances:
1. Definition: EC2 instances are virtual servers running in the AWS cloud, providing
compute capacity on demand. Each instance type offers different combinations of
CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity.
2. Instance Types:
o General Purpose: Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio, suitable for a variety of
workloads.
o Compute Optimized: High-performance processors, ideal for compute-bound
applications.
o Memory Optimized: High memory-to-CPU ratio, suitable for memory-intensive
applications.
o Storage Optimized: High disk throughput and I/O, designed for data-intensive
applications.
o Accelerated Computing: Graphics processing unit (GPU) instances for specialized
workloads like machine learning and high-performance computing.
3. Choosing Instance Types: Selecting the right instance type depends on your
application's requirements for CPU, memory, storage, and networking performance.
SNAPSHOTS:
1. Definition: Snapshots are point-in-time backups of Amazon EBS (Elastic Block
Store) volumes. They capture the state of the volume at the moment the snapshot is
taken.
2. Purpose:
o Backup: Snapshots are used for data protection and disaster recovery.
o Replication: They can be used to replicate data across AWS regions.
o AMIs: Snapshots are used as a base for creating Amazon Machine Images (AMIs),
which are templates for launching EC2 instances.
3. Creating and Managing Snapshots:
o You can create snapshots manually through the AWS Management Console, CLI, or
API.
o Snapshots are incremental, meaning only the blocks that have changed since the last
snapshot are stored.
o You can share snapshots with other AWS accounts or make them public.
VOLUMES:
1. Definition: Amazon EBS volumes provide persistent block storage for EC2 instances.
They are independent of the lifecycle of the instance they are attached to.
2. Types of Volumes:
o General Purpose SSD (gp2): Suitable for a broad range of workloads, offering a
balance of price and performance.
o Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2/io1): Designed for I/O-intensive workloads that require
consistent performance.
o Throughput Optimized HDD (st1): Low-cost HDD volume designed for frequently
accessed, throughput-intensive workloads.
o Cold HDD (sc1): Lowest-cost HDD volume designed for less frequently accessed
workloads.
3. Attaching Volumes:
o Volumes can be attached to and detached from EC2 instances as needed.
o They can only be attached to one instance at a time (except for io2/io1 volumes in
some configurations).
o Volumes persist independently of the instance's lifecycle, so data remains intact
even if the instance is terminated.
Key Considerations:
Cost: Each EC2 instance type and EBS volume type has different pricing based on features
and performance.
Performance: Choose instance types and EBS volumes that match your application's
performance requirements.
Data Management: Regularly create snapshots to protect your data and create backups.
Scaling: EC2 instances and EBS volumes can be scaled up or down based on demand using
AWS Auto Scaling.
Understanding EC2 instances, snapshots, and volumes is fundamental to effectively
managing and optimizing your infrastructure in AWS. These components provide flexibility,
scalability, and resilience to your cloud deployments.
