Figuring out how much computing power your new application needs can be tough. If you overestimate, you might spend too much on servers you don’t use. If you underestimate, your app might crash because it doesn’t have enough power.

Amazon EC2 solves this problem by letting you easily adjust your computing resources as needed. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explain the basics of Amazon EC2, with simple examples and easy-to-follow steps to help you launch an Ubuntu instance. This way, managing your app’s infrastructure becomes simple and efficient.

What is AWS EC2?

Amazon EC2 is a service from Amazon that enables you to rent virtual servers in the cloud. It is like renting a computer, on which one has a privileged secured internet connection and can work on it. These virtual servers are as versatile as the physical ones, in that you can employ them for web hosting, application hosting, and much more. 

How are They Resizable?

EC2 servers are resizable since one can increase or decrease the server power as may suit. If your website attracts a lot of traffic, you can easily scale up by adding more servers to deal with the traffic. In case the traffic reduces, you can minimize the number of servers, thus; you’ll be paying for what you will need. 

What is an Instance?

An instance is a virtual server in Amazon’s EC2 for example. So, it can be thought of as a mini-computer in a larger system or configuration. Still, every instance has its RAM, its own I/O connection, and its operating system – yet, none of this is physical. Indeed, multiple of these mini-computers (instances) can run on one physical machine.

Also Learn: AWS vs Azure: Picking the Perfect Platform

Difference Between a Service and an Instance

Service

Amazon EC2 is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It’s one of many services they offer, like Amazon S3, which is used for storing files.

Instance

When you use EC2, you do so through an instance. For example, a t2.micro instance is a type of virtual server you can use with EC2. The instance is your actual server, while EC2 is the overall service providing it.

Why AWS EC2?

Using AWS EC2 instead of managing your servers can make your life a lot easier. Here’s why!

No Maintenance Hassles: If you own servers, you have to handle daily security updates, fix backend problems, and manage overall server maintenance. This takes up a lot of your time or requires you to hire someone.

Cost-Effectiveness: With an EC2 instance, Amazon manages the infrastructure. You focus on your application, and often, this costs less than maintaining your servers.

Scalability and Flexibility: AWS EC2 allows you to easily scale up or down based on your application’s needs, something that can be expensive and challenging with physical servers.

Cost Savings Example

When you own servers, you face several challenges:

IT Team Costs: You need to hire a team to manage your servers.

System Faults: Fixing system faults costs money.

Redundancy Costs: Keeping redundant systems for uptime assurance can be expensive.

Depreciation: Your physical servers will lose value over time, while EC2 instances have become cheaper, offering better performance.

Types of EC2 Computing Instances

AWS EC2 offers different types of instances to suit various needs:

General Instances: Balanced performance and cost for applications like email systems.

Compute Instances: High CPU processing for tasks like data analysis.

Memory Instances: High RAM for multitasking-heavy applications.

Storage Instances: Large storage capacity for big data sets.

GPU Instances: Powerful graphics processing for tasks like 3D modeling.

EC2 Instance Optimizations

Burstable Performance Instances

T2 Instances: They provide baseline CPU performance and can burst to higher performance when needed, using CPU credits.

EBS-Optimized Instances

C4, M4, D2 Instances: Optimized for high IOPS and low latency with EBS storage.

Cluster Networking Instances

X1, M4, C4, C3, I2, G2, D2 Instances- Support high-bandwidth, low-latency networking for high-performance tasks.

Dedicated Instances

Single: Tenant Hardware- Ideal for tasks requiring hardware isolation due to policies or regulations.

Also Learn: Web Based Vs Cloud Based Apps: Which One Fits Your Needs

Launching EC2 Instances

Here’s how to launch an EC2 instance:

1. log in to your AWS account and navigate to EC2.
2. Launch Instance Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI).

•    Pre-configured AMIs-  Available from AWS Marketplace.
•    Custom AMIs-  Configure your own.

3. Select EBS Storage- Choose between Provisioned IOPS, General Purpose, or Magnetic based on your needs.
4. Security Group- m Set up inbound and outbound traffic rules.
5. Review and Launch- Check your settings and launch the instance.
6. Key Pair: Create a key pair for authentication.

Security in AWS EC2

AWS uses key pairs for secure authentication, employing public-key cryptography to protect login information.

Additional Benefits of EC2

Auto Scaling-  Automatically scales instances based on policies and health checks

Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)- Distributes incoming traffic across multiple instances

Elastic IP Addresses- Static IPs that can be reassigned to another instance in case of failure

AWS EC2 Pricing

Free Tier

750 hours of t2.micro instance usage per month for one year

Pricing Options

Spot Instances- Bid on unused instances for lower costs

On-Demand Instances- Pay by the hour with no long-term commitments

Reserved Instances- Save more with long-term commitments and upfront payments

Use Case: Creating an Ubuntu Instance

• Login to AWS Management Console.

• Select Region- Choose your preferred region.

• Select EC2 Service- Click EC2 under Compute.

• Launch Instance- Select an AMI and choose a t2.micro instance.

• Add Storage- Specify storage details.

• Tag Instance- Name your instance for easy identification.

• Create Security Group- Set up traffic rules.

• Review and Launch- Check your settings and launch the instance.

• Create Key Pair- Download and save the key pair for future use.

• Connect to Instance- Use SSH and PuTTY to make a secure connection.

Connecting to EC2 Instance using PuTTY

1. Open PuTTY.exe.
2. Enter the Public IP of your instance.
3. Expand SSH in the Category list and click Auth.
4. Browse to the PPK file and open it.
5. Click Open and enter Ubuntu as the login ID.

AWS EC2 is efficient, cheap, and very dynamic in that it can be adapted to fulfill many computing requirements. Customs such as Auto Scaling and Elastic Load Balancing enable the EC2 to ensure that the applications are always running with ease, hence giving the company time to concentrate on its core business. Companies like Inexture Solutions leverage these features to optimize their operations and focus on innovation.