Best Practices and Challenges for Hosting Applications in AWS: Understanding AWS EC2 Instance Types

Selecting the appropriate Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance type is a crucial decision when it comes to hosting applications on Amazon Web Services (AWS). EC2 instances serve as virtual machines for running applications on AWS and offer a variety of sizes and configurations, also known as instance families, each with a specific purpose. To ensure optimal performance and cost efficiency, it is essential to choose the right instance offering and size for your application. However, this task can be challenging as each application has a unique demand profile that may change over time. For instance, while the 2xlarge instance in a particular family may not be necessary, the larger and more expensive instance size may become appealing to application teams responsible for maintaining uptime, leading to increased cloud costs.

This article will discuss the difficulties in choosing the most suitable Amazon EC2 instance type for your specific application and offer some recommendations to help you make an informed decision.

Exploring the Different Types of Amazon EC2 Instances

EC2 instance types are categorized according to their attributes, such as CPU, RAM, storage, and network capabilities. These types are tailored to perform efficiently for various workloads, such as general computing, memory-intensive tasks, or high-performance computing. Below are a few instances of EC2 types and their main purposes:

General Purpose Instances (A, T, M, and C series)

These types of instances are designed to handle a variety of tasks, including managing web servers, small databases, and creating development and testing environments. The m5 instance, which is powered by either Intel Xeon® Platinum 8175M or 8259CL processors, is the latest generation of General Purpose Instances. These instances offer a well-balanced combination of compute, memory, and network resources, making them a suitable choice for many applications.

Compute Optimized Instances (C and R series)

These instances are specifically designed for workloads that require a lot of computing power, such as high-performance computing, batch processing, and scientific modeling. They make use of GPUs and CPUs with high core counts to maximize their computing capabilities.

Memory Optimized Instances (X, Z, and R series)

These instances are optimized to handle tasks that require a large amount of memory, such as high-performance databases, distributed in-memory caches, and real-time data processing/big data analytics.

Storage Optimized Instances (I, D, and H series): These instances are tailored for workloads that are heavily focused on storage, such as big data management, data warehousing, and log processing. They utilize high-capacity caching and solid state drives (SSD) to efficiently support the demanding read and write activities of these workloads.

Difficulties in Selecting the Appropriate EC2 Instance Type

Picking the appropriate EC2 instance type for your application can be a challenging undertaking. Here are a few difficulties you might encounter:

Choosing the right instance type for your application can be a difficult task, especially with the ever-expanding selection offered by Amazon. With new types being introduced frequently, what may be the best fit for your application now may not be the best fit in the future. When considering instance types, it is important to understand the workload type and performance requirements of your application. Cost is a significant consideration when choosing an instance type, as it includes not only the hourly rate but also charges for data transfer, storage, and other AWS services.

Tips for Selecting the Optimal EC2 Instance Type

After gaining an understanding of the typical difficulties in selecting the optimal EC2 instance, we recommend the following best practices to our clients and partners.

1. Gain a Clear Understanding of Your Workload

The initial and crucial stage in choosing the appropriate EC2 instance type is to have a clear understanding of your workload. Each application has its own specific demands for CPU, memory, network, and storage, making it crucial to be aware of your application’s necessary resources for optimal performance.

In the case of a database application, a significant amount of RAM may be necessary to effectively manage queries. Conversely, a high-performance CPU may be required for a compute-intensive application.

Utilizing tools such as AWS CloudWatch or external monitoring systems can provide deeper insight into your workload, allowing you to collect information on the utilization of resources.

2. Deliberate on the Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The EC2 instance’s CPU is an essential element that determines its processing capability. For applications that demand optimal CPU performance, selecting an instance type with a higher number of CPUs and clock speed is recommended.

At AWS, there is a range of CPU-optimized instance types available, including the C5, M5, and R5 families, specifically designed for efficient high-performance computing workloads. These instances are equipped with the latest generation of custom-built AWS Graviton3 processors, which offer significant enhancements over the Graviton2, making them ideal for applications that demand intense CPU usage. However, if your application does not require high CPU performance, you can choose a more affordable instance type with no GPU and a lower CPU count, such as the T3 family.

3. Reflection on Memory

The capacity of an EC2 instance to process data at a given time is largely dependent on its memory, making it another crucial aspect to consider. For applications that demand a high memory usage, opting for an instance type with a greater memory capacity would be advisable.

In cases where your application does not demand a significant amount of memory, you have the option to choose a less expensive instance type that offers a reduced memory capacity, like the T3 family.

AWS provides a range of instance types that are specifically designed for workloads that require a high amount of memory. These instance types, including the X1, R4, and z1d families, are part of the memory-optimized category and are ideal for applications that heavily rely on memory, such as in-memory databases. These instances are equipped with large memory capacities and are tailored to optimize memory utilization.

If your application does not have a high memory demand, you have the option to select a less expensive instance type, such as the T3 family, which offers a smaller memory capacity.

4. Ponder the Network

The network is a crucial factor for an EC2 instance as it plays a significant role in the speed of data transfer. If your application demands fast network performance, consider selecting an instance type with a higher network bandwidth.

AWS provides a range of instance types that are optimized for network usage, including the C5n and HPC families, which are specifically designed for network-intensive tasks. These instances are equipped with fast network interfaces and are particularly suitable for applications that demand a high level of network utilization.

In cases where high network performance is not necessary for your application, you have the option to choose a less expensive instance type with a lower network bandwidth, such as the T3 family.

5. Reflection on Storage

The storage component is a crucial aspect of an EC2 instance, as it dictates the maximum amount of data that can be stored on the instance. If your application requires a significant amount of storage, it is advisable to select an instance type with a higher storage capacity, such as Elastic Block Store (EBS). However, it is important to be cautious as storage is one of the most expensive resources in the cloud and can lead to unnecessary expenses through idle and unattached EBS volumes.

One of the options provided by AWS is a range of instance types that are specifically designed for workloads that require a lot of storage. Among these are the I3 and D2 families, which come with significant amounts of SSD and local storage. These instances are well-suited for applications that have a high demand for IOPS throughput.

In case your application does not have a high storage demand, there is the option of choosing a less expensive instance type that offers a smaller HDD-based storage size, like the T3 family.

6. Evaluating the Pricing Model

AWS has a variety of pricing options available for EC2 instances, such as On-Demand, Reserved Instances, and Spot Instances. Each model has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, therefore it is crucial to carefully select the one that aligns with your workload and financial resources.

Hourly pricing is applied for on-demand instances without the need for any initial commitment. These types of instances are most suitable for tasks with fluctuating demand or short-term assignments.

Reserved Instances offer a considerable reduction in the hourly rate in return for a single upfront payment. They are most suitable for tasks with expected usage and a need for a long-term commitment.

One way to save costs with EC2 is by using Spot Instances, which involve bidding on available but unused capacity. These instances are most suitable for tasks that can tolerate interruptions and have flexible start and end times.

7. Testing and Improving Performance

After choosing an EC2 instance, it is crucial to test and enhance your application’s performance to guarantee its efficient operation. Utilizing resources such as AWS CloudWatch you can monitor your application’s performance and pinpoint any potential issues or opportunities for enhancement.

Summary

Choosing the appropriate EC2 instance type is essential in achieving optimal performance and cost efficiency for your AWS infrastructure. To achieve this, it is important to assess your workload, evaluate the CPU, memory, network, and storage needs, select the appropriate pricing structure, and thoroughly test and optimize your application. By following these steps, you can guarantee that you are maximizing the potential of your EC2 instances.

It is important to keep in mind that choosing the most suitable instance type is not a one-off decision, as your workload and infrastructure requirements may evolve over time. Consistently assessing and improving your EC2 instance types can assist in achieving the best performance and cost-effectiveness for your AWS infrastructure.