Introduction to Amazon EC2

What is EC2?

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It allows users to run virtual servers, known as instances, to host applications, websites, and more.

Key Concepts

**Instances**: Virtual servers that can be launched and managed.
**AMI (Amazon Machine Image)**: A pre-configured template used to create instances.
**Instance Types**: Different configurations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity.
**Elastic Block Store (EBS)**: Persistent block storage for EC2 instances.
**Security Groups**: Virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic to instances.

Launching an EC2 Instance

Step-by-Step Process

Log in to the AWS Management Console.
Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard.
Click on "Launch Instance".
Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI).
Choose an Instance Type.
Configure Instance Details.
Add Storage (EBS).
Configure Security Group.
Review and Launch.

Example Code to Launch an Instance using AWS CLI

aws ec2 run-instances --image-id ami-0abcdef1234567890 --count 1 --instance-type t2.micro --key-name MyKeyPair

Best Practices

Use the latest AMIs to ensure security and performance.
Implement security groups to restrict access.
Regularly back up EBS volumes.
Monitor instance performance with CloudWatch.
Terminate unused instances to avoid unnecessary costs.

FAQ

What is an EC2 instance?

An EC2 instance is a virtual server in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud that is used to run applications and services.

How do I choose an instance type?

Choose an instance type based on your application needs, considering factors like CPU, memory, storage, and network performance.

What is an AMI?

An AMI is a pre-packaged virtual server image that contains the operating system, application server, and applications required to launch an instance.