Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a well-known service within the tech industry. But do you know its secret features that can make your cloud computing experience a notch above the rest? In this article, we reveal 10 Secret Features of AWS EC2 You Must Know Today! and how to leverage them effectively.

1. Instance Auto Scaling: The Cloud’s Hidden Sorcerer

Understanding the Magic Behind Instance Auto Scaling

You know about EC2 instances, but did you know they can do magic? Enter Instance Auto Scaling, AWS’s own sorcerer. It’s like a hidden wand that adjusts the number of instances based on the demand of your applications, magically scaling up and down without any manual intervention.

The Spell of Auto Scaling Policies

Auto Scaling policies are the spells that control this magic. By setting up Target Tracking Scaling or Step Scaling policies, you’re basically giving instructions to the sorcerer on when to add or remove instances.

2. Burstable Performance Instances: The Cloud’s Speed Demon

Unleashing the Speed Demon

What if you could crank up your instance’s speed temporarily? Burstable Performance Instances, or T2/T3 instances, allows you to do just that. These instances accumulate CPU credits when idle, and use these credits when you need a speed boost.

Harnessing the Speed Demon

But how do you control this speed demon? AWS provides a CPU Credit Balance metric that lets you monitor your CPU credits and manage your instance’s performance effectively.

3. Spot Instances: EC2’s Price Slayer

Spotting the Price Slayer

Cloud services can be expensive. But what if you could slash prices down by up to 90%? With Spot Instances, you can bid for unused EC2 capacity at lower prices, making it a potent price slayer.

Mastering the Price Slayer

The art of mastering Spot Instances lies in bidding strategically. Monitor the Spot Price History, understand the trends, and place your bids accordingly.

4. Elastic File System (EFS): The Cloud’s Storage Maestro

Meeting the Storage Maestro

EFS is EC2’s storage maestro. It’s a scalable file storage used with EC2 instances. It can store petabytes of data and supports thousands of concurrent NFS connections.

Orchestrating with the Storage Maestro

Use EFS when your applications require a shared file system. You can also implement lifecycle management policies to move files to cost-effective storage classes.

5. Elastic Block Store (EBS): EC2’s Storage Workhorse

Introducing the Storage Workhorse

EBS is like the tireless workhorse of EC2’s storage services. It provides persistent block storage volumes for use with EC2 instances.

Riding the Storage Workhorse

EBS volumes offer high availability and durability. You can also take point-in-time snapshots of volumes, which can then be copied across AWS regions.

6. EC2 Image Builder: The Cloud’s Master Craftsman

The Master Craftsman of EC2

EC2 Image Builder is like a master craftsman, allowing you to automate the creation, maintenance, testing, and validation of Linux or Windows Server images.

Crafting with the Master

With EC2 Image Builder, you can create customized images meeting your specific requirements. This reduces the effort needed to keep images updated and secure.

7. Elastic GPUs: EC2’s Graphic Powerhouse

The Graphic Powerhouse of EC2

Elastic GPUs are like a powerhouse for graphics-intensive applications. They allow you to add GPU resources to your instances.

Powering Up with Elastic GPUs

Elastic GPUs are perfect for applications that need high performance. They come in different sizes offering 1-8 GiB of GPU memory, giving you the flexibility to attach the right amount of graphics acceleration resource to your workload. This allows you to accelerate the graphics performance of applications such as virtual desktops, gaming, or industrial design【6†source】.

8. AWS Nitro System: EC2’s Performance-Boosting Juggernaut

The Juggernaut of EC2

The AWS Nitro System is like a juggernaut that supercharges your EC2 instances. It’s a combination of dedicated hardware and lightweight hypervisor that delivers nearly all the compute and memory resources of your host machine to your instances.

Riding the Juggernaut

The Nitro System also provides enhanced security and better instance storage, making it a truly game-changing feature of AWS EC2.

Also Read: AWS EC2: Essential Interview Questions and Answers

9. Security Groups: EC2’s Mighty Shield

EC2’s Mighty Shield

Security Groups act like a mighty shield for your EC2 instances. They’re virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic for one or more instances.

Wielding the Mighty Shield

To wield this shield effectively, understand your application’s requirements, and configure your security groups accordingly. Remember, a well-configured security group is the first line of defense in cloud security.

Also Read : Top 10 AWS EKS interview question and answers

10. EC2 Dedicated Hosts: The Cloud’s Private Sanctuary

The Private Sanctuary in the Cloud

EC2 Dedicated Hosts are like private sanctuaries in the cloud. They’re physical servers fully dedicated for your use, allowing you to use your existing server-bound software licenses.

The Key to the Private Sanctuary

Dedicated Hosts can be used with AWS License Manager to manage your own software licenses effectively. They also provide visibility into the sockets and cores used by your instances.

FAQs about AWS EC2’s Secret Features

1. What are the benefits of Instance Auto Scaling in AWS EC2?

Instance Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances based on the demand of your applications. This results in improved availability and cost savings.

2. How can Burstable Performance Instances boost my EC2 instance’s speed?

Burstable Performance Instances can boost your instance’s speed by accumulating CPU credits when idle and using these credits when more performance is needed.

3. How can I benefit from Spot Instances?

Spot Instances allow you to bid for unused EC2 capacity at lower prices, which can result in significant cost savings.

4. What is the difference between EFS and EBS?

EFS is a scalable file storage used with EC2 instances, while EBS provides persistent block storage volumes. EFS supports thousands of concurrent NFS connections, while EBS offers high availability and durability.

5. How does the AWS Nitro System enhance EC2 performance?

The AWS Nitro System is a combination of dedicated hardware and lightweight hypervisor that delivers nearly all the compute and memory resources of your host machine to your instances. It also provides enhanced security and better instance storage.

6. What are EC2 Dedicated Hosts?

EC2 Dedicated Hosts are physical servers fully dedicated for your use. They allow you to use your existing server-bound software licenses and provide visibility into the sockets and cores used by your instances.

Conclusion

The 10 Secret Features of AWS EC2 You Must Know Today! are a testament to the versatility and power of AWS EC2. By understanding and leveraging these features, you can optimize your cloud computing experience, improve the performance of your applications, and save on costs. So, why wait? Start exploring these features today and unlock the full potential of AWS EC2!