Summary

Configuring EC2 instances is designed to mirror the process of provisioning and launching on-premises servers. Instances are defined by your choice of AMIs, instance type, storage volumes, and pricing model.

AMIs are organized into four categories: Quick Start, custom (My AMIs), AWS Marketplace, and Community. You can create your own AMI from a snapshot based on the EBS volume of an EC2 instance.

EC2 instance types are designed to fit specific application demands, and individual optimizations are generally available in varying sizes.

EBS storage volumes can be encrypted and are more like physical hard drives in the flexibility of their usage. Instance store volumes are located on the same physical server hosting your instance and will, therefore, deliver faster performance.

EC2 on-demand pricing is best for short-term workloads that can’t be interrupted. Longer-term workloads—like ecommerce websites—will often be much less expensive when purchased as reserved...