Instance types and families in AWS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an AWS instance type?

An AWS instance type defines the hardware of the host computer used for your virtual server. It specifies CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity.

beginner

Name three common AWS instance families and their main use cases.

1. General Purpose: Balanced CPU, memory, and networking for diverse workloads.<br>2. Compute Optimized: High CPU for compute-heavy tasks.<br>3. Memory Optimized: Large memory for databases and caching.

intermediate

Why choose a Compute Optimized instance family?

Choose Compute Optimized instances when your application needs fast processing power, like batch processing, video encoding, or high-performance web servers.

beginner

What does the instance type name 'm5.large' tell you?

'm5' means it belongs to the General Purpose family, 5th generation. 'large' indicates the size with specific CPU and memory resources.

intermediate

How do instance families help optimize cloud costs?

By selecting the right family for your workload, you avoid paying for unused resources. For example, use Memory Optimized for big databases, not General Purpose.

Which AWS instance family is best for applications needing a balance of CPU, memory, and networking?

A Storage Optimized

B Compute Optimized

C General Purpose

D Memory Optimized

General Purpose instances provide a balanced mix of CPU, memory, and networking for a wide range of applications.

What does the 'c' in 'c5.large' instance type stand for?

A Cache Optimized

B Compute Optimized

C Cost Optimized

D Capacity Optimized

'c' indicates the instance is Compute Optimized, designed for CPU-intensive workloads.

Which instance family is best suited for large in-memory databases?

A General Purpose

B Compute Optimized

C GPU Instances

D Memory Optimized

Memory Optimized instances provide large RAM for memory-intensive applications like databases.

If you need fast local storage for a database, which instance family should you consider?

A Storage Optimized

B Compute Optimized

C General Purpose

D Memory Optimized

Storage Optimized instances offer high-speed local storage for workloads like databases and data warehousing.

What does the size label in an instance type (e.g., 'large', 'xlarge') indicate?

A The amount of CPU and memory resources

B The generation of the instance

C The region where the instance runs

D The network speed only

Size labels indicate the scale of CPU and memory resources allocated to the instance.

Explain how AWS instance families differ and why choosing the right family matters.

Think about how different tasks need different resources like CPU or memory.

Describe what information you can learn from an AWS instance type name like 'r6g.xlarge'.

Break down the parts of the name step by step.