Fargate vs EC2 launch type in AWS - Hands-On Comparison

Understanding AWS Fargate vs EC2 Launch Types

📖 Scenario: You are managing containerized applications on AWS. You want to learn the difference between running containers using AWS Fargate and EC2 launch types.This will help you decide which option to choose for your projects.

🎯 Goal: Build a simple AWS ECS task definition and service configuration using both Fargate and EC2 launch types to understand their setup differences.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a basic ECS task definition dictionary with container details

Add a configuration variable to select the launch type

Write logic to set the launch type in the ECS service configuration

Complete the ECS service configuration with the chosen launch type

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Choosing between AWS Fargate and EC2 launch types is a common decision when deploying containerized applications. Fargate lets you run containers without managing servers, while EC2 requires managing the underlying instances.

💼 Career

Understanding these launch types is essential for cloud engineers and developers working with AWS ECS to deploy scalable and cost-effective container applications.

1

Create ECS task definition dictionary

Create a dictionary called task_definition with these exact entries: family set to "sample-task", and containerDefinitions as a list containing one dictionary with name set to "sample-container" and image set to "amazonlinux".

AWS

# Create the ECS task_definition dictionary with family and containerDefinitions
# Your code here

Hint

Think of task_definition as a recipe for your container. It needs a family name and container details.

2

Add launch type configuration variable

Add a variable called launch_type and set it to the string "FARGATE".

AWS

task_definition = {
    "family": "sample-task",
    "containerDefinitions": [
        {
            "name": "sample-container",
            "image": "amazonlinux"
        }
    ]
}
# Define the launch_type variable
# Your code here

Hint

The launch_type variable will help decide how the containers run.

3

Set launch type in ECS service configuration

Create a dictionary called service_config with a key launchType set to the value of the variable launch_type.

AWS

task_definition = {
    "family": "sample-task",
    "containerDefinitions": [
        {
            "name": "sample-container",
            "image": "amazonlinux"
        }
    ]
}
launch_type = "FARGATE"
# Create service_config dictionary with launchType set to launch_type
# Your code here

Hint

Use the launch_type variable to set the launchType key in the service configuration.

4

Complete ECS service configuration with network settings for Fargate

Add a key networkConfiguration to service_config with the value being a dictionary containing awsvpcConfiguration set to a dictionary with subnets as a list containing "subnet-12345" and assignPublicIp set to "ENABLED". This completes the ECS service configuration for Fargate launch type.

AWS

task_definition = {
    "family": "sample-task",
    "containerDefinitions": [
        {
            "name": "sample-container",
            "image": "amazonlinux"
        }
    ]
}
launch_type = "FARGATE"
service_config = {
    "launchType": launch_type
}
# Add networkConfiguration for Fargate launch type
# Your code here

Hint

Fargate requires network settings with subnets and public IP assignment.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between AWS Fargate and EC2 launch types for running containers?

easy

A. Fargate runs containers without managing servers, EC2 requires managing servers.

B. Fargate requires managing servers, EC2 runs containers without servers.

C. Both require managing servers but use different operating systems.

D. Both run containers without any server management.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Fargate's server management

   Fargate abstracts server management, so you don't handle servers directly.

2. Step 2: Understand EC2 launch type server management

   EC2 launch type requires you to manage the servers where containers run.

3. Final Answer:

   Fargate runs containers without managing servers, EC2 requires managing servers. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Server management difference = D [OK]

Hint: Fargate = no servers to manage, EC2 = you manage servers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing which launch type manages servers
• Thinking both require server management
• Assuming Fargate needs server setup

2. Which of the following is the correct way to specify the launch type as Fargate in an ECS service JSON?

easy

A. "launchType": "EC2"

B. "launchType": "FARGATE"

C. "launchType": "Serverless"

D. "launchType": "Container"

Solution

1. Step 1: Check valid launch type values in ECS

   ECS supports "EC2" and "FARGATE" as launch type values in uppercase.

2. Step 2: Identify correct Fargate syntax

   The correct string for Fargate is "FARGATE" in uppercase letters.

3. Final Answer:

   "launchType": "FARGATE" -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Fargate launch type syntax = A [OK]

Hint: Use uppercase "FARGATE" for launchType in ECS JSON [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using lowercase "fargate" instead of uppercase
• Using invalid launch type names like "Serverless"
• Confusing EC2 and Fargate strings

3. Given this ECS service configuration snippet, what launch type will it use?

{
  "launchType": "EC2",
  "taskDefinition": "my-task-def"
}

medium

A. It will run containers on EC2 instances you manage.

B. It will run containers on AWS Fargate without server management.

C. It will fail because "EC2" is not a valid launch type.

D. It will run containers on Lambda functions.

Solution

1. Step 1: Read the launchType value

   The launchType is set to "EC2" which means containers run on EC2 instances.

2. Step 2: Understand EC2 launch type behavior

   EC2 launch type requires you to manage the servers where containers run.

3. Final Answer:

   It will run containers on EC2 instances you manage. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   launchType "EC2" means managed servers = A [OK]

Hint: launchType "EC2" means you manage servers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking "EC2" means serverless
• Assuming "EC2" is invalid syntax
• Confusing EC2 with Lambda

4. You tried to deploy an ECS task with this launch type: "launchType": "fargate" but got an error. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. Fargate launch type is not supported in ECS.

B. The launch type should be a boolean, not a string.

C. You must specify the launch type as "EC2" for tasks.

D. The launch type value is case-sensitive and must be uppercase "FARGATE".

Solution

1. Step 1: Check launch type case sensitivity

   ECS launch type values are case-sensitive and require uppercase strings like "FARGATE".

2. Step 2: Identify error cause

   Using lowercase "fargate" causes a validation error because it's invalid syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   The launch type value is case-sensitive and must be uppercase "FARGATE". -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Case-sensitive launchType = B [OK]

Hint: Use uppercase "FARGATE" to avoid launch type errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using lowercase launch type values
• Thinking Fargate is unsupported
• Confusing data types for launchType

5. You want to run a containerized app with minimal server management and automatic scaling. Which launch type should you choose and why?

hard

A. EC2 launch type, because it gives full control over servers and scaling.

B. EC2 launch type, because it is cheaper and requires no scaling setup.

C. Fargate launch type, because it removes server management and handles scaling automatically.

D. Fargate launch type, because it requires manual server setup but better performance.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify launch type for minimal server management

   Fargate removes the need to manage servers, unlike EC2 which requires server control.

2. Step 2: Consider automatic scaling capabilities

   Fargate automatically scales containers based on demand without manual server scaling.

3. Final Answer:

   Fargate launch type, because it removes server management and handles scaling automatically. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Minimal management + auto scaling = Fargate = C [OK]

Hint: Choose Fargate for no servers and auto scaling [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing EC2 for minimal management
• Assuming EC2 auto scales automatically
• Thinking Fargate needs manual server setup