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AWS ECS (Elastic Container Service)

What is it​

A fully managed container orchestration service that makes it easy to run, stop, and manage Docker containers on a cluster.

What it's for​

Running and managing containerized applications at scale, with built-in support for load balancing, auto-scaling, and service discovery.

Use cases​

  • Microservices architecture
  • Batch processing
  • Application migration to containers
  • CI/CD pipeline integration
  • High-availability applications

Key points​

  • Container orchestration: Manages container deployment and scaling
  • Service integration: Works with ALB, CloudWatch, and other AWS services
  • Task definitions: Define container configurations and requirements
  • Auto scaling: Automatically scales based on demand
  • Security: IAM roles and security groups integration

Comparison​

  • AWS ECS vs. EKS: ECS is a simpler container orchestration service that's easier to get started with and integrates well with other AWS services. EKS is a managed Kubernetes service that offers more advanced features and is better for complex container orchestration needs. ECS is ideal for AWS-focused deployments, while EKS is better for organizations that need Kubernetes compatibility or have more complex container orchestration requirements.