Computing

8 AWS Computing terms and services covered in certification exams, with exam-focused explanations.

Amazon EC2

A foundational cloud computing service for provisioning on-demand virtual servers (instances). You control the OS and middleware; choose from instance types optimized for compute, memory, or storage. Pricing options (On-Demand, Savings Plans, Reserved, Spot) and the contrast with managed services like Lambda are common exam topics.

AWS Lambda

A serverless compute service that runs code in response to events (S3 uploads, API Gateway requests, SQS messages, etc.) without managing servers. Billing is based on execution count and duration; no idle cost. Automatic scaling and reduced operational burden are frequently tested in cost-optimization and architecture questions.

Auto Scaling

Automatically increases or decreases the number of EC2 instances based on demand metrics such as CPU utilization. Enables 'high availability at low cost' and is a key component of resilient architectures alongside ELB and CloudWatch.

ELB（ALB / NLB）

A load balancer that distributes incoming traffic across multiple targets. ALB (Application Load Balancer) operates at Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) supporting path- or host-based routing; NLB (Network Load Balancer) operates at Layer 4 for ultra-high throughput and low latency. Choosing between ALB and NLB is a frequent exam topic.

Amazon ECS

AWS's native container orchestration service for running and managing Docker containers. Supports EC2 launch type (self-managed hosts) and serverless Fargate. No Kubernetes knowledge required, with deep AWS integration — the ECS vs. EKS choice is a common exam question.

Amazon EKS

A managed Kubernetes service where AWS operates the control plane. Compatible with open-source Kubernetes, making it the choice when existing Kubernetes assets or the broader ecosystem matter. ECS (AWS-native) vs. EKS (standards-based) is the key container strategy contrast.

AWS Fargate

A serverless compute engine for ECS and EKS containers that eliminates the need to provision or patch EC2 instances. Specify resources at the container level — no host management. Appears in comparisons with EC2 launch type for reducing operational burden.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

A PaaS-like service that automatically provisions EC2, ELB, and Auto Scaling when you upload application code. Developers deploy without managing infrastructure details, while retaining control of underlying resources. Common in scenarios requiring rapid setup and simplified operations.

Last updated: 2026-06-24

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