Compute - ECS (Elastic Container Service)

Question 1

What is Amazon ECS?

Answer 1

• Amazon ECS stands for Amazon EC2 Container Service.
• It allows running Docker-enabled applications across a cluster of EC2 instances.
• It abstracts the complexity of cluster management using AWS Fargate.

Question 2

What is Docker?

Answer 2

• Docker is software that automates the installation and distribution of applications inside Linux Containers.
• Containers hold all the necessary components for an application to run, except for an operating system.
• Docker enables portability, lightweightness, flexibility, and scalability of containerized applications.

Question 3

What are the benefits of using Amazon ECS?

Answer 3

• It eliminates the need to manage a complex cluster management system.
• It handles cluster management and monitoring, allowing developers to focus on application development.
• It provides seamless integration with Docker and existing containerized applications.

Question 4

What are the deployment models available in Amazon ECS?

Answer 4

• Fargate launch: Requires less configuration, automatically handles scaling, and abstracts underlying infrastructure management.
• EC2 launch: Offers more customization and control over instances, scaling, and infrastructure configuration.

Question 5

How does monitoring work in Amazon ECS?

Answer 5

• Monitoring is done using AWS CloudWatch.
• CloudWatch monitors metrics related to containers and clusters.
• Alarms can be created based on these metrics to receive notifications for specific events.

Question 6

What additional features can be used with Amazon ECS clusters?

Answer 6

• Security Groups: Provide instance-level security at the port and protocol level.
• Elastic Load Balancing: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple instances in the cluster.
• Auto Scaling: Automatically adjusts the number of instances based on demand.

Question 7

Can Amazon ECS clusters scale dynamically?

Answer 7

• Yes, Amazon ECS clusters are dynamically scalable.
• Clusters can start with a single small instance and scale up to thousands of larger instances.
• Scaling is limited to a single region and can span multiple availability zones within that region.

Question 8

What agents are installed on Amazon ECS instances?

Answer 8

• Docker daemon: Manages container execution and management.
• ECS agent: Communicates with the Docker daemon and translates ECS commands into Docker commands.