DJames617 Service Comparison
Lambda vs ECS/Fargate vs EC2
All run compute, but control and operational overhead vary.
What They Have in Common
Each option can solve part of the scenario. The exam expects you to choose the one that satisfies the stated constraints with the right operational burden, security boundary, availability model, and cost behavior.
Key Differences
| Option | Primary model | Best use | Security | Availability | Operations and cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambda | Functions | Event-driven, bursty, short-duration workloads | Execution roles, resource policies, KMS/VPC controls | AWS-managed multi-AZ availability; automatic scaling and concurrency controls | Lowest server ops; request/duration pricing; function runtime limits |
| ECS/Fargate | Managed containers | Containerized services and jobs without managing hosts | Task/execution roles, security groups, secrets | Services can distribute/rebalance tasks across AZs | No host management; pay for configured task compute; manage task/service configuration |
| EC2 | Virtual machines | Full OS control, custom agents, legacy or specialized workloads | Instance roles, security groups, OS hardening and patching | Individual instances are AZ-based; multi-AZ resilience must be architected | Highest management burden; instance/storage cost; manage patching and scaling |
Typical Exam Clues
Practice After Studying
Return to the certification guide that includes this comparison and launch domain training from there.