2.1. Designing Compute Solutions

💡 First Principle: Selecting the optimal compute service for a given workload requires evaluating architectural patterns, performance characteristics, and operational models to ensure a solution that is scalable, efficient, and aligns with business requirements.

Scenario: You need to design the compute layer for a new application. You have options ranging from virtual servers ("EC2") to containers ("ECS"/"EKS") and serverless functions ("Lambda").

Designing effective compute solutions on AWS is fundamental to any cloud architecture. The choice of compute service directly impacts scalability, cost, operational overhead, and flexibility. This phase focuses on understanding the diverse range of AWS compute options and how to apply them to various architectural patterns, from traditional monoliths to modern microservices and serverless functions. A Solutions Architect must deeply understand the trade-offs inherent in each choice.

This section will guide you through evaluating different compute models, designing for elasticity, high availability, and selecting the most appropriate service for specific workload characteristics. You will learn to synthesize requirements into concrete compute designs, a core skill for the SAP-C02 exam.

Visual: Compute Service Selection Flow (High-Level)

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⚠️ Common Pitfall: Defaulting to a familiar compute service (like "EC2") without evaluating if a more modern, managed, or serverless option would be a better fit for the workload's characteristics, potentially leading to higher costs and operational burden.

Key Trade-Offs:

• Control vs. Managed Overhead: Services like "EC2" offer maximum control over the environment, while services like "Lambda" and "Fargate" trade that control for significantly reduced operational management.

Reflection Question: How do you determine the optimal compute service when factors like cost, operational overhead, and flexibility are all important but potentially conflicting requirements for an application experiencing unpredictable traffic?