Cloud computing with Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud
Expandable Cloud

© Slawomir Jastrzebski, Fotolia
Cloud computing systems like Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) save power and overhead by taking the peak out of your server load.
One would expect Amazon to guard their infrastructure jealously, but piece by piece, Amazon has been opening up their infrastructure so that the rest of us can get our hands dirty playing with file storage, virtual servers, and even physical deliveries on the same kind of ludicrous scale Amazon uses every day.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) makes these systems available over a web services framework so that everything from using more storage space, to creating virtual servers, to requesting physical deliveries happens over SOAP. Instead of filling in forms each time you want more, less, or a different infrastructure, your code can stay as is and AWS provides the necessary services as needed.
Each of the Amazon web services comes with tools developed by Amazon, and a growing number are developed by third parties. Increasingly, third parties are building new and complex services on top of these basic services – for example, hugely scalable databases and web indexing. Amazon's "Elastic Compute Cloud" (EC2) provides virtual servers charged at an hourly rate from US$ 0.10 an hour, running on Amazon's huge number of servers spread across their data centers. EC2 gives you computing in a "cloud."
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.