We use Amazon Elastic Container Service to deploy containers.
Lead Solution Advisor (Cyber Security) at Deloitte
An easy-to-scale cloud-based solution that can be used to deploy containers
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to scale and implement and provides performance monitoring and management tools."
- "Since it is a managed service for container orchestration, it may limit our control over certain infrastructure functions."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to scale and implement and provides performance monitoring and management tools.
What needs improvement?
The more containers there are, the more expensive the solution becomes.
With Amazon Elastic Container Service, we lack full control over the infrastructure. Since it is a managed service for container orchestration, it may limit our control over certain infrastructure functions. This limitation can be a concern if you require deep control over your container or have specific infrastructure requirements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon Elastic Container Service for seven years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Elastic Container Service is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Amazon Elastic Container Service is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is not knowledgeable enough to provide us with solutions everytime. The support team joins the call, but they provide solutions only six to seven out of ten times we contact them. They say they are unsure how to do it the rest of the time.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is easy.
What was our ROI?
Since Amazon Elastic Container Service is a cloud-based solution, we do not need to handle the infrastructure, and it provides auto-scalable functionality.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Amazon Elastic Container Service is an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend that users choose Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) instead of Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS).
Overall, I rate Amazon Elastic Container Service an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: customer/partner
Senior Security Consultant
Good for high-performance applications and straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "Performance is our top priority. So, if we need to deploy on a high-specification machine, we can choose it from the software. If we just need a low-specification one, we can just choose it based on the requirement handling software configuration."
- "There is room for improvement in the licensing costs. There can be better licensing costs."
What is our primary use case?
It depends on the specific needs and requirements. For example, if it's for customer care on Windows Server, they need to onboard the EC2.
What is most valuable?
Performance is our top priority. So, if we need to deploy on a high-specification machine, we can choose it from the software. If we just need a low-specification one, we can just choose it based on the requirement handling software configuration.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the licensing costs. There can be better licensing costs.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been providing this service for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It offers good scalability. You can scale down and scale up easily. You can easily adjust resources based on your needs, whether public or private deployments. Complex configurations are not required for scaling or scheduling tasks.
We have two customers using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is knowledgeable and customer-friendly. They offer prompt and helpful assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Alibaba Cloud and Cisco's container platform. However, I prefer the Amazon EC2 Container Service for its ease of use, scalability, and integration with AWS services.
However, Alibaba is on-premises, and EC2 is on the cloud. The best option depends on regulations. Some industries and competitors have regulations that require on-premises solutions, while others allow cloud solutions. The specific needs and regulations will determine the best option for each client.
It depends on the data manager and the specific client.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment takes approximately 5-10 minutes.
You simply access the portal, choose the appropriate configuration, and upload your code. No complex technical knowledge is required.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is expensive. The licensing is available on a monthly basis, yearly basis, and a pay-as-you-go licensing model.
What other advice do I have?
It's user-friendly and requires minimal technical expertise. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Amazon Elastic Container Service
November 2024
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Data Analyst and Developer at Bridge Labs
The solution offers significant volume sizes and rewards experienced users
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the volume size they offer."
- "EC2 is not self-explanatory enough."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution for Jenkins web server, CloudFormation, and TerraForm. I use it for Linux and Mac servers. The list is endless.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the volume size they offer. Where I'm from, having a lot of storage is a problem, and the cloud provides you that much more. You could set a volume of maybe 20 gigabytes. If you use the right AMI ID, you get it at no extra cost. You just have to be very diligent when you're setting it up.
Another thing I love is the variety of AMI IDs that are out there, from Ubuntu to Amazon Linux to Mac and so on. There are so many AMI IDs that can service whatever problem the client has.
What needs improvement?
EC2 is not self-explanatory enough. If, while the cloud control tower is set up, they could give a lot of explanations as to what's happening, it would be very easy. For example, if you don't know an AMI ID, you could launch an instance, security group, and all those things. Without experience, you might set up an AMI ID that will cost you, or you may set up a site that's going to cost you, and you will incur a lot of costs, and you won't get to go free without paying the money that you've been charged. If Amazon had more explanations, clients could understand the solution better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it for almost three years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give EC2 a nine out of ten because I have had some programs when deploying the Jenkins server because of some configuration issues. When we traced back the configurations, we saw that the configurations were okay, but EC2 had problems. Some glitches happen once in a while that Amazon needs to solve.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate EC2's scalability a ten out of ten. It's the best.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, but you need some experience with it. I don't see any other complications apart from a new user not being able to use it without experience.
The solution doesn't take a lot of time to deploy. Once you pass a few checks and the installations, it takes a maximum of two minutes to deploy, depending on your Internet's latency.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
EC2 is cheap based on two main factors: the AMI you're using and the volume size. You need to be wary of those things. If you use the free ones, you will not incur any cost. But if you increase the sizes, you incur costs to your accounts.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Amazon EC2 Container Service a nine-point five out of ten. When using EC2, you need to have the bare minimum of experience so that when you run into certain errors, you can solve them before they get out of hand. Also, be wary of the services they add to your account, for example, the volume size, the AMI, and the configurations you add to your EC2 server. If you don't consider these, you will incur many costs. I have a friend who incurred almost $1,000 on EC2. He messed around with EC2, so he had to pay a lot.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Associate Director at Baxter International Inc.
Provides an efficient platform to host websites, but its initial setup process could be easier
Pros and Cons
- "ECS is a useful platform."
- "The orchestration of the workloads running in ECS needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We have hosted 50 websites using Amazon Elastic Container Service. The websites are used by our end customers and internal employees as well.
What is most valuable?
ECS is a useful platform.
What needs improvement?
The orchestration of the workloads running in ECS needs improvement. Additionally, they should automate the auto-scaling features for containers.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Amazon Elastic Container Service since 2019.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product’s stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the product’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
In the beginning, when it was a new service, there was not a lot of documentation and online support available. So, we regularly contacted the product’s technical support and development team.
How was the initial setup?
ECS’s initial setup process is complex as we have to follow many manual steps. I rate the process a seven out of ten. It takes a few minutes to a few hours to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The platform is inexpensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Amazon Elastic Container Service a seven out of ten. I advise others to use AWS EKS than ECS.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Controler at Emirates
A stable solution that can be used for application and containerization, but it should include more enterprise project management features
Pros and Cons
- "Amazon EC2 Container Service is a stable solution."
- "Amazon EC2 Container Service should include more enterprise project management features, typically available in an OpenShift environment."
What is our primary use case?
We use Amazon EC2 Container Service for application and containerization.
What is most valuable?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is a stable solution.
What needs improvement?
Amazon EC2 Container Service should be made easier to use.
Amazon EC2 Container Service should include more enterprise project management features, typically available in an OpenShift environment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon EC2 Container Service for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is a scalable solution. Around 2,000 users are using Amazon EC2 Container Service in our organization.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is moderately complex.
What about the implementation team?
It takes a month to set up Amazon EC2 Container Service. We implemented the solution through an in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
Around 100 staff members are required for the solution's deployment and maintenance.
Overall, I rate Amazon EC2 Container Service a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Analyst and Developer at Bridge Labs
Makes it easy to set up and manage resources for applications
Pros and Cons
- "Overall, it is a user-friendly and efficient tool for managing containers."
- "While it is generally stable, there have been some issues, especially when working on client projects where troubleshooting was needed."
What is our primary use case?
I use Amazon ECS to easily set up and manage resources for my applications, similar to Kubernetes but simpler. I work with ECS through the command line, and I installed a tool called QCTL to make it even more user-friendly. With ECS, I can write code to describe my applications, and then I can quickly deploy them. It is a very efficient way to handle containerized applications, whether it is a simple website or a complex system.
What is most valuable?
The best thing about Amazon Elastic Container Service is its availability and reliability.
What needs improvement?
There don't seem to be any improvements needed for ECS at the moment. I will consider them once I get my projects running smoothly and understand the costs better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon Elastic Container Service for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of ECS as an eight out of ten. While it is generally stable, there have been some issues, especially when working on client projects where troubleshooting was needed. Stability can be affected if someone doesn't have Terraform installed, as it is crucial for provisioning. It is essential to have good knowledge of what you are doing when using ECS. Overall, it is a good service, but some factors like Terraform's expertise can impact stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of ECS as a nine out of ten. While I haven't explored all its features extensively, based on what I have used so far, it is highly scalable and capable of handling increased workloads effectively. In our organization, quite a few users use ECS for various tasks, similar to how many users access certain files or resources. However, this information isn't available to everyone in the company, and it is restricted to specific departments or teams. Our company has a substantial client base that relies on ECS for their needs.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had any need to contact technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of ECS is generally straightforward, but it is essential to have some command-line experience to avoid potential mistakes. The deployment time for ECS varies depending on your internet speed, but it typically takes a maximum of five minutes. It works well with Terraform and Kubernetes, allowing you to create resources efficiently. Overall, it is a user-friendly and efficient tool for managing containers.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to new users would be to have a good understanding of how ECS works, especially in the command line. While the web interface is helpful, knowing how to work with the command line is crucial, especially when dealing with provisioning and managing resources on virtual machines. The more you learn about the command line, the better you will be at efficiently working with ECS and providing effective solutions. Knowledge in this area is highly valuable. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Systems Engineer at Mycom Osi
A scalable tool that functions as a performance container management service
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is its scalability."
- "My company has faced some stability issues with Amazon EC2 Container Service."
What is our primary use case?
My company deals with Amazon EC2 Container Service as a performance container management service and fault management system for telecommunication networks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is its scalability. In terms of storage resources, the solutions need to be quick to provide users with options for growth. Based on prediction, the product sometimes allows you to grow or scale up quickly.
What needs improvement?
Pricing is an area of concern where improvements are required since the cloud services provided by AWS are not cheap. Due to the expensive nature of the cloud services provided by AWS, many people have opted for an on-premises deployment model.
Amazon EC2 Container Service's upgradability is an area with shortcomings requiring improvements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon EC2 Container Service for around three years. I am a system integrator, and my company provides software products.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My company has faced some stability issues with Amazon EC2 Container Service. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a six or seven out of ten. The last time my company faced some issues with Amazon EC2 Container Service was when Amazon was involved in some internal work and did not bother informing users about it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
My company requires Amazon EC2 Container Service to deal with its clients, mostly telecommunication companies with around 1,000 to 5,000 employees.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support was poor. I rate the technical support a two out of ten. My company usually tries to figure out and resolve the issues related to Amazon EC2 Container Service even though we are not well-versed with the solution. The solution's technical support team's issue stems from the fact that they look in the wrong places and are not knowledgeable enough to help users resolve issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is the platform with which I have had the most experience to date. Previously, I worked with clusters in an on-premises setup and didn't use a container platform.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the product's implementation phase a five on a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. I don't see anything I can't do in the product, especially once I figure out how to do it.
The product's deployment phase can be completed in a few hours.
What was our ROI?
My company's clients have noticed a return on investment and benefits from the use of Amazon EC2 Container Service.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The more you use Amazon EC2 Container Service, the more you pay.
I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. Even though I don't pay for the solution, I have observed and seen the product's price and budget based on the bills paid by my company and our customers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Due to the issues faced by my company with Amazon EC2 Container Service's upgradability, we plan to move to Amazon EKS. OpenShift also has some functionality that helps with the upgradability part.
What other advice do I have?
Amazon EC2 Container Service is not difficult to manage.
I recommend those who plan to use Amazon EC2 Container Service to initially go with a PoC phase and also look into the cost-benefit analysis over a long-term period before buying the product.
I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Associate DevOps Engineer at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
Provides predefined configuration process and has a user-friendly technical support team
Pros and Cons
- "The product's most valuable feature is service discovery functionality. It is an excellent feature impacting cost reduction."
- "They could provide easier options for third-party integrations similar to internal AWS services."
What is our primary use case?
We use Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) for efficient container orchestration. We start by creating Docker containers and then storing them in ECS. It facilitates container deployment, offering flexibility between serverless execution and traditional EC2 instances. It enables automated deployments, providing an option to edit them as needed through integrated CI/CD pipelines.
What is most valuable?
The product's most valuable feature is service discovery functionality. It is an excellent feature impacting cost reduction. It facilitates the seamless connection of backend services to the front end, utilizing local domains. Additionally, the integration of with Atmos, another service management tool by AWS, enhances its functionality. It shows the impactful configuration provided by the AWS team.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement, particularly in logging and monitoring for the product, while integrating external third-party tools like Elastic Log Kibana and Grafana or Primatius. They could provide easier options for third-party integrations similar to internal AWS services.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Amazon Elastic Container Service for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The platform has high stability with no downtime for any services. In case of unavailability, we can refer to AWS documentation or contact the technical support team for SLA services.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability depends on specific user cases. It helps us handle increased traffic or workload. When clients require login deployments due to application version or UI component changes, we utilize CodeDeploy in conjunction with AWS CodePipeline for deployment. While there is no downtime during these deployments, scaling the application might take some time due to scheduling considerations.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is very friendly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. AWS manages the deployment with predefined configurations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model for the product. It is inexpensive compared to Kubernetes, which considers a minimum number of microservices.
What other advice do I have?
The new users would need help to deploy the CI/CD pipeline for the product. They need to follow proper documentation. It also provides some settings for automated deployment.
We integrated ECS for a logistics project. It is working fine without any downtime for five microservices.
I rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Last updated: Mar 6, 2024
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