EC2 Fleet - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
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EC2 Fleet

An EC2 Fleet contains the configuration information to launch a fleet of instances. In a single API call, a fleet can launch multiple instance types across multiple Availability Zones, using the Spot Instance, On-Demand Instance, Reserved Instance, and Savings Plan purchasing options together. Using EC2 Fleet, you can:

  • Define separate Spot and On-Demand capacity targets and the maximum amount you’re willing to pay per hour

  • Specify the instance types that work best for your applications

  • Specify how Amazon EC2 should distribute your fleet capacity within each purchasing option

You can also set a maximum amount per hour that you’re willing to pay for your fleet, and EC2 Fleet launches instances until it reaches the maximum amount. When the maximum amount you're willing to pay is reached, the fleet stops launching instances even if it hasn’t met the target capacity.

The EC2 Fleet attempts to launch the number of instances that are required to meet the target capacity specified in your request. If you specified a total maximum price per hour, it fulfills the capacity until it reaches the maximum amount that you’re willing to pay. The fleet can also attempt to maintain its target Spot capacity if your Spot Instances are interrupted. For more information, see How Spot Instances work.


			A sample EC2 fleet

You can specify an unlimited number of instance types per EC2 Fleet. Those instance types can be provisioned using both Spot and On-Demand purchasing options. You can also specify multiple Availability Zones, specify different maximum Spot prices for each instance, and choose additional Spot options for each fleet. Amazon EC2 uses the specified options to provision capacity when the fleet launches.

While the fleet is running, if Amazon EC2 reclaims a Spot Instance because of a price increase or instance failure, EC2 Fleet can try to replace the instances with any of the instance types that you specify. This makes it easier to regain capacity during a spike in Spot pricing. You can develop a flexible and elastic resourcing strategy for each fleet. For example, within specific fleets, your primary capacity can be On-Demand supplemented with less-expensive Spot capacity if available.

If you have Reserved Instances and you specify On-Demand Instances in your fleet, EC2 Fleet uses your Reserved Instances. For example, if your fleet specifies an On-Demand Instance as c4.large, and you have Reserved Instances for c4.large, you receive the Reserved Instance pricing. The same applies if you use a Savings Plan.

There is no additional charge for using EC2 Fleet. You pay only for the EC2 instances that the fleet launches for you.

EC2 Fleet limitations

The following limitations apply to EC2 Fleet:

  • EC2 Fleet is available only through the Amazon EC2 API, Amazon CLI, Amazon SDKs, and Amazon CloudFormation.

  • An EC2 Fleet request can't span Amazon Regions. You need to create a separate EC2 Fleet for each Region.

  • An EC2 Fleet request can't span different subnets from the same Availability Zone.

Burstable performance instances

If you launch your Spot Instances using a burstable performance instance type, and if you plan to use your burstable performance Spot Instances immediately and for a short duration, with no idle time for accruing CPU credits, we recommend that you launch them in Standard mode to avoid paying higher costs. If you launch burstable performance Spot Instances in Unlimited mode and burst CPU immediately, you'll spend surplus credits for bursting. If you use the instance for a short duration, the instance doesn't have time to accrue CPU credits to pay down the surplus credits, and you are charged for the surplus credits when you terminate the instance.

Unlimited mode is suitable for burstable performance Spot Instances only if the instance runs long enough to accrue CPU credits for bursting. Otherwise, paying for surplus credits makes burstable performance Spot Instances more expensive than using other instances. For more information, see When to use unlimited mode versus fixed CPU.

Launch credits are meant to provide a productive initial launch experience for T2 instances by providing sufficient compute resources to configure the instance. Repeated launches of T2 instances to access new launch credits is not permitted. If you require sustained CPU, you can earn credits (by idling over some period), use Unlimited mode for T2 Spot Instances, or use an instance type with dedicated CPU.