Create an ECS Fargate Service Step by Step

Jun — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:40:34 +0000

Prepare Docker Image at ECR

If you don't have an image at ECR, please check this article and get it.

Push Docker image to AWS ECR
In this article, I use React app image.

About ECS

AWS Elastic Container Service
It's a highly scalable and fast container management service.

Terminologies in ECS

Task / Task Definition: For setting container
Service: For setting tasks, auto-scaling, VPC, etc
Cluster: The cluster of services

Hands-On Steps

Create ECS Cluster
Create ECS Task Definition
Create ECS Service
Confirm ECS Fargate running

1. Create ECS Cluster

ECS Cluster is a cluster of services that is EC3 instances. But no one can control the EC2 via SSH access because each EC2 instance is hidden.

Select "Create Cluster" at the ECS console
Select "Only net-working (Fargate)"
Name cluster
Create VPC (optional)
Select "Create"

※ Wait 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Create ECS Task Definition

Task is like a Docker container. In this configure console, you can configure the container. So it's like a docker-compose.yml.

Select "Task Definitions" at the ECS console
Select "Create new Task Definition"
Select "Fargate"
Name task definition
Select "ecsTaskExecution" for task role
Select "Linux" for Operating system family
Select "0.5GB" for Task memory
Select "0.25vCPU" for Task CPU
Add container
- Container name: Insert name
- Image: Copy ECR Image URI including tag
- Port mappings: "3000"
Create

3 Create ECS Service

ECS Service is the collection of ECS Tasks and it's related to ALB and AutoScaling Group. ECS Service needs ECS Task when created, but it's technically not a subordinate of ECS Task because you can assign ECS Task to ECS Cluster without Service setting.

Configure service
Select "Cluster" at the ECS console
Select the cluster you created
Select the "Service" tab
Select "Create"
Launch type: "Fargate"
Task Definition: Select the task you created
Service name: Insert name
Number of tasks: 1
"Next step" and skip other items
Configure network
Cluster VPC: choose your VPC for ECS (If you created VPC at "1. Create ECS Cluster", use it )
Select Subnets as many as you need
Click "Edit" for Security groups
- Add Inbound rules： custom TCP / Anywhere / port 3000
"Next step" and skip other items
Set Auto Scaling
Select "Do not adjust the service’s desired count"
"Next step"

⇒ Check all items again, and "Create Service"

4. Confirm ECS Fargate running

Select "Cluster" at the ECS console
Select the cluster you created
Select the "Tasks" tab
Select task running
Copy public IP
Access to public IP with :3000

Good job.
Please make sure you deleted the cluster.
It's better to delete any resources in AWS if you don't need to operate it for a long time or if you just created it for learning.

DEV Community: Jun