When I first started working with containers on AWS, I was overwhelmed. There were too many services—ECS, EKS, Lambda, App Runner, Lightsail—and each one came with its own pros and cons. The real struggle wasn’t running containers; it was deciding where to run them.
If you’ve ever felt the same, you’re not alone. That’s why I put together this guide. Think of it as a friendly map—helping you pick the right AWS service without drowning in documentation.
Step 1: Ask Yourself — Do You Need Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is powerful, but also complex. If you’re already using it or plan to, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is the natural choice.
- Pros: Fully managed, highly scalable.
- Cons: Setup isn’t beginner-friendly, and pricing is resource-based.
If Kubernetes isn’t part of your journey, no worries. AWS has plenty of other roads to explore.
Step 2: Serverless or Provisioned?
This is the big fork in the road.
- If you want AWS to handle servers for you → go Serverless.
- If you want full control over compute resources → go Provisioned.
The Serverless Path 🚀
Not sure if serverless is the right direction?
I wrote a separate guide on When to Go Serverless. that might help you decide.
The Provisioned Path ⚙️
If you prefer setting things up yourself:
- Lightsail: Simplest UI, great for small projects.
- Catch: You’re locked into AWS’s ecosystem.
- ECS (Elastic Container Service): Managed orchestration without Kubernetes.
- Best for: Teams that need scaling + orchestration but don’t want Kubernetes overhead.
- Downside: Steep learning curve.
- EC2: Old-school way—install Docker and manage everything yourself.
- Best for: Absolute control freaks.
- Downside: Frustrating setup and heavy maintenance.
A Visual Shortcut
Here’s a handy flowchart to guide your decision:
This chart sums up everything we just walked through—so you can quickly see which AWS service matches your needs.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t a single “best” way to run containers on AWS. The right choice depends on your priorities:
- Ease of use? → Lightsail or App Runner.
- Serverless-first mindset? → Lambda or Fargate.
- Already love Kubernetes? → EKS.
- Want to tinker with everything? → EC2.
The good news is, no matter which road you take, AWS has you covered. Start small, experiment, and you’ll soon find the perfect fit for your workloads.
📬 Contact
If you have any doubts (Cloud or DevOps), feel free to reach out:
- Website: hasan-ashab
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hasan-ashab
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