Selecting the right AWS compute engine is a cornerstone architecture decision for high-performance enterprise applications. AWS provides three primary compute models: AWS Lambda (Serverless), Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service), and Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service).
Decision Matrix
| Feature | AWS Lambda | Amazon ECS | Amazon EKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Execution Model | Event-driven Serverless | Container Orchestration | Kubernetes Native |
| Max Execution Time | 15 Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cold Start | 100ms – 2s | None (Always Running) | None |
| Best For | APIs, Event streams | Microservices | Complex K8s Workloads |