We have all been bombarded with new AWS features since the re:Invent last week. Yet there are those I like better and here is why… (All the quotes are from the recent AWS official blog posts)
What: Scheduled Functions (Cron)
“…You can now invoke a Lambda function on a regular, scheduled basis. You can specify a fixed rate (number of minutes, hours, or days between invocations) or you can specify a Cron-like expression…”
Why: Just look at how many cases there have been where an AWS pro is searching for an easy way to schedule an AWS action (Did someone say “I want to take a daily snapshot of my instance?”)
What: Python as a Lambda function
“…You can already write your Lambda functions in Node.js and Java. Today we are adding support for Python 2.7, complete with built-in access to the AWS SDK for Python. Python is easy to learn and easy to use, and you’ll be up and running in minutes…”
Why: If you use Python and wanted to try out Lambda, you just got your wish!
What: New CloudWatch Dashboards
“…Today we are giving you the power to build customized dashboards for your CloudWatch metrics. Each dashboard can display multiple metrics, and can be accessorized with text and images. You can build multiple dashboards if you’d like, each one focusing on providing a distinct view of your environment. You can even pull data from multiple regions into a single dashboard in order to create a global view…You can create up to three dashboards (each with up to 50 metrics) at no charge…”
Why: Sure you are likely to favor Zabbix, Sensu, Zenoss, Nagios – or maybe just use CloudWatch (dashboards)
Yea, I know those monitoring platforms have so much more to offer, yet it’s tempting not to just take AWS for a ride, at least for a simple monitoring task…
What:Amazon EC2 Container Registry
“…Docker (and hence EC2 Container Service) is built around the concept of an image. When you launch a container, you reference an image, which is pulled from a Docker registry. This registry is a critical part of the deployment process. Based on conversations with our customers, we have learned that they need a registry that is highly available and exceptionally scalable, and globally accessible, with the ability to support deployments that span two or more AWS regions. They also want it to integrate with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to simplify authorization and to provide fine-grained control…”
Why: No need to use the docker hub service for your internal docker registry or deal with maintaining one yourself!
Plus you can use IAM to share your docker images with your customers.
What: That Nano one (Yea… the EC2 Nano instance..)
“…Later this year we will introduce the t2.nano instance. You’ll get 1 vCPU and 512 MB of memory, and the ability run at full core performance for over an hour on a full credit balance. Each newly launched t2.nano starts out with sufficient CPU Credits to allow you to get started as quickly as possible…”
Why: It’s simply too cute to ignore 🙂
The new default instance type will be used for a quick test to replace t2.micro…