Amazon EC2 provides a wide selection of instance types optimized to fit
different use cases. Instance types comprise varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage,
and networking capacity and give you the flexibility to choose the appropriate mix of
resources for your applications. Each instance type includes one or more instance sizes,
allowing you to scale your resources to the requirements of your target workload.
T2 instances are Burstable
Performance Instances that provide a baseline level of CPU performance
with the ability to burst above the baseline. The baseline performance and
ability to burst are governed by CPU Credits. Each T2 instance receives CPU
Credits continuously at a set rate depending on the instance size. T2
instances accrue CPU Credits when they are idle, and use CPU credits when
they are active. T2 instances are a good choice for workloads that don’t
use the full CPU often or consistently, but occasionally need to burst (e.g.
web servers, developer environments and small databases). For more
information see Burstable Performance
Instances.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon Processors operating at 2.5GHz with Turbo up to 3.3GHz
- Burstable CPU, governed by CPU Credits, and consistent baseline performance
- Lowest-cost general purpose instance type, and Free Tier eligible (t2.micro only)
- Balance of compute, memory, and network resources
Model | vCPU | CPU Credits / hour |
Mem (GiB) | Storage (GB) |
t2.micro | 1 | 6 | 1 | EBS Only |
t2.small | 1 | 12 | 2 | EBS Only |
t2.medium | 2 | 24 | 4 | EBS Only |
Use Cases
Development environments, build servers, code repositories, low-traffic
web applications, early product experiments, small databases.
This family includes the M3 instance types and provides a
balance of compute, memory, and network resources, and it is a good choice
for many applications.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 (Ivy Bridge) Processors*
- SSD-based instance storage for fast I/O performance
- Balance of compute, memory, and network resources
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | SSD Storage (GB) |
m3.medium | 1 | 3.75 | 1 x 4 |
m3.large | 2 | 7.5 | 1 x 32 |
m3.xlarge | 4 | 15 | 2 x 40 |
m3.2xlarge | 8 | 30 | 2 x 80 |
Use Cases
Small and mid-size databases, data processing tasks that require
additional memory, caching fleets, and for running backend servers for
SAP, Microsoft SharePoint, and other enterprise applications.
*M3 instances may also launch as an Intel Xeon E5-2670 (Sandy Bridge)
Processor running at 2.6 GHz.
C3 instances are the latest generation of compute-optimized instances, providing customers with the highest performing processors and the lowest price/compute performance available in EC2 currently.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 (Ivy Bridge) Processors
- Support for Enhanced Networking
- Support for clustering
- SSD-backed instance storage
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | SSD Storage (GB) |
c3.large | 2 | 3.75 | 2 x 16 |
c3.xlarge | 4 | 7.5 | 2 x 40 |
c3.2xlarge | 8 | 15 | 2 x 80 |
c3.4xlarge | 16 | 30 | 2 x 160 |
c3.8xlarge | 32 | 60 | 2 x 320 |
Use Cases
High performance front-end fleets, web-servers, on-demand batch
processing, distributed analytics, high performance science and
engineering applications, ad serving, batch processing, MMO gaming,
video encoding, and distributed analytics.
R3 instances are optimized for memory-intensive applications and have the lowest cost per GiB of RAM among Amazon EC2 instance types.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 (Ivy Bridge) Processors
- Lowest price point per GiB of RAM
- SSD Storage
- Support for Enhanced Networking
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | SSD Storage (GB) |
r3.large | 2 | 15.25 | 1 x 32 |
r3.xlarge | 4 | 30.5 | 1 x 80 |
r3.2xlarge | 8 | 61 | 1 x 160 |
r3.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 1 x 320 |
r3.8xlarge |
32 |
244 |
2 x 320 |
Use Cases
We recommend memory-optimized instances for high performance databases,
distributed memory caches, in-memory analytics, genome assembly and
analysis, larger deployments of SAP, Microsoft SharePoint, and other
enterprise applications.
This family includes G2 instances intended for graphics and
general purpose GPU compute applications.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon E5-2670 (Sandy Bridge) Processors
- High-performance NVIDIA GPU with 1,536 CUDA cores and 4GB of video memory
- On-board hardware video encoder designed to support up to eight real-time HD video streams (720p@30fps) or up to four real-time FHD video streams (1080p at 30 fps).
- Support for low-latency frame capture and encoding for either the full operating system or select render targets, enabling high-quality interactive streaming experiences.
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | SSD Storage (GB) |
g2.2xlarge | 8 | 15 | 1 x 60 |
Use Cases
Game streaming, video encoding, 3D application streaming, and other
server-side graphics workloads.
This family includes the High Storage Instances that provide
very fast SSD-backed instance storage optimized for very high random I/O
performance, and provide high IOPS at a low cost.
Features:
- High Frequency Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 (Ivy Bridge) Processors
- SSD Storage
- Support for TRIM
- Support for Enhanced Networking
- High Random I/O performance
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | Storage (GB) |
i2.xlarge | 4 | 30.5 | 1 x 800 SSD |
i2.2xlarge | 8 | 61 | 2 x 800 SSD |
i2.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 4 x 800 SSD |
i2.8xlarge | 32 | 244 | 8 x 800 SSD |
Use Cases
NoSQL databases like Cassandra and MongoDB, scale out transactional
databases, data warehousing, Hadoop, and cluster file systems.
HS1 instances provide very high storage density and high sequential read and write performance per instance. It also offers the highest storage density among other EC2 instances and is lowest on $/GB storage.
Features:
- High sequential I/O performance
- Delivers 2.6 GB per second read and write performance with 2 MiB block size
Model | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | Storage (GB) |
hs1.8xlarge | 16 | 117 | 24 x 2000 |
Use Cases
Data warehousing, Hadoop/MapReduce, Parallel file systems
Instance Type | vCPU | Memory (GiB) | Storage (GB) | Networking Performance |
Physical Processor | Clock Speed (GHz) | Intel® AES-NI | Intel® AVX† | Intel® Turbo | EBS
OPT |
Enhanced Networking |
t2.micro | 1 | 1 | EBS Only | Low to Moderate | Intel Xeon family | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
t2.small | 1 |
2 |
EBS Only |
Low to Moderate |
Intel Xeon family |
2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
- |
t2.medium | 2 | 4 | EBS Only | Low to Moderate | Intel Xeon family |
2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
- |
m3.medium | 1 | 3.75 | 1 x 4 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2* | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
m3.large | 2 | 7.5 | 1 x 32 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2* | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
m3.xlarge | 4 | 15 | 2 x 40 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2* | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
m3.2xlarge | 8 | 30 | 2 x 80 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2* | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
c3.large | 2 | 3.75 | 2 x 16 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 | 2.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
c3.xlarge | 4 | 7.5 | 2 x 40 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 | 2.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
c3.2xlarge | 8 | 15 | 2 x 80 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 | 2.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
c3.4xlarge | 16 | 30 | 2 x 160 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 | 2.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
c3.8xlarge | 32 | 60 | 2 x 320 SSD | 10 Gigabit | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v2 | 2.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
g2.2xlarge | 8 | 15 | 1 x 60 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 |
2.6 | Yes | - | - | Yes | - |
r3.large | 2 | 15.25 | 1 x 32 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
r3.xlarge | 4 | 30.5 | 1 x 80 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes | Yes |
r3.2xlarge | 8 | 61 | 1 x 160 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes | Yes |
r3.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 1 x 320 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes | Yes |
r3.8xlarge | 32 | 244 | 2 x 320 SSD | 10 Gigabit | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- | Yes |
i2.xlarge | 4 | 30.5 | 1 x 800 SSD | Moderate | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
i2.2xlarge | 8 | 61 | 2 x 800 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
i2.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 4 x 800 SSD | High | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
i2.8xlarge | 32 | 244 | 8 x 800 SSD | 10 Gigabit | Intel Xeon E5-2670 v2 | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
hs1.8xlarge | 16 | 117 | 24 x 2,000 | 10 Gigabit | Intel Xeon Family | 2 | Yes | - | - | - | - |
Each vCPU is a hyperthread of an Intel Xeon core for M3, C3, R3, HS1, G2, and I2.
*M3 instances may also launch as an Intel Xeon E5-2670 (Sandy Bridge) Processor running
at 2.6 GHz.
Looking for T1, M1, C1, CC2, M2, CR1, CG1, or HI1 Instances? See the Previous Generation Instances page.
Amazon EC2 instances provide a number of additional features to help you
deploy, manage, and scale your applications.
Amazon EC2 allows you to choose between Fixed Performance Instances (e.g. M3, C3, and R3) and Burstable Performance Instances (e.g. T2). Burstable Performance Instances provide a baseline level of CPU performance with the ability to burst above the baseline. T2 instances are for workloads that don’t use the full CPU often or consistently, but occasionally need to burst.
T2 instances’ baseline performance and ability to burst are governed by CPU Credits. Each T2 instance receives CPU Credits continuously, the rate of which depends on the instance size. T2 instances accrue CPU Credits when they are idle, and use CPU credits when they are active. A CPU Credit provides the performance of a full CPU core for one minute.
For example, a t2.small instance receives credits continuously at a rate of 12 CPU Credits per hour. This capability provides baseline performance equivalent to 20% of a CPU core. If at any moment the instance does not need the credits it receives, it stores them in its CPU Credit balance for up to 24 hours. If and when your t2.small needs to burst to more than 20% of a core, it draws from its CPU Credit balance to handle this surge seamlessly. Over time, if you find your workload needs more CPU Credits than you have, or your instance does not maintain a positive CPU Credit balance, we recommend either a larger T2 size, such as the t2.medium, or a Fixed Performance Instance type.
Many applications such as web servers, developer environments and small databases don’t
need consistently high levels of CPU, but benefit significantly from having full access
to very fast CPUs when they need them. T2 instances are engineered specifically for
these use cases. If you need consistently high CPU performance for applications such as
video encoding, high volume websites or HPC applications, we recommend you use Fixed
Performance Instances. T2 instances are designed to perform as if they have dedicated
high speed Intel cores available when your application really needs CPU performance,
while protecting you from the variable performance or other common side effects you
might typically see from over-subscription in other environments.
Amazon EC2 allows you to choose between multiple storage options based on your
requirements. Amazon EBS is a durable, block-level
storage volume that you can attach to a single, running Amazon EC2 instance. You can use
Amazon EBS as a primary storage device for data that requires frequent and granular updates.
For example, Amazon EBS is the recommended storage option when you run a database on Amazon
EC2. Amazon EBS volumes persist independently from the running life of an Amazon EC2
instance. Once a volume is attached to an instance you can use it like any other physical
hard drive. Amazon EBS provides three volume types to best meet the needs of your workloads:
General Purpose (SSD), Provisioned IOPS (SSD), and Magnetic. General Purpose (SSD) is the
new, SSD-backed, general purpose EBS volume type that we recommend as the default choice for
customers. General Purpose (SSD) volumes are suitable for a broad range of workloads,
including small to medium sized databases, development and test environments, and boot
volumes. Provisioned IOPS (SSD) volumes offer storage with consistent and low-latency
performance, and are designed for I/O intensive applications such as large relational or
NoSQL databases. Magnetic volumes provide the lowest cost per gigabyte of all EBS volume
types. Magnetic volumes are ideal for workloads where data is accessed infrequently, and
applications where the lowest storage cost is important.
Many Amazon EC2 instances can also include storage from disks that are physically attached to the host computer. This disk storage is referred to as instance store. Instance store provides temporary block-level storage for Amazon EC2 instances. The data on an instance store volume persists only during the life of the associated Amazon EC2 instance.
In addition to block level storage via Amazon EBS or instance store, you can also use
Amazon S3 for highly durable, highly available object storage. Learn more about Amazon
EC2 storage options from the Amazon EC2 documentation.
For an additional low, hourly fee, customers can launch selected Amazon EC2
instances types as EBS-optimized instances. EBS-optimized instances enable EC2 instances to
fully use the IOPS provisioned on an EBS volume. EBS-optimized instances deliver dedicated
throughput between Amazon EC2 and Amazon EBS, with options between 500 and 2,000 Megabits
per second (Mbps) depending on the instance type used. The dedicated throughput minimizes
contention between Amazon EBS I/O and other traffic from your EC2 instance, providing the
best performance for your EBS volumes. EBS-optimized instances are designed for use with
both Standard and Provisioned IOPS Amazon EBS volumes. When attached to EBS-optimized
instances, Provisioned IOPS volumes can achieve single digit millisecond latencies and are
designed to deliver within 10% of the provisioned IOPS performance 99.9% of the time. We
recommend using Provisioned IOPS volumes with EBS-optimized instances or instances that
support cluster networking for applications with high storage I/O requirements.
Enhanced Networking enables you to get significantly higher packet per second
(PPS) performance, lower network jitter and lower latencies. This feature uses a new network
virtualization stack that provides higher I/O performance and lower CPU utilization compared
to traditional implementations. In order to take advantage of Enhanced Networking, you
should launch an HVM AMI in VPC, and install the appropriate driver. Enhanced Networking is
currently supported in C3, R3, and I2 instances. For instructions on how to enable Enhanced
Networking on EC2 instances, see the Enhanced
Networking on Linux and Enhanced
Networking on Windows tutorials. To learn more about this feature, check out the Enhanced Networking FAQ section.
C3, I2, CR1, G2, and HS1 instances support cluster networking. Instances
launched into a common cluster placement group are placed into a logical cluster that
provides high-bandwidth, low-latency networking between all instances in the cluster.
Cluster networking is ideal for high performance analytics systems and many science and
engineering applications, especially those using the MPI library standard for parallel
programming.
Dedicated
Instances are Amazon EC2 instances that run on single-tenant hardware dedicated to a
single customer. They are ideal for workloads where corporate policies or industry
regulations require that your EC2 instances be physically isolated at the host hardware
level from instances that belong to other customers. Dedicated Instances let you take full
advantage of the benefits of the AWS cloud – on-demand elastic provisioning, pay only for
what you use, all while ensuring that your Amazon EC2 compute instances are isolated at the
hardware level.
Amazon EC2 instances provide access to the following processor features from Intel including:
- Intel® AES New Instructions (AES-NI): Intel AES-NI encryption instruction set improves upon the original Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm to provide faster data protection and greater security.
- Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (Intel® AVX): Intel AVX is a 256-bit instruction set extension designed for applications that are Floating Point (FP) intensive. It improves performance for applications like image and audio/video processing, scientific simulations, financial analytics, and 3D modeling and analysis.
- Intel® Turbo Boost Technology: Intel Turbo Boost Technology provides more performance when needed. The processor is able to automatically run cores faster than the base operating frequency to help you get more done faster.
Not all processor features are available in all instance types, check out
the instance type
matrix for more detailed information on which features are
available from which instance types.

Amazon EC2 allows you to provision a variety of instances types, which
provide different combinations of CPU, memory, disk, and networking. Launching new instances
and running tests in parallel is easy, and we recommend measuring the performance of
applications to identify appropriate instance types and validate application architecture.
We also recommend rigorous load/scale testing to ensure that your applications can scale as
you intend.
Amazon EC2 provides you with a large number of options across ten different instance types, each with one or more size options, organized into six distinct instance families optimized for different types of applications. We recommend that you assess the requirements of your applications and select the appropriate instance family as a starting point for application performance testing. You should start evaluating the performance of your applications by (a) identifying how your application needs compare to different instance families (e.g. is the application compute-bound, memory-bound, etc.?), and (b) sizing your workload to identify the appropriate instance size. There is no substitute for measuring the performance of your full application since application performance can be impacted by the underlying infrastructure or by software and architectural limitations. We recommend application-level testing, including the use of application profiling and load testing tools and services.