EC2 is essentially a virtual server in the cloud. It can be available within minutes after setting it up. Compare that to how long it would take to provision and prepare a physical server in your own datacenter. Even ordering it and awaiting initial configuration and shipment can take weeks. General knowledge about EC2 is one of the key categories in the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.

In my last article, we discussed S3 pricing, which was an entire topic on its own. In this part, we'll discuss other key service charges, and the options and decisions we need to make when planning. I don’t believe the exams will ask about specific prices,...