Where it fits
AWS offers several ways to run the same application. EC2 provides control over the operating system; Lambda and managed container services remove more of the server work. The useful starting point is the workload and the time available to operate it, rather than the size of the product catalogue.
How pricing works
Compute is only one line in an AWS budget. Storage, requests, internet transfer, load balancers and connected services can each add charges. Savings plans and reserved capacity suit predictable usage, but a commitment is different from an on-demand rate.
Choosing a setup
An application already using AWS identity, queues and databases may benefit from keeping its compute nearby. For a small independent website, a deployment platform can be easier to operate. The Amazon S3 profile covers the exact storage product used in this site’s calculator.
