AWS EC2 General Purpose Instance Types
General Purpose
This type of instance supplies the user with a balance of the resources mentioned below :
- Compute
- Memory
- Networking
It may also be utilized for multiple workloads.
Particularly, those instances are perfect for and favored by a wide variety of companies that require apps that rely on resources in equivalent proportions, like code repositories & web servers.
Under the General Purpose type of instance, there are 9 different categories of instances:
1. A1
![ec2 a1 instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-a1-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 a1 instance type
A1 instances are known for:
– Delivering paramount cost savings
– Being perfectly suited for scale-out
– Being suited for Arm-based workloads (Supported by extensive Arm ecosystem)
– Being the first EC2 instances that are powered through “Graviton Processors” (64-bit Arm Neoverse cores and custom silicon designed by AWS)
Its Features are:
- A custom-built Graviton Processor (64-bit Arm Neoverse cores)
- Gives support for Enhanced Networking (to 10 Gbps of bandwidth)
- EBS-optimized (default)
- It is powered through “Nitro System” (dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
Instance | vCPU | Mem (GiB) | Storage | Network Performance (Gbps) |
a1.medium | 1 | 2 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
a1.large | 2 | 4 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
a1.xlarge | 4 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
a1.2xlarge | 8 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
a1.4xlarge | 16 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
a1.metal | 16* | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 |
Note: a1.metal supplies with 16 physical cores
Specs of every instance:
- Custom built “Graviton Processor” (64-bit Arm cores)
- It is EBS Optimized
- Better Networking
The Use Cases of A1:
– It is used for scaling-out workloads (like web servers)
– It is used for containerizing microservices
– It can be used to cache fleets
– It is used in distributed data stores + development environments
2. T3
![ec2 T3 instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-T3-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 T3 instance type
They are known for being the newest generation of burstable, general-purpose instance types, which do the following:
– Give a baseline level for the performance of the CPU
– Offer the ability to burst CPU usage whenever needed for an infinite time required
– Supply us with a balance of network, compute and memory resources
– Made for the apps that have moderate usage of CPU, which get into temporary spikes while being used
– Adds up CPU credits every time the workload is working under the baseline threshold
Every single earned CPU credit will give T3 instance a chance to start bursting with performing as a complete CPU core until 1 minute of time whenever required. For Unlimited mode, the T3 instances have the ability to burst whenever wanted for an infinite time period.
Its Features include:
- Burstable CPU, governed by CPU Credits, and consistent baseline performance
- Unlimited mode (default): for ensuring well performance when in peak periods. Standard mode (option): it gets a calculated cost monthly
- It is powered through Nitro System (combination of dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
- Nitro System + high level of frequency “Intel Xeon Scalable” processors = up to 30% price performance improvement over that of the T2 instances.
Instance | vCPU* | CPU Credits/hour | Mem (GiB) | Storage | Network Performance (Gbps) |
t3.nano | 2 | 6 | 0.5 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.micro | 2 | 12 | 1 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.small | 2 | 24 | 2 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.medium | 2 | 24 | 4 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.large | 2 | 36 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.xlarge | 4 | 96 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3.2xlarge | 8 | 192 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
Every single instance has the below specs:
- “Intel Scalable Processor” (2.5 GHz)
- “Intel AVX” + “Intel AVX2” + “Intel Turbo”
- It is EBS Optimized
- It has enhanced Networking
It can be used for the following Cases:
– Micro-services
– Low-latency interactive apps
– Small + medium databases
– Virtual desktops
– Development environments
– Code repositories
– Business-critical apps
3. T3a
![ec2 T3a instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-T3a-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 T3a instance type
They come as the newest generation of burstable, general-purpose instance types which do the following:
– Give a baseline level for the performance of the CPU
– Bursts the usage of CPU whenever and no matter how long it’s needed
– Provides a balance for memory, network and compute resources
– Created for apps having moderate usage of CPU, which might undergo temporary spikes when used
– Provides a high of 10% for cost savings in comparison with other instance types
– Adds up CPU credits as the workload starts to operate underneath the baseline threshold
Every earned CPU credit gives T3a instance a chance to begin bursting with a performance such as that of a whole CPU core, for a total of one minute upon requirement. T3a instances have the ability to burst at any time for as much time as required in Unlimited mode.
Its Features include:
- “AMD EPYC 7000” series processors (all core turbo clock 2.5 GHz speed)
- Burstable CPU + governed by CPU Credits + stable baseline performance
- Unlimited mode (default) for making sure that the performance is perfect while peak periods occur. Standard mode (option): a calculated cost monthly
- Powered through “Nitro System” (combines dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
Instance | vCPU* | CPU Credits/hour | Mem (GiB) | Storage | Network Performance (Gbps) |
t3a.nano | 2 | 6 | 0.5 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.micro | 2 | 12 | 1 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.small | 2 | 24 | 2 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.medium | 2 | 24 | 4 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.large | 2 | 36 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.xlarge | 4 | 96 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
t3a.2xlarge | 8 | 192 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 5 |
Every single instance has the below specs:
- AMD EPYC 7000 series processors of speed 2.5 GHz
- It is EBS Optimized
- It comes with enhanced Networking
It can be used for the following Cases:
– Micro-services
– Low-latency interactive apps
– Small + medium databases
– Virtual desktops
– Development environments
– Code repositories
– Business-critical apps
4. T2
![ec2 T2 instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-T2-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 T2 instance type
Those instances are called “Burstable Performance Instances”, and they offer a baseline level for performance of CPU + capability for bursting over the baseline.
The T2 Unlimited instances can do the following:
– Sustain a high level of CPU performance for as much time as the workload may require
– Offer ample performance with no added costs (general-purpose workloads)
– For 5 cents every vCPU-hour, the instance has the ability to run at a higher level of CPU utilization for an even longer period
CPU credits control baseline performance + the ability to burst. CPU Credits will get received in a continuous manner for a set rate which depends on the following:
– Instance size
– Accumulating CPU Credits when they are idle
– Consuming CPU credits when they are active
T2 instances may be perfect for a wide range of general-purpose workloads such as:
– Micro-services
– Low-latency interactive apps
– Small + medium databases
– Virtual desktops
– Development
– Build and stage environments
– Code repositories
-Product prototypes
Its Features Include:
- Intel Xeon processors with high frequency
- Burstable CPU + governed by CPU Credits + stable baseline performance
- It is the lowest-cost of general-purpose instance type + Free Tier eligible
- Balance of: memory, network and compute resources
Note: t2.micro only.
T2 Unlimited= additional charges when average CPU utilization goes over the baseline of instance
Instance | vCPU* | CPU Credits/hour | Mem (GiB) | Storage | Network Performance |
t2.nano | 1 | 3 | 0.5 | EBS-Only | Low |
t2.micro | 1 | 6 | 1 | EBS-Only | Low to Moderate |
t2.small | 1 | 12 | 2 | EBS-Only | Low to Moderate |
t2.medium | 2 | 24 | 4 | EBS-Only | Low to Moderate |
t2.large | 2 | 36 | 8 | EBS-Only | Low to Moderate |
t2.xlarge | 4 | 54 | 16 | EBS-Only | Moderate |
t2.2xlarge | 8 | 81 | 32 | EBS-Only | Moderate |
Every single instance has the below specs:
- Intel AVX + Intel Turbo
- t2.nano + t2.micro + t2.small + t2.medium (up to 3.3 GHz Intel Scalable Processor)
- t2.large + t2.xlarge + t2.2xlarge (up to 3.0 GHz Intel Scalable Processor)
It can be used for the following Cases:
– Websites + web applications
– Development environments
– Build servers
– Code repositories
– Microservices
– Test + staging environments
– Line of business apps
5. M6g
![ec2 M6g instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-M6g-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 M6g instance type
Those instances get powered through Arm-based Graviton2 processors. They give up to 40% more enhanced price/performance than the current generation M5 instances. They also provide a balance of memory, networking and compute resources (a broad set of workloads).
Instance Size | vCPU | Memory (GiB) | Instance Storage | Network Bandwidth (Gbps) | EBS Bandwidth (Mbps) |
m6g.medium | 1 | 4 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m6g.large | 2 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m6g.xlarge | 4 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m6g.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m6g.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | 4,750 |
m6g.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | EBS-Only | 12 | 9,000 |
m6g.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | EBS-Only | 20 | 13,500 |
m6g.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | EBS-Only | 25 | 18,000 |
Its Features Include:
- Graviton2 Processor, which is custom-built (64-bit Arm Neoverse cores)
- It supports “Enhanced Networking” (Network bandwidth= up to 25 Gbps)
- It is EBS-optimized (default)
- Powered throughNitro System (combines dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
Every single instance has the below specs:
- “Custom built Graviton2 Processor” (64-bit Arm cores)
- “EBS Optimized”
- “Enhanced Networking”
It is used for the following Cases:
Applications built on open-source software, for example:
– Application servers
– Microservices
– Gaming servers
– Mid-size data stores
– Caching fleets
6. M5
![ec2 M5 instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-M5-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 M5 instance type
The Latest generation for General Purpose Instances that are powered through “Intel Xeon® Platinum 8175M” processors. This family provides a balance of computing, memory, and network resources and is a good choice for many applications.
Its Features Include:
- 1 GHz Intel Xeon® Platinum 8175M processors
- Intel Advanced Vector Extension (AVX-512) instruction set
- Greater instance size (m5.24xlarge) which gives 96 vCPUs + 384 GiB memory
- 25 Gbps network bandwidth (Enhanced Networking)
- Needs HVM AMIs which has drivers for ENA + NVMe
- Powered through Nitro System (combination of dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
- Instance storage through EBS or NVMe SSDs (physically connected to the host server)
- M5d instances: local NVMe-based SSDs (physically attached to host server + give block-level storage which gets coupled to a lifetime of M5 instance
- 8xlarge and 16xlarge sizes that are newly available.
Instance Size | vCPU | Memory (GiB) | Instance Storage (GiB) |
Network Bandwidth (Gbps) | EBS Bandwidth (Mbps) |
m5.large | 2 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5.xlarge | 4 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | 4,750 |
m5.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | EBS Only | 10 | 6,800 |
m5.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | EBS-Only | 10 | 9,500 |
m5.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | EBS Only | 20 | 13,600 |
m5.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | EBS-Only | 25 | 19,000 |
m5.metal | 96* | 384 | EBS-Only | 25 | 19,000 |
m5d.large | 2 | 8 | 1 x 75 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5d.xlarge | 4 | 16 | 1 x 150 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5d.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | 1 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 4,750 |
m5d.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | 2 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | 4,750 |
m5d.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | 2 x 600 NVMe SSD | 10 | 6,800 |
m5d.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | 2 x 900 NVMe SSD | 10 | 9,500 |
m5d.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | 4 x 600 NVMe SSD | 20 | 13,600 |
m5d.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | 4 x 900 NVMe SSD | 25 | 19,000 |
m5d.metal | 96* | 384 | 4 x 900 NVMe SSD | 25 | 19,000 |
Note: m5.metal + m5d.metal offer 96 logical processors on 48 physical cores (running on single servers having 2 physical Intel sockets)
Every single instance has the below specs:
- Has 3.1 GHz Intel Xeon Platinum Processor
- Intel AVX + Intel AVX2 + Intel Turbo
- Is EBS Optimized
- Has Enhanced Networking
It can be used in the following Cases:
– Small + mid-size databases
– Tasks for processing data that need more memory
– Caching fleets
– Running backend servers for: SAP + Microsoft SharePoint + cluster computing + other enterprise apps
7. M5a
![ec2 M5a instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-M5a-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 M5a instance type
They are known for being the latest generation of General Purpose Instances that are powered through AMD EPYC 7000 series processors. They offer up to 10% savings on cost in comparison with different instance types.
Its Features Include:
- Has AMD EPYC 7000 series processors
- All-core turbo clock speed of 2.5 GHz
- 20 Gbps network bandwidth (Enhanced Networking)
- Needs HVM AMIs which have drivers for ENA + NVMe
- It is powered through Nitro System (combines dedicated hardware + lightweight hypervisor)
- Instance storage is provided by EBS or NVMe SSDs (physically connected to the host server)
- M5ad instances= local NVMe-based SSDs become physically attached to the host server to offer block-level storage (coupled to the lifetime of the M5a instance)
Instance Size | vCPU | Memory (GiB) | Instance Storage (GiB) |
Network Bandwidth (Gbps) | EBS Bandwidth (Mbps) |
m5a.large | 2 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5a.xlarge | 4 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5a.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5a.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | EBS-Only | Up to 10 | 2,880 |
m5a.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | EBS Only | Up to 10 | 4,750 |
m5a.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | EBS-Only | 10 | 6,780 |
m5a.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | EBS Only | 12 | 9,500 |
m5a.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | EBS-Only | 20 | 13,750 |
m5ad.large | 2 | 8 | 1 x 75 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5ad.xlarge | 4 | 16 | 1 x 150 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5ad.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | 1 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | Up to 2,880 |
m5ad.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | 2 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 10 | 2,880 |
m5ad.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | 2 x 900 NVMe SSD | 10 | 6,870 |
m5ad.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | 4 x 900 NVMe SSD | 20 | 13,750 |
Every single instance has the below specs:
- AMD EPYC 7000 series processors (2.5 GHz)
- It is EBS Optimized
- It has Enhanced Networking
Used in the following Cases:
– Small + mid-size databases
– Data processing tasks needing extra memory
– Caching fleets
– Running backend servers for the following: SAP + Microsoft SharePoint + cluster computing + other enterprise apps
8. M5n
![ec2 M5n instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-M5n-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 M5n instance type
Ideal for workloads that need a balance of memory, networking and compute resources, such as:
– Web + application servers
– Small + mid-sized databases
– Cluster computing
– Gaming servers
– Caching fleet
The higher bandwidth instance variants (M5n + M5dn) are perfect for apps that make use of enhanced network throughput + packet rate performance.
Its Features Include:
- 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors (Cascade Lake)
- Sustained all-core Turbo CPU frequency (3.1 GHz)
- Maximum single-core turbo frequency (3.5 GHz)
- Supports Intel Vector Neural Network Instructions (AVX-512 VNNI) (increase the speed of basic machine learning operations such as convolution + directly enhance inference performance for a variety of deep learning workloads
- Has 25 Gbps: peak bandwidth (smaller instance sizes)
- Has 100 Gbps: network bandwidth (largest instance size)
- Needs HVM AMIs which have drivers for ENA + NVMe
- Powered through Nitro System (combines dedicated lightweight hardware hypervisor)
- Provides instance storage by EBS or NVMe SSDs (physically connected to host server)
- M5dn instances: local NVMe-based SSDs (physically attached to host server + offer block-level storage – coupled to a lifetime of M5 instance)
Instance Size | vCPU | Memory (GiB) | Instance Storage (GiB) |
Network Bandwidth (Gbps) | EBS Bandwidth (Mbps) |
m5n.large | 2 | 8 | EBS-Only | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5n.xlarge | 4 | 16 | EBS-Only | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5n.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | EBS-Only | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5n.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | EBS-Only | Up to 25 | 4,750 |
m5n.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | EBS Only | 25 | 6,800 |
m5n.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | EBS-Only | 50 | 9,500 |
m5n.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | EBS Only | 75 | 13,600 |
m5n.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | EBS-Only | 100 | 19,000 |
m5dn.large | 2 | 8 | 1 x 75 NVMe SSD | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5dn.xlarge | 4 | 16 | 1 x 150 NVMe SSD | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5dn.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | 1 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 25 | Up to 4,750 |
m5dn.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | 2 x 300 NVMe SSD | Up to 25 | 4,750 |
m5dn.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | 2 x 600 NVMe SSD | 25 | 6,800 |
m5dn.12xlarge | 48 | 192 | 2 x 900 NVMe SSD | 50 | 9,500 |
m5dn.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | 4 x 600 NVMe SSD | 75 | 13,600 |
m5dn.24xlarge | 96 | 384 | 4 x 900 NVMe SSD | 100 | 19,000 |
Every instance has the below specs:
- Custom 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors (Cascade Lake)
- Sustained all-core Turbo CPU frequency (3.1 GHz)
- Maximum single-core turbo frequency (3.5 GHz)
- Intel AVX + Intel AVX2 + Intel AVX-512 + Intel Turbo + Intel DL Boost
- It is EBS Optimized
- It has Enhanced Networking
Used in the Cases of:
– Web + application servers
– Small + mid-sized databases
– Cluster computing
– Gaming servers
– Caching fleets
– Other enterprise apps
9. M4
![ec2 M4 instance type](https://www.cloudysave.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ec2-M4-instance-type.jpg)
ec2 M4 instance type
M4 instances offer a balance of memory, network and compute resources. They are a great option to go with for multiple apps.
Its Features Include the below listed:
- 3 GHz: Intel Xeon® E5-2686 v4 (Broadwell) processors
- 4 GHz: Intel Xeon® E5-2676 v3 (Haswell) processors
- It is EBS-optimized (default + no extra cost)
- It supports Enhanced Networking
- Balance of: memory, network and compute resources
Instance | vCPU* | Mem (GiB) | Storage | Dedicated EBS Bandwidth (Mbps) | Network Performance |
m4.large | 2 | 8 | EBS-only | 450 | Moderate |
m4.xlarge | 4 | 16 | EBS-only | 750 | High |
m4.2xlarge | 8 | 32 | EBS-only | 1,000 | High |
m4.4xlarge | 16 | 64 | EBS-only | 2,000 | High |
m4.10xlarge | 40 | 160 | EBS-only | 4,000 | 10 Gigabit |
m4.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | EBS-only | 10,000 | 25 Gigabit |
Every single instance has the below specs:
- Intel Xeon E5-2676 v3 Processor (2.4 GHz)
- Intel AVX + Intel AVX2 + Intel Turbo
- It is EBS Optimized
- It has Enhanced Networking
Used for the following Cases:
– Small + mid-size databases
– Tasks for data processing that are in need of extra memory
– Caching fleets
– Running backend servers for: SAP + Microsoft SharePoint + cluster computing + other enterprise apps
Hint: M4 instances can be launched on an Intel Xeon E5-2686 v4 (Broadwell) processor.
Overall Notes:
Every vCPU comes as a thread of one of the following: Intel Xeon core or AMD EPYC core. (except for: M6g instances & A1 instances & T2 instances & m3.medium).
Every vCPU on M6g instances: the core of Graviton2 processor.
Every vCPU on A1 instances: the core of Graviton Processor.
AVX + AVX2 + Enhanced Networking: available on instances (with HVM AMIs).
See Also