Elasticity
The ability to automatically scale computing resources up or down based on demand in AWS.
Description
In the context of Amazon Web Services (AWS), elasticity refers to the capacity of cloud computing resources to dynamically adjust to varying workloads. This means that businesses can automatically increase or decrease their resource usage based on real-time demand, ensuring that they only pay for what they need. AWS services like EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) allow users to launch and terminate instances as required, enabling an efficient response to fluctuating traffic. For example, during a product launch or a holiday season, a website can experience a surge in traffic, necessitating more computing power. With elasticity, AWS can provision additional instances quickly to handle the increased load. Conversely, during off-peak times, resources can be scaled down to reduce costs. This flexibility not only enhances performance but also optimizes resource utilization, making it a key advantage of cloud computing for businesses of all sizes.
Examples
- An e-commerce platform like Amazon.com automatically scales its server capacity during Black Friday sales to handle increased traffic.
- A video streaming service like Netflix uses elasticity to manage server loads during the release of new shows, ensuring high availability and performance.
Additional Information
- AWS Auto Scaling and Elastic Load Balancing are key services that facilitate elasticity.
- Elasticity helps organizations improve cost-efficiency by aligning resource usage with actual demand.