Answer: Spot Instances

## Explanation **Spot Instances** are the most cost-efficient option for this scenario because: - **Cost Savings**: Spot Instances offer up to 90% discount compared to On-Demand pricing - **Short-term Usage**: Perfect for workloads that can be interrupted and don't require continuous availability - **Stateless Services**: Stateless applications can easily handle instance termination and restart on new instances - **Scaling**: Ideal for scaling applications that can tolerate interruptions **Why other options are less suitable**: - **On-Demand Instances**: Most expensive option, pay by the hour with no long-term commitment - **Reserved Instances**: Require 1-3 year commitment, better for predictable, steady-state workloads - **Dedicated Hosts**: Most expensive option, physical servers dedicated to your use, not cost-effective for short-term scaling For stateless services that can handle interruptions and need short-term scaling, Spot Instances provide the best balance of cost efficiency and flexibility.

Author: Ritesh Yadav