AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
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A solutions architect is designing a new API using Amazon API Gateway that will receive requests from users. The volume of requests is highly variable; several hours can pass without receiving a single request. The data processing will take place asynchronously, but should be completed within a few seconds after a request is made.
Which compute service should the solutions architect have the API invoke to deliver the requirements at the lowest cost?
Other
Community
UAnonymous
A
An AWS Glue job
B
An AWS Lambda function
C
A containerized service hosted in Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS)
D
A containerized service hosted in Amazon ECS with Amazon EC2
Explanation:
Explanation
Correct Answer: B. An AWS Lambda function
Why AWS Lambda is the best choice:
-
Cost Optimization for Variable Workloads:
- Lambda follows a pay-per-use pricing model where you only pay for the compute time you consume (rounded to the nearest millisecond)
- No charges when there are no requests (several hours without requests)
- No idle costs compared to EC2 instances or container services that run continuously
-
Asynchronous Processing Capability:
- Lambda can be invoked asynchronously from API Gateway
- API Gateway can directly integrate with Lambda functions
- Lambda supports event-driven architectures perfectly
-
Fast Execution Time:
- Lambda functions typically initialize and execute within milliseconds
- Can complete processing "within a few seconds" as required
- Cold starts are minimal for infrequent requests
Why other options are not optimal:
A. AWS Glue job:
- Designed for ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) operations, not for API request processing
- Not suitable for real-time or near-real-time processing
- Higher costs and longer startup times
- Not designed for API Gateway integration
C. Containerized service in Amazon EKS:
- Requires running Kubernetes worker nodes continuously
- Incurs costs even during idle periods (several hours without requests)
- More complex to manage and configure
- Higher operational overhead
D. Containerized service in Amazon ECS with Amazon EC2:
- Requires EC2 instances to run continuously
- Pay for EC2 instances even when idle
- Not cost-effective for highly variable workloads
- Higher minimum costs compared to serverless options
Key AWS Concepts Applied:
- Serverless computing: Lambda eliminates the need to provision or manage servers
- Event-driven architecture: Perfect for asynchronous processing triggered by API requests
- Cost optimization: Pay only for actual compute time, no idle costs
- API Gateway integration: Native integration with Lambda for seamless request processing
This solution provides the lowest cost because it eliminates idle compute costs while meeting the requirements for asynchronous processing within seconds.
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