Amazon EC2 Container Service vs Amazon EKS vs Docker for AWS: What are the differences?

# Introduction

1. **Orchestration Platform**: Amazon EC2 Container Service (ECS) is a proprietary container management service, while Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed Kubernetes service provided by AWS. Docker for AWS is a toolset that allows users to develop, ship, and run applications using Docker containers on AWS infrastructure.

2. **Manageability**: Amazon EKS is more suitable for organizations already using Kubernetes, as it provides full compatibility with the Kubernetes ecosystem, while Amazon ECS simplifies the management of containers by offering a more straightforward approach. Docker for AWS offers a seamless integration of Docker tools with AWS services for a containerized environment.

3. **Pricing Model**: Amazon ECS follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, charging users for the compute resources they consume, while Amazon EKS charges per cluster and the EC2 instances deployed. Docker for AWS pricing is based on the AWS resources used to run Docker containers in the cloud.

4. **Community Support**: Amazon EKS benefits from a vast and active Kubernetes community for support, updates, and resources, while Amazon ECS has AWS support. Docker for AWS leverages the Docker community and AWS developer resources for assistance and updates.

5. **Integration with AWS Services**: Amazon EKS and Amazon ECS offer native integration with various AWS services, but Amazon ECS provides a more seamless integration due to being an AWS native service. Docker for AWS enables integration with existing AWS services to build and scale containerized applications.

6. **Portability**: Amazon EKS offers more portability and flexibility due to its compatibility with Kubernetes, allowing for easier migration between cloud providers or on-premises environments. Amazon ECS and Docker for AWS are more tightly integrated with AWS services, making it easier to deploy applications specifically designed for the AWS ecosystem.

In Summary, Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, and Docker for AWS present key differences in terms of orchestration platform, manageability, pricing model, community support, integration with AWS services, and portability.