Which Amazon EC2 purchasing option will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
On-Demand Instances
Dedicated Instances
Spot Instances
Reserved Instances
Explanations:
On-Demand Instances are charged at a fixed rate per hour, making them more expensive for applications that do not need to run continuously. While they provide flexibility, they are not the most cost-effective option for intermittent usage.
Dedicated Instances are physical servers dedicated to your use, which can be more costly than other options. They are not suitable for cost-effective testing, especially for non-continuous applications, as they do not offer significant cost savings over On-Demand Instances.
Spot Instances allow users to bid on unused EC2 capacity at reduced rates, making them the most cost-effective choice for applications that can handle interruptions. They are ideal for testing environments since the application can be stopped and started as needed.
Reserved Instances require a commitment to use instances for a specific term (1 or 3 years), which does not align with the requirement for intermittent testing. They may offer cost savings for consistent usage but are not suitable for applications that do not need to run continuously.