I am very new to this and I don't even know if I should ask this question here or on Stackoverflow or ServerFault.
The Question
I wish to set up a EC2 instance on Amazon Web Services. My understanding is RedHat Enterprise Linux(RHEL) cost $0.21/hour for an m1.Small more than Amazon Linux (which is free). Is my understanding correct? Is there any difference between the performance of RHEL and Amazon Linux? If I am looking for a free Linux which one should I go with in AWS EC2?
2 Answers
Red Hat pricing details are here and Amazon Linux is here: ; as you say, RHEL implies additional cost, whilst Amazon Linux involves 'no additional charge' beyond the charges for running instances and related services.
Amazon Linux, like CentOS, is based on RHEL -- it is fundamentally a minimal/basic install of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (hence optimised for the purpose). Amazon are currently offering a year's free Amazon EC2 Micro Instance for new customers within the 'free usage tier', as per . If you would like to try EC2 for free, because of the limited memory/resource availability for the 'Micro Instance', trying Amazon Linux makes sense.
3Usually, the price you pay for the "Enterprise" versions (RHEL, SLES) isn't for a bonus in performance, but for a bonus in service. For example, a certain to-remain-unnamed provider of "enterprise" databases won't offer you any support unless you are running the database on a certified Linux (i.e., SLES, RHEL). If you don't have support contracts to worry about, there's little to be had in the "enterprise" distributions that is worth the price.
IMVHO.
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