ECS vs. EKS: When to Choose ECS Over EKS

Hey Cloud Enthusiasts,

As a Kubernetes (K8s) and EKS fan, I often default to EKS for container orchestration. But let’s be honest, not every workload needs the complexity of Kubernetes. Sometimes, Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service) is the better choice.

In this edition of Tech with Ajit, let’s explore when ECS outshines EKS and why you might want to choose it for your next deployment.

ECS is Simpler & Fully Managed

EKS brings Kubernetes power but requires more management overhead, control plane setup, networking, upgrades, etc.

ECS, on the other hand, is fully managed by AWS, removing the hassle of maintaining Kubernetes infrastructure.

Best For:

✅ Teams that don’t want to manage Kubernetes clusters
✅ Developers who want to focus on applications, not infra
✅ Quick deployments without extensive tuning

Faster Time to Production

With ECS, you avoid Kubernetes complexity like Ingress controllers, service mesh, and persistent storage. This means:

🔹 Fewer configurations
🔹 Less troubleshooting
🔹 Faster deployment cycles

Best For:

✅ Startups and small teams shipping fast
✅ Teams with limited Kubernetes expertise
✅ Short-lived workloads that don’t need full orchestration

ECS Reduces DevOps Overhead

EKS requires DevOps expertise for cluster management, upgrades, monitoring, and scaling.
ECS simplifies operations by integrating deeply with AWS services like:

🔹 Fargate (serverless compute for containers)
🔹 IAM (native security & permissions)
🔹 CloudWatch & CloudTrail (monitoring & logging)

Best For:

✅ Teams without a dedicated DevOps function
✅ Projects that need less operational complexity

ECS is AWS-Native & Cost-Effective

ECS is tightly integrated with AWS, while EKS introduces extra costs (e.g., $0.10/hour per cluster for the control plane).

Cost Benefits of ECS:

💰 No control plane fees (Unlike EKS, which charges per cluster)
💰 Easier cost optimization (Leverages AWS-native services more efficiently)
💰 Cheaper to operate at a smaller scale

Best For:

✅ AWS-centric environments with no multi-cloud plans
✅ Cost-conscious teams that want simpler billing

When NOT to Use ECS?

As much as I appreciate ECS, it’s not a universal solution. Use EKS when:

❌ You need multi-cloud portability
❌ Your team already has strong Kubernetes expertise
❌ You require complex networking & service meshes
❌ You want full Kubernetes ecosystem support

While EKS is great for Kubernetes-native workloads, ECS is often the better choice for teams looking for:

✅ Simplicity – Less operational overhead
✅ Speed – Faster deployment cycles
✅ Cost Savings – No control plane fees

If you are all-in on AWS and want an easy, scalable container solution, ECS is worth considering over EKS.

🔄 If you found this helpful, share this newsletter with your colleagues! 🚀