Amazon Web Services has enhanced EC2’s Spot Instance model, with the addition of an API that simplifies management of Spot Instances.
The API will enable users to launch and manage a fleet of up to 1,000 active Spot fleets per region, with a per-region limit of 3,000 instances. This will be made simpler with the API creating a one request function.
This means that a custom code is no longer necessary, Jeff Barr, AWS Chief Evangelist, wrote on the company blog: "Instead, a single API function (RequestSpotFleet) does all of the work on your behalf."
"You simply specify the fleet’s target capacity, a bid price per hour, and tell Spot what instance types you would like to launch. Spot will find the lowest priced spare EC2 capacity available, and work to achieve and maintain the fleet’s target capacity. One call does it all, as they say…"
The Spot Instances will find and launch using the lowest price until capacity, Spot limits, or bid price limits are reach. Instances will be terminated due to price rises and replacements will launch at the lowest price available at that point in time.
