# Instance Types at a Glance — AWS

Source: https://www.geekswithgeeks.com/en/aws/aws-ec2-instance-types

> Choosing the right shape of virtual server for the workload.

## Families

**General purpose** (t/m series) balance CPU/RAM for typical apps. **Compute optimized** (c series) favor CPU for heavy processing. **Memory optimized** (r series) favor RAM for big in-memory workloads.

## Reading the name

In `t3.micro`: `t` is the family, `3` the generation, `micro` the size. Bigger sizes (`small`, `medium`, `large`, `xlarge`...) roughly double CPU/RAM each step.

## Pick by workload, not by guess

Benchmark or estimate CPU/RAM needs before choosing. Oversizing wastes money; undersizing causes throttling — you can also resize an instance later.