AWS ECS runs Docker containers on EC2 or Fargate. You define task definitions (CPU, memory, container image), create services (how many tasks to run), and ECS handles scheduling, updates, and scaling. Fargate (serverless) eliminates EC2 management; EC2 (classic) requires less overhead but more ops. Mastery means understanding task definitions, service updates (rolling deployments), load balancing, auto-scaling, and cost optimization. Learning path: Docker basics (2 weeks) → ECS fundamentals (2 weeks) → Fargate (2 weeks) → production patterns (2 weeks).
AWS ECS (Elastic Container Service) runs Docker containers at scale. You create a task definition (container image, CPU, memory, environment), then run tasks (individual container instances) or services (persistent tasks with auto-scaling and updates). Two launch types:
| Region | Junior | Mid | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | $85k | $135k | $185k |
| UK | £50k | £80k | £120k |
| EU | €55k | €85k | €130k |
| CANADA | C$90k | C$140k | C$190k |
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