In one sentence
ECS offers simpler AWS-native orchestration, while EKS provides managed Kubernetes compatibility and ecosystem access.
Key points
- ECS uses AWS concepts such as Task Definition, Task, Service, and Cluster.
- EKS exposes Kubernetes APIs and fits existing K8s tools, skills, and portability requirements.
- Both can run workloads on EC2 or Fargate.
Exam takeaway
Choose based on Kubernetes compatibility versus operational simplicity, not because one stores or runs images differently.
Additional decision dimensions
- ECS provides an AWS-native task/service model with a smaller operational surface.
- EKS provides the Kubernetes API, ecosystem, and portability with more control-plane and add-on complexity.
- Both can use EC2 or Fargate; choosing an orchestrator and choosing compute capacity are separate decisions.
- Separate application permissions from platform permissions through ECS task/execution roles and EKS pod/node roles.