# ECS Containers, Task Definitions and Services DuploCloud supports running containerized workloads using [Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonECS/latest/developerguide/Welcome.html) on both **EC2** and **Fargate**. Using the DuploCloud Portal, you can define tasks, configure services, and manage container deployments without manually writing JSON task definitions or navigating the AWS Console. For a complete, step-by-step example of deploying an ECS Task Definition, Service, and Load Balancer, [see this tutorial](https://docs.duplocloud.com/docs/automation-platform/overview/quick-start/quick-start-ecs-services/step-4-create-app-via-ecs). ## Creating a Task Definition A Task Definition defines how your containers should run, including images, ports, CPU/memory settings, environment variables, volumes, and more. 1. Select the Tenant from the **Tenant** list box. 2. Navigate to **Cloud Services** -> **ECS**. 3. Select the **Task Definition** tab, click **Add**. The **Add Task Definition**-**Basic Options** pane displays.

**Add Task Definition**-**Basic Options** page

4. Complete the following fields:


Name	Enter a unique name for your task definition.
Operating System/Architecture	Select the operating system and CPU architecture for the task (e.g., Linux \| x86_64).
Launch Type	Select one or more launch types (Fargate, EC2).
Network Mode	Select the network mode for the task, e.g., awsvpc.
vCPUs	Specify the CPU units allocated to the task, e.g., 1 vCPU.
Memory	Specify the memory allocated to the task, e.g., 1 GB.
Volumes	Optionally, define one or more storage volumes to be used by containers in the task.

5. Click **Next**. The **Add Task Definition**-**Advanced Options** pane displays.

6. Configure settings for **Container - 1** (primary): 7. and runtime options for the ECS task:

Field	Description
Container Name	Enter the name for the primary container.
Image	Specify the Docker image to use for this container.

6. To add more containers, click the plus (+) icon, enter the **Container Name** and **Image**, and optionally mark it as **Essential**. Repeat as needed for all additional containers. 7. Configure the ECS task’s runtime options


Port	Enter the port number your container listens on, e.g., `80`.
Protocol	Select the network protocol for the port (default is tcp).
Environments	Optionally, add environment variables for the container.
Command	Optionally, specify commands to run inside the container.
Health Check	Optionally, configure health checks to monitor container health.
Secret	Optionally, add secrets or credentials securely injected into the container.
Container Other Config	Optionally, specify any other container configurations as needed.

8. Click **Create**. ## **Running a Task (Optional)** Execute a single instance of a container based on your Task Definition. This option is useful for jobs, scripts, and testing. 1. Select the Tenant from the **Tenant** list box. 2. Navigate to **Cloud Services** -> **ECS**. 3. Select the **Task Definition** tab 4. From the **TASK DEFINITION FAMILY NAME** list, click on the task to run. (Note that this is the Task Definition Name prepended by a unique identifier, which includes your Tenant name and part of your Infrastructure name.) 5. Click on the **Actions** menu, and select **Execute**. The **Execute** pane displays.

6. Enter the basic execution information:


No of Tasks	Enter the number of ECS tasks to run. Default is `1`.
Version	Enter the Task Definition revision to use. Leave blank to use the latest revision.

7. Optionally, to customize how tasks are distributed, click **Add** to configure **Capacity Providers**, **Placement Constraints**, or **Placement Strategy**:


Capacity Providers	- Provider: Select the capacity provider (e.g., `FARGATE`). - Weight: Enter the relative weight for this provider when using multiple providers. Default is `1`. - Base: Enter the minimum number of tasks to run on this provider. Default is `0`.
Placement Constraints	- Type: Choose constraints for task placement (e.g., `Distinct Instance` ensures tasks are placed on separate container instances).
Placement Strategy	- Type: Select the strategy for scheduling tasks (e.g., `Random` distributes tasks randomly across eligible instances).

8. Click **Create** to run the task. ## Creating an ECS Service Deploy a long-running ECS service that manages task replication, health checks, and optional load balancing. 1. Select the Tenant from the **Tenant** list box. 2. Navigate to **Cloud Services** -> **ECS**. 3. Select the **Task Definitions** tab. 4. Select the Task Definition from the **TASK DEFINITION FAMILY NAME** list. Note that this is the Task Definition Name prepended by a unique identifier, which includes your Tenant name and part of your Infrastructure name. 5. In the **Name** field, a name for the Service. 6. Optionally, click **Add** in the **LB Listeners** area to add one or more Load Balancer listeners. * Complete the required fields on the **Add Load Balancer Listener** pane, and click **Add**. * Repeat as needed to attach additional listeners. 7. Complete additional fields, as needed, on the **Add ECS Service** page. 8. Click **Submit**. The ECS Service is created.

Field	Enter / Select
Name	Enter a unique name for your ECS service (e.g., `ECStestservice`).
Task Version	Select the task definition version from the dropdown (e.g., `duploservices-test2-testtaskdef:1`).
Shared LB	Select Yes or No depending on whether this service shares a Load Balancer.
HC Grace Period	Enter the health check grace period in seconds (e.g., `0`).
Replicas	Enter the number of task replicas to run (e.g., `1`).
DNS Prefix	Enter a DNS prefix for the service (e.g., `test2-testtaskdef`).
Old Task Definitions Retention Count	Enter the number of old task definitions to retain (default is `10`).
Capacity Providers	Optionally, select one or more capacity providers for the service. Determines which EC2 or Fargate resources tasks run on.
Placement Constraints	Optionally, click Add to define a constraint. Select Type from the dropdown (e.g., `Distinct Instance`Click Add to define a constraint. Select Type: `Distinct Instance` or `Member Of`. If using `Member Of`, complete the Expression field with the appropriate rule.
Placement Strategy	Optionally, click Add to define a strategy. Select Type: `Random`, `Spread`, or `Binpack`. For `Spread` or `Binpack`, select the Field that ECS should use for placement.
LB Listeners	Optionally, click Add in the LB Listeners area to add Load Balancer. Complete the required fields on the Add Load Balancer Listener pane, and click Add.

5. Click **Submit**. The ECS Service is created. ## Managing ECS Tasks and Task Definitions The Task Definition details page in the DuploCloud Portal lets you manage Task Definitions, view individual versions, and inspect launched Tasks. To open the detail page, navigate to **Cloud Services** → **ECS**, select the **Task Definition** tab, then select the Task Definition from the **TASK DEFINITION FAMILY NAME** list. Note that this is the Task Definition Name prepended by a unique identifier, which includes your Tenant name and part of your Infrastructure name. ### Managing Task Definitions From the Task Definition details page, click **Actions** to access the following options:


View JSON	Displays the full configuration of the Task Definition family in JSON format.
Execute	Runs a one-off ECS Task based on this Task Definition.
Edit Task Definition	Opens the Task Definition in edit mode for changes to containers, resources, etc.

### Managing Task Definition Versions From the Task Definition details page, select the **Task Definitions** tab, then the **menu icon** (**⋮**) next to any Task Definition version to access the following options:


View JSON	Shows the JSON configuration for that specific version.
Edit Task Definition	Opens the version for editing.
Console	Opens the version in the AWS ECS Console.
Delete	Deletes the version (if it is not in use).

### Additional Options for Tasks From the Task Definition detail page, select the **Tasks** tab, then click the **menu icon** (**⋮**) next to any task to access the following options:


View JSON	Displays the runtime configuration of the Task in JSON format.
Console	Opens the ECS Task in the AWS Console.
Logs	Opens the CloudWatch Logs stream for the container.
Shell Access	Launches a shell session in the container.

## **Managing ECS Services** 1. Select the Tenant from the **Tenant** list box. 2. Navigate to **Cloud Services** → **ECS**. 3. Select the **Services** tab. 4. Select the **Service** from the **NAME** column. 5. Click **Actions** to access the following options:


View JSON	View the JSON configuration for the Task Definition family.
Console	Open the Task Definition in the AWS Console.
Logs	View logs associated with the Task Definition.
Execute	Run a one-off ECS Task from this Task Definition.
Edit Task Definition	Open the Task Definition in edit mode.
Edit Service	Modify the configuration of the ECS Service.
Delete Service	Deletes the selected ECS Service.

## **Configuring** ECS with EC2 Capacity Provider Set up a containerized environment where ECS uses EC2 instances to host containers. By leveraging an Auto Scaling Group (ASG), ECS can automatically launch and scale EC2 instances as needed to run your containers. 1. [Create an ASG ](https://docs.duplocloud.com/docs/automation-platform/use-cases/hosts-vms/auto-scaling/auto-scaling-groups#creating-autoscaling-groups-asg)with the following specifications: | **Agent Platform** | `ECS` | | ------------------ | ---------------------- | | **Image** | `Other` | | **Other Image ID** | `ECS-Optimized AMI ID` | 2. [Create a Task Definition](#creating-a-task-definition) following the steps shown above. 3. Add[ an ECS Service](#creating-an-ecs-service) to the Task Definition. During ECS Service creation, click **Capacity Provider** and select the ASG you created in step 1. ## Elastic Container Service (ECS) Fargate Fargate is a technology that you can use with ECS to run containers without having to manage servers or clusters of EC2 instances. For information about Fargate, [contact the DuploCloud support team](https://duplocloud.com/company/contact-us/).