Scheduled task automation

To run your Python script as a scheduled task that processes S3 objects daily and uses spot EC2 instances, you have several options:

1. Using EventBridge Scheduler with EC2:

• Set up a recurring schedule in EventBridge Scheduler using a cron expression (e.g., to run every morning)
• Configure it to start a spot EC2 instance
• Have your Python script run on instance startup via user data
• Include logic in your script to shut down the instance after successful completion

2. Instance Scheduler approach:

• Use the EC2 Instance Scheduler to automate starting your spot instance at a specific time daily
• Configure your Python script to run at startup
• Include shutdown commands at the end of your script

For either approach, you'll need to:

• Create an AMI with your Python script and necessary dependencies
• Ensure your EC2 instance has the proper IAM role to access S3
• Set up a shutdown command at the end of your script (e.g., sudo shutdown -h now)

The EventBridge Scheduler option gives you more flexibility with scheduling options. You can set up a recurring schedule using either:

• Cron-based schedule: Define exactly when to run (e.g., 7 AM every day)
• Rate-based schedule: Run at regular intervals

You can also configure a flexible time window if your task doesn't need to start at an exact time, which can help optimize costs with spot instances.

This serverless approach to scheduling will ensure your task runs daily, processes the S3 objects, and then terminates the instance automatically to minimize costs.
Sources
Community | Writing simple Python scripts faster with Amazon Q
Using Amazon EventBridge Scheduler to schedule Amazon ECS tasks - Amazon Elastic Container Service