Why are we excited? Previous to this announcement, lower-end server types were only available in 32-bit architectures (with the exception of micro). One of the advantages of using the cloud is that you can start with a smaller image and simply resize it as needed. But customers who started with 32-bit instances to save money found they were limited to just 3 types: Micro, Small and Medium. And customers who started with a 64-bit Micro had a quite steep upgrade path in terms of pricing, and were only able to upgrade to a large flavor as the next instance type up.
After this announcement, it is possible now to start a project with a 64-bit micro instance and access the full spectrum of instance types, highlighting the type of flexibility that attracts our customers and users to the cloud in the first place. Combined with the recently announced price reductions it makes hosting your web applications on EC2 more attractive than ever.
We are happy to announce that starting today and just a few hours after Amazon announced these new features and instance types, they are supported by BitNami Cloud Hosting. From now on, the 64 bit instance type will become the default instance type when creating a new server on BitNami Cloud Hosting. Give it a try!