Free tier still needs production discipline
A low-cost deployment can be reliable if the team uses the right controls. EC2 is usually simpler than ECS for early production, but the instance must be hardened and monitored.
Checklist
Use a supported Ubuntu LTS image, restrict SSH, enable UFW, install fail2ban, put Nginx in front of the app, issue a Let's Encrypt certificate, configure automated backups, and set AWS billing alerts.
Cost control
Track EBS size, Elastic IP attachment, data transfer, snapshots, and idle resources. Free tier helps only when resources are cleaned up and monitored.