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Fix AWS ECS Fargate CPU Memory Configuration Error

Resolve ECS Fargate task failures by correcting CPU-memory combinations, understanding valid configurations, and adjusting task definitions.

Published: Apr 1, 20267 min readBy FixWikiHub Editorial Team

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Introduction

ECS Fargate has specific CPU-memory combinations that are valid. When you configure a task definition with an unsupported combination, tasks fail to launch. Fargate doesn't allow arbitrary CPU and memory values - they must match predefined configurations.

Symptoms

Task creation fails:

```bash $ aws ecs run-task --task-definition my-task --launch-type FARGATE

An error occurred (InvalidParameterException) when calling the RunTask operation: Task definition does not support Fargate launch type. The CPU and memory configuration is invalid. ```

Task stuck in PENDING then fails:

```bash $ aws ecs describe-tasks --cluster my-cluster --tasks abc123

"lastStatus": "STOPPED", "stoppedReason": "Task failed to start: Invalid CPU and memory configuration" ```

Console error:

bash

Fargate task CPU and memory values must be from the allowed set of values.

Common Causes

1.Invalid CPU-memory combination - Values don't match Fargate's predefined options
2.Memory too high for CPU - Memory exceeds limit for selected CPU level
3.CPU not Fargate-compatible - Using EC2-only CPU values
4.Task definition error - CPU/memory specified as strings with wrong units
5.Ephemeral storage mismatch - For CPU-memory configs that require specific storage

Step-by-Step Fix

1.Check logs for specific error messages
2.Verify configuration settings
3.Test network connectivity
4.Review recent changes
5.Apply corrective action
6.Verify the fix

Step 1: Check Fargate Valid CPU Values

Fargate supports specific CPU values:

CPU Value	Memory Range
256 (.25 vCPU)	512 MB - 2 GB
512 (.5 vCPU)	1 GB - 4 GB
1024 (1 vCPU)	2 GB - 8 GB
2048 (2 vCPU)	4 GB - 16 GB
4096 (4 vCPU)	8 GB - 30 GB

bash

# Check current task definition
aws ecs describe-task-definition --task-definition my-task:1 \
  --query 'taskDefinition.[cpu,memory]'

Step 2: Verify Memory Values

Memory must be in the valid range for your CPU:

```bash # List memory options for 512 CPU (.5 vCPU) # Valid: 1024, 2048, 3072, 4096 (1-4 GB in 1 GB increments)

# For 1024 CPU (1 vCPU) # Valid: 2048, 3072, 4096, 5120, 6144, 7168, 8192 (2-8 GB)

# For 2048 CPU (2 vCPU) # Valid: 4096-16384 in 1 GB increments (4-16 GB)

# For 4096 CPU (4 vCPU) # Valid: 8192-30720 in 1 GB increments (8-30 GB) ```

Step 3: Check Task Definition Configuration

```bash # Get task definition CPU and memory aws ecs describe-task-definition --task-definition my-task:1 \ --query 'taskDefinition.{CPU:cpu,Memory:memory,EphemeralStorage:ephemeralStorage}'

# CPU should be integer string: "256", "512", "1024", "2048", "4096" # Memory should be integer string in MB: "1024", "2048", etc. ```

Common errors: - Using "0.5 vCPU" instead of "512" - Using "2GB" instead of "2048" - Memory outside allowed range for CPU

Step 4: Fix Invalid CPU-Memory Combination

```bash # Register new task definition with valid values aws ecs register-task-definition \ --family my-task \ --cpu "512" \ --memory "2048" \ --network-mode awsvpc \ --requires-compatibilities FARGATE \ --container-definitions '[ { "name": "my-container", "image": "nginx", "essential": true, "memoryReservation": 1024 } ]'

# Update service with new task definition aws ecs update-service --cluster my-cluster --service my-service \ --task-definition my-task:2 ```

Step 5: Validate Memory Reservation vs Memory Limit

Container memory settings must be <= task memory:

```bash # Check container definitions aws ecs describe-task-definition --task-definition my-task:1 \ --query 'taskDefinition.containerDefinitions[*].[name,memory,memoryReservation]'

# memory: hard limit (container killed if exceeded) # memoryReservation: soft limit (reservation guarantee)

# Container memory limit must not exceed task memory # If task has 2048 MB, container memory should be <= 2048 ```

Fix container memory:

bash

# Update task definition with correct container memory
aws ecs register-task-definition \
  --family my-task \
  --cpu "1024" \
  --memory "4096" \
  --container-definitions '[
    {
      "name": "app",
      "image": "myimage",
      "memory": 2048,
      "memoryReservation": 1024
    }
  ]' \
  --requires-compatibilities FARGATE \
  --network-mode awsvpc

Step 6: Check Ephemeral Storage Requirements

For Fargate tasks with CPU >= 4096 (4 vCPU):

```bash # Higher CPU-memory configs may need ephemeral storage # Default: 20 GB # Available: 20 GB - 200 GB (for tasks launched after May 2024)

# Add ephemeral storage configuration aws ecs register-task-definition \ --family my-task \ --cpu "4096" \ --memory "16384" \ --ephemeral-storage '{"sizeInGiB": 50}' \ --requires-compatibilities FARGATE \ --network-mode awsvpc \ --container-definitions '...' ```

Step 7: Calculate Required CPU-Memory

```bash # Estimate based on container needs # Sum all container memory reservations # Add overhead (typically 10-20%)

# Example: 3 containers # Container 1: 1 GB # Container 2: 512 MB # Container 3: 256 MB # Total: 1792 MB + 20% overhead = ~2150 MB

# Valid options with 2150 MB needed: # CPU 1024 (1 vCPU) with Memory 2048 or 3072 # Choose memory 3072 (3 GB) for safety margin ```

Step 8: Compare EC2 vs Fargate Configurations

```bash # EC2 launch type allows flexible CPU/memory # Fargate requires specific combinations

# If task works on EC2 but fails on Fargate: aws ecs describe-task-definition --task-definition my-task:1 \ --query 'taskDefinition.requiresCompatibilities'

# If empty or only EC2, need Fargate-compatible config ```

Step 9: Check Service Quotas

```bash # Check Fargate resource quotas aws service-quotas get-service-quota \ --service-code fargate \ --quota-code L-3032A538 # Fargate On-Demand resource count

# Request increase if hitting limits aws service-quotas request-service-quota-increase \ --service-code fargate \ --quota-code L-3032A538 \ --desired-value 100 ```

Step 10: Validate with Test Task

```bash # Run test task with corrected configuration aws ecs run-task \ --cluster my-cluster \ --task-definition my-task:NEW_VERSION \ --launch-type FARGATE \ --network-configuration 'awsvpcConfiguration={subnets=[subnet-12345],securityGroups=[sg-12345],assignPublicIp=ENABLED}'

# Monitor task status aws ecs describe-tasks --cluster my-cluster --tasks TASK_ID \ --query 'tasks[*].[lastStatus,stoppedReason]' ```

Fargate CPU-Memory Quick Reference

Valid combinations:

CPU (vCPU)	Memory (GB)	Task Example Use
256 (.25)	0.5-2	Micro services, sidecars
512 (.5)	1-4	Small web apps
1024 (1)	2-8	Standard web apps
2048 (2)	4-16	Medium workloads
4096 (4)	8-30	Large workloads, ML

Verification

```bash # Run task and verify it starts aws ecs run-task --cluster my-cluster --task-definition my-task:NEW --launch-type FARGATE

# Task should go from PENDING to RUNNING aws ecs describe-tasks --cluster my-cluster --tasks TASK_ID \ --query 'tasks[*].[lastStatus,containers[*].lastStatus]'

# Should show: RUNNING, RUNNING ```

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Last updated: Apr 1, 2026

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Fix AWS ECS Fargate CPU Memory Configuration Error

Introduction

Symptoms

Common Causes

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Check Fargate Valid CPU Values

Step 2: Verify Memory Values

Step 3: Check Task Definition Configuration

Step 4: Fix Invalid CPU-Memory Combination

Step 5: Validate Memory Reservation vs Memory Limit

Step 6: Check Ephemeral Storage Requirements

Step 7: Calculate Required CPU-Memory

Step 8: Compare EC2 vs Fargate Configurations

Step 9: Check Service Quotas

Step 10: Validate with Test Task

Fargate CPU-Memory Quick Reference

Verification

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FixWikiHub Editorial Team

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Fix AWS ECS Fargate CPU Memory Configuration Error

Introduction

Symptoms

Common Causes

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Check Fargate Valid CPU Values

Step 2: Verify Memory Values

Step 3: Check Task Definition Configuration

Step 4: Fix Invalid CPU-Memory Combination

Step 5: Validate Memory Reservation vs Memory Limit

Step 6: Check Ephemeral Storage Requirements

Step 7: Calculate Required CPU-Memory

Step 8: Compare EC2 vs Fargate Configurations

Step 9: Check Service Quotas

Step 10: Validate with Test Task

Fargate CPU-Memory Quick Reference

Verification

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