🔍 What is an Amazon AMI?
Amazon AMI (Amazon Machine Image) is a template that contains the software configuration (operating system, application server, applications, etc.) required to launch an instance on Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) . In simple terms, it's like a pre-configured blueprint for creating virtual servers in the AWS cloud.
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is like a template used to launch virtual servers (called instances) in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environment.
It includes:
- The operating system (e.g., Amazon Linux, Ubuntu)
- Application server or software (e.g., Apache, Docker)
- Configuration settings
- Launch permissions
🧱 Components of an AMI
- Bootable OS image
- Launch permissions
- Block device mapping
🛠️ Types of AMIs
| Type |
Description |
| Public AMIs |
Available to all AWS users |
| Private AMIs |
Only available to specific AWS accounts |
| Shared AMIs |
Shared with selected AWS accounts |
| Marketplace AMIs |
Paid or free images from vendors |
📦 EBS-Backed vs Instance Store-Backed AMIs
| Type |
Description |
| EBS-Backed |
Uses Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volume as root device. Can be stopped/restarted. |
| Instance Store-Backed |
Uses local disk storage. Data is lost when instance stops. |
✅ Key Features of AMI
- Customizable
- Region-specific
- Supports version control
- Helps enforce security and compliance
🧰 How to Create a Custom AMI
- Launch an EC2 instance
- Customize it (install apps, update config)
- Use AWS Console or CLI to create an image from the running instance
🧪Use Cases
-
DevOps automation: Standardized environments
-
Disaster recovery: Replicate AMIs across regions
-
Compliance & governance: Enforce approved setups
🧾 Summary
| Feature |
Description |
| Full Form |
Amazon Machine Image |
| Purpose |
Template for launching EC2 instances |
| Backends |
EBS-backed, Instance store-backed |
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