Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) are fundamental components in AWS deployment and automation strategies. They serve as templates containing the software configuration required to launch EC2 instances, including the operating system, application server, and applications. Understanding AMI sharing and co…Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) are fundamental components in AWS deployment and automation strategies. They serve as templates containing the software configuration required to launch EC2 instances, including the operating system, application server, and applications. Understanding AMI sharing and copying is essential for SysOps Administrators managing multi-account and multi-region architectures.
**AMI Sharing:**
AMI sharing allows you to make your custom AMIs available to other AWS accounts. You can share AMIs in several ways:
- **Private sharing**: Share with specific AWS account IDs by modifying the AMI's launch permissions
- **Public sharing**: Make AMIs available to all AWS accounts
- **AWS Organizations sharing**: Share AMIs across accounts within your organization
When sharing AMIs, the source account retains ownership. Recipients can launch instances from shared AMIs but cannot modify or delete them. For encrypted AMIs, you must also share the associated KMS keys with the target accounts.
**AMI Copying:**
AMI copying creates a duplicate of an AMI within the same region or across different regions. Key aspects include:
- **Cross-region copying**: Essential for disaster recovery and multi-region deployments
- **Ownership transfer**: The copied AMI becomes owned by the copying account
- **Encryption options**: You can encrypt previously unencrypted AMIs during the copy process or re-encrypt with different KMS keys
**Best Practices for SysOps:**
1. Use AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) for simplified sharing across organizations
2. Implement lifecycle policies to manage AMI versions
3. Maintain encryption consistency across shared and copied AMIs
4. Document AMI lineage for compliance and troubleshooting
5. Automate AMI creation and distribution using AWS Systems Manager or EC2 Image Builder
These capabilities enable efficient infrastructure deployment, consistent environment provisioning, and robust disaster recovery strategies across AWS accounts and regions.
AMI Sharing and Copying - Complete Guide for AWS SysOps Administrator Associate
What is an AMI?
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a template that contains a software configuration including the operating system, application server, and applications required to launch an EC2 instance. AMIs are the foundation for launching instances in AWS.
Why is AMI Sharing and Copying Important?
Understanding AMI sharing and copying is crucial for several reasons:
• Multi-Account Strategies: Organizations often use multiple AWS accounts for different environments (dev, staging, production) and need to share AMIs between them • Disaster Recovery: Copying AMIs to different regions ensures business continuity • Standardization: Sharing golden images ensures consistent deployments across teams • Cost Optimization: Reusing AMIs reduces the need to recreate configurations • Compliance: Maintaining approved AMIs helps meet security and regulatory requirements
How AMI Sharing Works
Private Sharing: • You can share an AMI with specific AWS accounts by adding their account IDs to the AMI's launch permissions • The shared AMI remains in your account; other accounts get permission to launch instances from it • You cannot share AMIs that have associated billingProducts codes (like Windows or Marketplace AMIs) • Encrypted AMIs can be shared, but you must also share the KMS key used for encryption
Public Sharing: • AMIs can be made public, allowing any AWS account to use them • Public AMIs should not contain sensitive data or credentials • AWS recommends against making AMIs public unless necessary
How AMI Copying Works
Cross-Region Copying: • AMIs are region-specific; copying creates an independent AMI in the target region • The copied AMI receives a new AMI ID • All associated EBS snapshots are also copied • Useful for deploying applications globally or for disaster recovery
Cross-Account Copying: • If an AMI is shared with your account, you can copy it to own it yourself • Copying gives you full control over the AMI in your account • The source account can revoke sharing permissions, but your copy remains unaffected
Encryption Considerations
• Unencrypted to Encrypted: You can encrypt an AMI during the copy process • Encrypted AMIs: When copying encrypted AMIs, you can re-encrypt with a different KMS key • Sharing Encrypted AMIs: You must share both the AMI and the underlying KMS key with the target account • Default KMS Keys: AMIs encrypted with the default AWS managed key cannot be shared because default keys cannot be shared between accounts
Key Limitations to Remember
• AMIs with billingProducts codes cannot be copied or made public • Paravirtual (PV) AMIs cannot be copied to different regions • AMI copying is an asynchronous process and can take time for large AMIs • You must have launch permissions to copy a shared AMI
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on AMI Sharing and Copying
Scenario Recognition: • Multi-region deployment questions often require AMI copying • Multi-account questions typically involve AMI sharing • Disaster recovery scenarios frequently test cross-region AMI copies
Encryption Focus Areas: • Questions about sharing encrypted AMIs will test your knowledge of KMS key sharing requirements • Remember that customer-managed KMS keys must be shared alongside encrypted AMIs • Default AWS managed keys prevent AMI sharing between accounts
Common Question Patterns: • If asked about making an AMI available in another region, the answer involves copying • If asked about giving another account access to your AMI, the answer involves sharing launch permissions • If asked about maintaining independence from a shared AMI, copying to your own account is the solution
Watch for Distractors: • AMI export is different from copying - export is for moving AMIs outside AWS • Snapshots and AMIs are related but distinct; questions may try to confuse these concepts • Remember that shared AMIs remain owned by the original account
Best Practice Questions: • For golden image distribution across accounts, use AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) or sharing with specific account IDs • For maintaining control and independence, always copy shared AMIs to your account • For global deployments, copy AMIs to each required region