Amazon EC2 Image Builder
Machine image assembly line
Automates building, testing and distributing AMIs (and container images) through a pipeline: pick a base image, apply install/hardening components, run tests, then share to other Regions/accounts.
- Cost$ Low
- Difficulty●●●●●
- Costs money when idle?A little
- Serverless
- In examsSAA · SOA
Think of it asLike a computer packaging line: install standard software, inspect, put on a seal, then ship to the branches.
When to use it
✓ Use it when
You need a golden AMI that is patched and updated regularly, consistent across the whole organization.
✗ Avoid it when
You only need to create one AMI manually once, or configuring at boot with user data is enough → EC2 / Systems Manager.
Common uses
- Hardened golden AMI for the whole company
- Automatically patching the OS monthly and rebuilding the image
- Distributing AMIs to multiple Regions and accounts
What does it cost?
- Pricing model: No separate charge; you pay for the EC2 instances running builds/tests, the EBS snapshots storing AMIs, and images in ECR.
⚠️ Cost traps
Scheduled pipelines produce lots of old AMIs if you don't set a cleanup policy.
