---
description: |
    The amazon-ebs Packer builder is able to create Amazon AMIs backed by EBS
    volumes for use in EC2. For more information on the difference between
    EBS-backed instances and instance-store backed instances, see the storage for
    the root device section in the EC2 documentation.
layout: docs
page_title: 'Amazon EBS - Builders'
sidebar_current: 'docs-builders-amazon-ebsbacked'
---

# AMI Builder (EBS backed)

Type: `amazon-ebs`

The `amazon-ebs` Packer builder is able to create Amazon AMIs backed by EBS
volumes for use in [EC2](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/). For more information on
the difference between EBS-backed instances and instance-store backed
instances, see the ["storage for the root device" section in the EC2
documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ComponentsAMIs.html#storage-for-the-root-device).

This builder builds an AMI by launching an EC2 instance from a source AMI,
provisioning that running machine, and then creating an AMI from that machine.
This is all done in your own AWS account. The builder will create temporary
keypairs, security group rules, etc. that provide it temporary access to the
instance while the image is being created. This simplifies configuration quite
a bit.

The builder does *not* manage AMIs. Once it creates an AMI and stores it in
your account, it is up to you to use, delete, etc. the AMI.

-&gt; **Note:** Temporary resources are, by default, all created with the
prefix `packer`. This can be useful if you want to restrict the security groups
and key pairs Packer is able to operate on.

## Configuration Reference

There are many configuration options available for the builder. They are
segmented below into two categories: required and optional parameters. Within
each category, the available configuration keys are alphabetized.

In addition to the options listed here, a
[communicator](../templates/communicator.html) can be configured for this
builder.

### Required:

-   `access_key` (string) - The access key used to communicate with AWS. [Learn
    how to set this](amazon.html#specifying-amazon-credentials). This is not
    required if you are using `use_vault_aws_engine` for authentication
    instead.

-   `ami_name` (string) - The name of the resulting AMI that will appear when
    managing AMIs in the AWS console or via APIs. This must be unique. To help
    make this unique, use a function like `timestamp` (see [template
    engine](../templates/engine.html) for more info).

-   `instance_type` (string) - The EC2 instance type to use while building the
    AMI, such as `t2.small`.

-   `region` (string) - The name of the region, such as `us-east-1`, in which
    to launch the EC2 instance to create the AMI.

-   `secret_key` (string) - The secret key used to communicate with AWS. [Learn
    how to set this](amazon.html#specifying-amazon-credentials). This is not
    required if you are using `use_vault_aws_engine` for authentication
    instead.

-   `source_ami` (string) - The initial AMI used as a base for the newly
    created machine. `source_ami_filter` may be used instead to populate this
    automatically.

### Optional:

-   `ami_block_device_mappings` (array of block device mappings) - Add one or
    more [block device
    mappings](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/block-device-mapping-concepts.html)
    to the AMI. These will be attached when booting a new instance from your
    AMI. To add a block device during the Packer build see
    `launch_block_device_mappings` below. Your options here may vary depending
    on the type of VM you use. The block device mappings allow for the
    following configuration:

    <%= partial "partials/builders/aws-common-block-device-a-i" %>

    <%= partial "partials/builders/aws-common-block-device-i-v" %>

-   `ami_description` (string) - The description to set for the resulting
    AMI(s). By default this description is empty. This is a [template
    engine](../templates/engine.html), see [Build template
    data](#build-template-data) for more information.

-   `ami_groups` (array of strings) - A list of groups that have access to
    launch the resulting AMI(s). By default no groups have permission to launch
    the AMI. `all` will make the AMI publicly accessible. AWS currently doesn't
    accept any value other than `all`.

-   `ami_product_codes` (array of strings) - A list of product codes to
    associate with the AMI. By default no product codes are associated with the
    AMI.

-   `ami_regions` (array of strings) - A list of regions to copy the AMI to.
    Tags and attributes are copied along with the AMI. AMI copying takes time
    depending on the size of the AMI, but will generally take many minutes.

-   `ami_users` (array of strings) - A list of account IDs that have access to
    launch the resulting AMI(s). By default no additional users other than the
    user creating the AMI has permissions to launch it.

-   `ami_virtualization_type` (string) - The type of virtualization for the AMI
    you are building. This option must match the supported virtualization type
    of `source_ami`. Can be `paravirtual` or `hvm`.

-   `associate_public_ip_address` (boolean) - If using a non-default VPC,
    public IP addresses are not provided by default. If this is `true`, your
    new instance will get a Public IP. default: `false`

-   `availability_zone` (string) - Destination availability zone to launch
    instance in. Leave this empty to allow Amazon to auto-assign.

-   `block_duration_minutes` (int64) - Requires `spot_price` to be set. The
    required duration for the Spot Instances (also known as Spot blocks). This
    value must be a multiple of 60 (60, 120, 180, 240, 300, or 360). You can't
    specify an Availability Zone group or a launch group if you specify a
    duration.

-   `custom_endpoint_ec2` (string) - This option is useful if you use a cloud
    provider whose API is compatible with aws EC2. Specify another endpoint
    like this `https://ec2.custom.endpoint.com`.

-   `decode_authorization_messages` (boolean) - Enable automatic decoding of
    any encoded authorization (error) messages using the
    `sts:DecodeAuthorizationMessage` API. Note: requires that the effective
    user/role have permissions to `sts:DecodeAuthorizationMessage` on resource
    `*`. Default `false`.

-   `disable_stop_instance` (boolean) - Packer normally stops the build
    instance after all provisioners have run. For Windows instances, it is
    sometimes desirable to [run
    Sysprep](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/ami-create-standard.html)
    which will stop the instance for you. If this is set to `true`, Packer
    *will not* stop the instance but will assume that you will send the stop
    signal yourself through your final provisioner. You can do this with a
    [windows-shell
    provisioner](https://www.packer.io/docs/provisioners/windows-shell.html).

    Note that Packer will still wait for the instance to be stopped, and
    failing to send the stop signal yourself, when you have set this flag to
    `true`, will cause a timeout.

    Example of a valid shutdown command:

    ``` json
    {
      "type": "windows-shell",
      "inline": ["\"c:\\Program Files\\Amazon\\Ec2ConfigService\\ec2config.exe\" -sysprep"]
    }
    ```

-   `ebs_optimized` (boolean) - Mark instance as [EBS
    Optimized](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/EBSOptimized.html).
    Default `false`.

-   `ena_support` (boolean) - Enable enhanced networking (ENA but not
    SriovNetSupport) on HVM-compatible AMIs. If set, add
    `ec2:ModifyInstanceAttribute` to your AWS IAM policy. If false, this will
    disable enhanced networking in the final AMI as opposed to passing the
    setting through unchanged from the source. Note: you must make sure
    enhanced networking is enabled on your instance. See [Amazon's
    documentation on enabling enhanced
    networking](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/enhanced-networking.html#enabling_enhanced_networking).

-   `enable_t2_unlimited` (boolean) - Enabling T2 Unlimited allows the source
    instance to burst additional CPU beyond its available [CPU
    Credits](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/t2-credits-baseline-concepts.html)
    for as long as the demand exists. This is in contrast to the standard
    configuration that only allows an instance to consume up to its available
    CPU Credits. See the AWS documentation for [T2
    Unlimited](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/t2-unlimited.html)
    and the **T2 Unlimited Pricing** section of the [Amazon EC2 On-Demand
    Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/on-demand/) document for more
    information. By default this option is disabled and Packer will set up a
    [T2
    Standard](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/t2-std.html)
    instance instead.

    To use T2 Unlimited you must use a T2 instance type, e.g. `t2.micro`.
    Additionally, T2 Unlimited cannot be used in conjunction with Spot
    Instances, e.g. when the `spot_price` option has been configured.
    Attempting to do so will cause an error.

    !&gt; **Warning!** Additional costs may be incurred by enabling T2
    Unlimited - even for instances that would usually qualify for the
    [AWS Free Tier](https://aws.amazon.com/free/).

-   `encrypt_boot` (boolean) - Whether or not to encrypt the resulting AMI when
    copying a provisioned instance to an AMI. By default, Packer will keep the
    encryption setting to what it was in the source image. Setting `false` will
    result in an unencrypted image, and `true` will result in an encrypted one.

-   `force_delete_snapshot` (boolean) - Force Packer to delete snapshots associated with
    AMIs, which have been deregistered by `force_deregister`. Default `false`.

-   `force_deregister` (boolean) - Force Packer to first deregister an existing
    AMI if one with the same name already exists. Default `false`.

<%= partial "partials/builders/aws-common-opional-fields" %>

-   `iam_instance_profile` (string) - The name of an [IAM instance
    profile](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/instance-profiles.html)
    to launch the EC2 instance with.

-   `insecure_skip_tls_verify` (boolean) - This allows skipping TLS
    verification of the AWS EC2 endpoint. The default is `false`.

-   `launch_block_device_mappings` (array of block device mappings) - Add one
    or more block devices before the Packer build starts. If you add instance
    store volumes or EBS volumes in addition to the root device volume, the
    created AMI will contain block device mapping information for those
    volumes. Amazon creates snapshots of the source instance's root volume and
    any other EBS volumes described here. When you launch an instance from this
    new AMI, the instance automatically launches with these additional volumes,
    and will restore them from snapshots taken from the source instance.

-   `mfa_code` (string) - The MFA
    [TOTP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-based_One-time_Password_Algorithm)
    code. This should probably be a user variable since it changes all the
    time.

-   `profile` (string) - The profile to use in the shared credentials file for
    AWS. See Amazon's documentation on [specifying
    profiles](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-go/v1/developer-guide/configuring-sdk.html#specifying-profiles)
    for more details.

-   `region_kms_key_ids` (map of strings) - a map of regions to copy the ami
    to, along with the custom kms key id (alias or arn) to use for encryption
    for that region. Keys must match the regions provided in `ami_regions`. If
    you just want to encrypt using a default ID, you can stick with
    `kms_key_id` and `ami_regions`. If you want a region to be encrypted with
    that region's default key ID, you can use an empty string `""` instead of a
    key id in this map. (e.g. `"us-east-1": ""`) However, you cannot use
    default key IDs if you are using this in conjunction with `snapshot_users`
    -- in that situation you must use custom keys. For valid formats see
    *KmsKeyId* in the [AWS API docs -
    CopyImage](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_CopyImage.html).

    This option supercedes the `kms_key_id` option -- if you set both, and they
    are different, Packer will respect the value in `region_kms_key_ids` for
    your build region and silently disregard the value provided in `kms_key_id`.

-   `run_tags` (object of key/value strings) - Tags to apply to the instance
    that is *launched* to create the AMI. These tags are *not* applied to the
    resulting AMI unless they're duplicated in `tags`. This is a [template
    engine](../templates/engine.html), see [Build template
    data](#build-template-data) for more information.

-   `run_volume_tags` (object of key/value strings) - Tags to apply to the
    volumes that are *launched* to create the AMI. These tags are *not* applied
    to the resulting AMI unless they're duplicated in `tags`. This is a
    [template engine](../templates/engine.html), see [Build template
    data](#build-template-data) for more information.

-   `security_group_id` (string) - The ID (*not* the name) of the security
    group to assign to the instance. By default this is not set and Packer will
    automatically create a new temporary security group to allow SSH access.
    Note that if this is specified, you must be sure the security group allows
    access to the `ssh_port` given below.

-   `security_group_ids` (array of strings) - A list of security groups as
    described above. Note that if this is specified, you must omit the
    `security_group_id`.

-   `security_group_filter` (object) - Filters used to populate the
    `security_group_ids` field. Example:

    ``` json
    {
      "security_group_filter": {
        "filters": {
          "tag:Class": "packer"
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    This selects the SG's with tag `Class` with the value `packer`.

    -   `filters` (map of strings) - filters used to select a
        `security_group_ids`. Any filter described in the docs for
        [DescribeSecurityGroups](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_DescribeSecurityGroups.html)
        is valid.

    `security_group_ids` take precedence over this.

-   `shutdown_behavior` (string) - Automatically terminate instances on
    shutdown in case Packer exits ungracefully. Possible values are "stop" and
    "terminate", default is `stop`.

-   `skip_region_validation` (boolean) - Set to true if you want to skip
    validation of the region configuration option. Default `false`.

-   `skip_save_build_region` (boolean) - If true, Packer will not check whether
    an AMI with the `ami_name` exists in the region it is building in. It will
    use an intermediary AMI name, which it will not convert to an AMI in the
    build region. It will copy the intermediary AMI into any regions provided
    in `ami_regions`, then delete the intermediary AMI. Default `false`.

-   `snapshot_groups` (array of strings) - A list of groups that have access to
    create volumes from the snapshot(s). By default no groups have permission
    to create volumes from the snapshot(s). `all` will make the snapshot
    publicly accessible.

-   `snapshot_users` (array of strings) - A list of account IDs that have
    access to create volumes from the snapshot(s). By default no additional
    users other than the user creating the AMI has permissions to create
    volumes from the backing snapshot(s).

-   `snapshot_tags` (object of key/value strings) - Tags to apply to snapshot.
    They will override AMI tags if already applied to snapshot. This is a
    [template engine](../templates/engine.html), see [Build template
    data](#build-template-data) for more information.

-   `source_ami_filter` (object) - Filters used to populate the `source_ami`
    field. Example:

    ``` json
    {
      "source_ami_filter": {
        "filters": {
          "virtualization-type": "hvm",
          "name": "ubuntu/images/*ubuntu-xenial-16.04-amd64-server-*",
          "root-device-type": "ebs"
        },
        "owners": ["099720109477"],
        "most_recent": true
      }
    }
    ```

    This selects the most recent Ubuntu 16.04 HVM EBS AMI from Canonical. NOTE:
    This will fail unless *exactly* one AMI is returned. In the above example,
    `most_recent` will cause this to succeed by selecting the newest image.

    -   `filters` (map of strings) - filters used to select a `source_ami`.
        NOTE: This will fail unless *exactly* one AMI is returned. Any filter
        described in the docs for
        [DescribeImages](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_DescribeImages.html)
        is valid.

    -   `owners` (array of strings) - Filters the images by their owner. You
        may specify one or more AWS account IDs, "self" (which will use the
        account whose credentials you are using to run Packer), or an AWS owner
        alias: for example, `amazon`, `aws-marketplace`, or `microsoft`. This
        option is required for security reasons.

    -   `most_recent` (boolean) - Selects the newest created image when true.
        This is most useful for selecting a daily distro build.

    You may set this in place of `source_ami` or in conjunction with it. If you
    set this in conjunction with `source_ami`, the `source_ami` will be added
    to the filter. The provided `source_ami` must meet all of the filtering
    criteria provided in `source_ami_filter`; this pins the AMI returned by the
    filter, but will cause Packer to fail if the `source_ami` does not exist.

<%= partial "partials/builders/aws-spot-docs" %>

-   `sriov_support` (boolean) - Enable enhanced networking (SriovNetSupport but
    not ENA) on HVM-compatible AMIs. If true, add `ec2:ModifyInstanceAttribute`
    to your AWS IAM policy. Note: you must make sure enhanced networking is
    enabled on your instance. See [Amazon's documentation on enabling enhanced
    networking](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/enhanced-networking.html#enabling_enhanced_networking).
    Default `false`.

-   `ssh_keypair_name` (string) - If specified, this is the key that will be
    used for SSH with the machine. The key must match a key pair name loaded up
    into Amazon EC2. By default, this is blank, and Packer will generate a
    temporary keypair unless
    [`ssh_password`](../templates/communicator.html#ssh_password) is used.
    [`ssh_private_key_file`](../templates/communicator.html#ssh_private_key_file)
    or `ssh_agent_auth` must be specified when `ssh_keypair_name` is utilized.

-   `ssh_agent_auth` (boolean) - If true, the local SSH agent will be used to
    authenticate connections to the source instance. No temporary keypair will
    be created, and the values of `ssh_password` and `ssh_private_key_file`
    will be ignored. To use this option with a key pair already configured in
    the source AMI, leave the `ssh_keypair_name` blank. To associate an
    existing key pair in AWS with the source instance, set the
    `ssh_keypair_name` field to the name of the key pair.

-   `ssh_private_ip` (boolean) - No longer supported. See
    [`ssh_interface`](#ssh_interface). A fixer exists to migrate.

-   `ssh_interface` (string) - One of `public_ip`, `private_ip`, `public_dns`,
    or `private_dns`. If set, either the public IP address, private IP address,
    public DNS name or private DNS name will used as the host for SSH. The
    default behaviour if inside a VPC is to use the public IP address if
    available, otherwise the private IP address will be used. If not in a VPC
    the public DNS name will be used. Also works for WinRM.

    Where Packer is configured for an outbound proxy but WinRM traffic should
    be direct, `ssh_interface` must be set to `private_dns` and
    `<region>.compute.internal` included in the `NO_PROXY` environment
    variable.

-   `subnet_id` (string) - If using VPC, the ID of the subnet, such as
    `subnet-12345def`, where Packer will launch the EC2 instance. This field is
    required if you are using an non-default VPC.

-   `subnet_filter` (object) - Filters used to populate the `subnet_id` field.
    Example:

    ``` json
    {
      "subnet_filter": {
        "filters": {
          "tag:Class": "build"
        },
        "most_free": true,
        "random": false
      }
    }
    ```

    This selects the Subnet with tag `Class` with the value `build`, which has
    the most free IP addresses. NOTE: This will fail unless *exactly* one
    Subnet is returned. By using `most_free` or `random` one will be selected
    from those matching the filter.

    -   `filters` (map of strings) - filters used to select a `subnet_id`.
        NOTE: This will fail unless *exactly* one Subnet is returned. Any
        filter described in the docs for
        [DescribeSubnets](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_DescribeSubnets.html)
        is valid.

    -   `most_free` (boolean) - The Subnet with the most free IPv4 addresses
        will be used if multiple Subnets matches the filter.

    -   `random` (boolean) - A random Subnet will be used if multiple Subnets
        matches the filter. `most_free` have precendence over this.

    `subnet_id` take precedence over this.

-   `tags` (object of key/value strings) - Tags applied to the AMI and relevant
    snapshots. This is a [template engine](../templates/engine.html), see
    [Build template data](#build-template-data) for more information.

-   `temporary_key_pair_name` (string) - The name of the temporary key pair to
    generate. By default, Packer generates a name that looks like
    `packer_<UUID>`, where &lt;UUID&gt; is a 36 character unique identifier.

-   `temporary_security_group_source_cidrs` (list of string) - A list of IPv4
    CIDR blocks to be authorized access to the instance, when packer is creating a temporary security group.

    The default is [`0.0.0.0/0`] (i.e., allow any IPv4 source). This is only used when `security_group_id` or `security_group_ids` is not specified.

-   `token` (string) - The access token to use. This is different from the
    access key and secret key. If you're not sure what this is, then you
    probably don't need it. This will also be read from the `AWS_SESSION_TOKEN`
    environmental variable.

-   `user_data` (string) - User data to apply when launching the instance. Note
    that you need to be careful about escaping characters due to the templates
    being JSON. It is often more convenient to use `user_data_file`, instead.
    Packer will not automatically wait for a user script to finish before
    shutting down the instance this must be handled in a provisioner.

-   `user_data_file` (string) - Path to a file that will be used for the user
    data when launching the instance.

-   `vault_aws_engine` (object) - Get credentials from Hashicorp Vault's aws
    secrets engine. You must already have created a role to use. For more
    information about generating credentials via the Vault engine, see the
    [Vault
    docs.](https://www.vaultproject.io/api/secret/aws/index.html#generate-credentials)
    If you set this flag, you must also set the below options:
    -   `name` (string) - Required. Specifies the name of the role to generate
        credentials against. This is part of the request URL.
    -   `engine_name` (string) - The name of the aws secrets engine. In the
        Vault docs, this is normally referred to as "aws", and Packer will
        default to "aws" if `engine_name` is not set.
    -   `role_arn` (string)- The ARN of the role to assume if credential\_type
        on the Vault role is assumed\_role. Must match one of the allowed role
        ARNs in the Vault role. Optional if the Vault role only allows a single
        AWS role ARN; required otherwise.
    -   `ttl` (string) - Specifies the TTL for the use of the STS token. This
        is specified as a string with a duration suffix. Valid only when
        credential\_type is assumed\_role or federation\_token. When not
        specified, the default\_sts\_ttl set for the role will be used. If that
        is also not set, then the default value of 3600s will be used. AWS
        places limits on the maximum TTL allowed. See the AWS documentation on
        the DurationSeconds parameter for AssumeRole (for assumed\_role
        credential types) and GetFederationToken (for federation\_token
        credential types) for more details.

    ``` json
    {
        "vault_aws_engine": {
            "name": "myrole",
            "role_arn": "myarn",
            "ttl": "3600s"
        }
    }
    ```

-   `vpc_id` (string) - If launching into a VPC subnet, Packer needs the VPC ID
    in order to create a temporary security group within the VPC. Requires
    `subnet_id` to be set. If this field is left blank, Packer will try to get
    the VPC ID from the `subnet_id`.

-   `vpc_filter` (object) - Filters used to populate the `vpc_id` field.
    Example:

    ``` json
    {
      "vpc_filter": {
        "filters": {
          "tag:Class": "build",
          "isDefault": "false",
          "cidr": "/24"
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    This selects the VPC with tag `Class` with the value `build`, which is not
    the default VPC, and have a IPv4 CIDR block of `/24`. NOTE: This will fail
    unless *exactly* one VPC is returned.

    -   `filters` (map of strings) - filters used to select a `vpc_id`. NOTE:
        This will fail unless *exactly* one VPC is returned. Any filter
        described in the docs for
        [DescribeVpcs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_DescribeVpcs.html)
        is valid.

    `vpc_id` take precedence over this.

-   `windows_password_timeout` (string) - The timeout for waiting for a Windows
    password for Windows instances. Defaults to 20 minutes. Example value:
    `10m`

## Basic Example

Here is a basic example. You will need to provide access keys, and may need to
change the AMI IDs according to what images exist at the time the template is
run:

``` json
{
  "variables": {
    "aws_access_key": "{{env `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`}}",
    "aws_secret_key": "{{env `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`}}"
  },
  "builders": [
    {
      "type": "amazon-ebs",
      "access_key": "{{user `aws_access_key`}}",
      "secret_key": "{{user `aws_secret_key`}}",
      "region": "us-east-1",
      "source_ami": "ami-fce3c696",
      "instance_type": "t2.micro",
      "ssh_username": "ubuntu",
      "ami_name": "packer_AWS {{timestamp}}"
    }
  ]
}
```

-&gt; **Note:** Packer can also read the access key and secret access key from
environmental variables. See the configuration reference in the section above
for more information on what environmental variables Packer will look for.

Further information on locating AMI IDs and their relationship to instance
types and regions can be found in the AWS EC2 Documentation [for
Linux](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/finding-an-ami.html)
or [for
Windows](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/finding-an-ami.html).

## Accessing the Instance to Debug

If you need to access the instance to debug for some reason, run the builder
with the `-debug` flag. In debug mode, the Amazon builder will save the private
key in the current directory and will output the DNS or IP information as well.
You can use this information to access the instance as it is running.

## AMI Block Device Mappings Example

Here is an example using the optional AMI block device mappings. Our
configuration of `launch_block_device_mappings` will expand the root volume
(`/dev/sda`) to 40gb during the build (up from the default of 8gb). With
`ami_block_device_mappings` AWS will attach additional volumes `/dev/sdb` and
`/dev/sdc` when we boot a new instance of our AMI.

``` json
{
  "type": "amazon-ebs",
  "access_key": "YOUR KEY HERE",
  "secret_key": "YOUR SECRET KEY HERE",
  "region": "us-east-1",
  "source_ami": "ami-fce3c696",
  "instance_type": "t2.micro",
  "ssh_username": "ubuntu",
  "ami_name": "packer-quick-start {{timestamp}}",
  "launch_block_device_mappings": [
    {
      "device_name": "/dev/sda1",
      "volume_size": 40,
      "volume_type": "gp2",
      "delete_on_termination": true
    }
  ],
  "ami_block_device_mappings": [
    {
      "device_name": "/dev/sdb",
      "virtual_name": "ephemeral0"
    },
    {
      "device_name": "/dev/sdc",
      "virtual_name": "ephemeral1"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Build template data

In configuration directives marked as a template engine above, the following
variables are available:

-   `BuildRegion` - The region (for example `eu-central-1`) where Packer is
    building the AMI.
-   `SourceAMI` - The source AMI ID (for example `ami-a2412fcd`) used to build
    the AMI.
-   `SourceAMIName` - The source AMI Name (for example
    `ubuntu/images/ebs-ssd/ubuntu-xenial-16.04-amd64-server-20180306`) used to
    build the AMI.
-   `SourceAMITags` - The source AMI Tags, as a `map[string]string` object.

## Tag Example

Here is an example using the optional AMI tags. This will add the tags
`OS_Version` and `Release` to the finished AMI. As before, you will need to
provide your access keys, and may need to change the source AMI ID based on
what images exist when this template is run:

``` json
{
  "type": "amazon-ebs",
  "access_key": "YOUR KEY HERE",
  "secret_key": "YOUR SECRET KEY HERE",
  "region": "us-east-1",
  "source_ami": "ami-fce3c696",
  "instance_type": "t2.micro",
  "ssh_username": "ubuntu",
  "ami_name": "packer-quick-start {{timestamp}}",
  "tags": {
    "OS_Version": "Ubuntu",
    "Release": "Latest",
    "Base_AMI_Name": "{{ .SourceAMIName }}",
    "Extra": "{{ .SourceAMITags.TagName }}"
  }
}
```

-&gt; **Note:** Packer uses pre-built AMIs as the source for building images.
These source AMIs may include volumes that are not flagged to be destroyed on
termination of the instance building the new image. Packer will attempt to
clean up all residual volumes that are not designated by the user to remain
after termination. If you need to preserve those source volumes, you can
overwrite the termination setting by specifying `delete_on_termination=false`
in the `launch_block_device_mappings` block for the device.

## Windows 2016 Sysprep Commands - For Amazon Windows AMIs Only

For Amazon Windows 2016 AMIs it is necessary to run Sysprep commands which can
be easily added to the provisioner section.

``` json
{
    "type": "powershell",
    "inline": [
      "C:/ProgramData/Amazon/EC2-Windows/Launch/Scripts/InitializeInstance.ps1 -Schedule",
      "C:/ProgramData/Amazon/EC2-Windows/Launch/Scripts/SysprepInstance.ps1 -NoShutdown"
    ]

}
```

<%= partial "partials/builders/aws-ssh-differentiation-table" %>
