In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a new EC2 instance from a snapshot in AWS. This is a handy technique for restoring an EC2 instance when the original one encounters issues. If you’re unfamiliar with creating snapshots, we have a separate video guide, and you can find the link in the description below.
So, let’s get started with restoring a new EC2 instance from a snapshot.
Prerequisites: Before we proceed, make sure you have an AWS account, an existing EC2 instance, and a snapshot of that instance. If you haven’t taken a snapshot yet, please refer to our snapshot creation video for detailed instructions.
Step 1: Accessing Your Snapshot Begin by logging into your AWS Management Console. Once logged in, navigate to the EC2 Dashboard. On the left sidebar, under “Instances,” click on “Snapshots.” Here, you’ll see a list of your snapshots.
Step 2: Creating an Image (AMI) from the Snapshot To create a new EC2 instance from your snapshot, select the snapshot you want to use. Then, click on the “Actions” dropdown menu. Among the options, choose “Create Image from Snapshot.”
Step 3: Configure the Image (AMI) A window will appear, prompting you to configure the image. Here are the details you need to provide:
- Image Name: Give your image a name. For this example, we’ll use “AMI from Snapshot – Demo.”
- Description (optional): You can provide a brief description for reference.
- Architecture: Ensure the architecture is set to the appropriate value. For most cases, this should be “x86_64” for 64-bit systems.
- Root Device Volume: Select the root device volume you prefer. The default option should be suitable in most cases.
- Virtualization Type: Always choose “Hardware-assisted virtualization (HVM)” when creating an image from a snapshot.
Once you’ve filled in these details, click on “Create Image.”
Step 4: Locating Your Image (AMI) To find your newly created image, go back to the EC2 Dashboard and look for “AMIs” in the left sidebar. Click on “AMIs,” and you’ll see the list of available images. The one you just created will be there.
Step 5: Launching a New EC2 Instance Now, let’s create a new EC2 instance using the image (AMI) we just generated:
- Click on the image you want to use to create the new instance.
- In the top menu, click on “Actions” and select “Launch Instance from Image.”
Step 6: Instance Configuration In the launch wizard:
- Provide a name for your new EC2 instance, e.g., “EC2 from Snapshot.”
- Choose the desired instance type.
- Select or create a key pair for SSH access.
- Assign a security group. You can either choose an existing one or create a new security group with appropriate rules.
Once you’ve configured these settings, click on “Launch Instance.”
Step 7: Verifying Instance Status You’ll be redirected to the Instances dashboard, where you can see the new instance. Initially, it will be in the “pending” state. Wait a few moments for it to change to “running.” You should also see that the status check passes.
Conclusion: Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a new EC2 instance from a snapshot. This is a valuable skill for AWS users who want to quickly recover from issues with their existing instances. If you found this tutorial helpful, please subscribe to our channel and share this video with your friends.
Thank you for watching, and stay tuned for more AWS tutorials and tips!