AWS Application Migration Service

aws/migration aws/service

💡 Definition

AWS Application Migration Service (AWS MGN) is the primary service for rehosting (lift-and-shift) applications to AWS. It simplifies and accelerates your migration to AWS by automating the process of converting your physical, virtual, and cloud-based servers into native AWS EC2 instances.

🔑 Key Concepts

Rehosting (Lift-and-Shift): Moves applications as-is to AWS without changes, minimizing downtime.
Automated Conversion: Automatically converts source servers (on-premises, other clouds) to run natively on AWS EC2 instances.
Continuous Replication: Continuously replicates data from source servers to AWS, ensuring minimal data loss during cutover.
Non-Disruptive Testing: Allows for testing the migrated application on AWS without impacting the source environment.
Broad Compatibility: Supports a wide range of operating systems and application types.

⚙️ How it Works

You install a lightweight replication agent on your source servers. This agent continuously replicates data to a low-cost staging area in your AWS account. When you're ready to migrate, you initiate a cutover. MGN then automatically provisions and launches EC2 instances in your target AWS account using the replicated data, and converts the server to be native to AWS.

🎯 Use Cases

Mass Migrations: Migrating hundreds or thousands of servers with minimal effort and downtime.
Data Center Exits: Accelerating the move out of on-premises data centers.
Rehosting Applications: Moving existing applications to AWS without re-architecting them.
Disaster Recovery: Can be used as a foundation for DR strategies, though AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery is specialized for that.

💰 Pricing Model

Free for 90 Days: Each server can be replicated and staged for free for 90 days.
After 90 Days/Replication: Charged for ongoing replication and storage costs.
Underlying AWS Resources: You pay for the AWS resources used in the staging area (e.g., EBS volumes) and for the target EC2 instances launched during testing or cutover.

📝 Exam Tips (CLF-C02)

Keywords: "Rehost", "Lift-and-shift", "Automated migration", "Physical, virtual, cloud servers to EC2".
It's the recommended AWS service for automating large-scale rehosting migrations.
Minimizes downtime during the migration process.

See Also: * EC2 * AWS Migration Hub (MISSING) * DMS * AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery