POST /#Action=RunInstances
Launches the specified number of instances using an AMI for which you have permissions.
You can specify a number of options, or leave the default options. The following rules apply:
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[EC2-VPC] If you don't specify a subnet ID, we choose a default subnet from your default VPC for you. If you don't have a default VPC, you must specify a subnet ID in the request.
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[EC2-Classic] If don't specify an Availability Zone, we choose one for you.
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Some instance types must be launched into a VPC. If you do not have a default VPC, or if you do not specify a subnet ID, the request fails. For more information, see Instance types available only in a VPC.
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[EC2-VPC] All instances have a network interface with a primary private IPv4 address. If you don't specify this address, we choose one from the IPv4 range of your subnet.
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Not all instance types support IPv6 addresses. For more information, see Instance types.
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If you don't specify a security group ID, we use the default security group. For more information, see Security groups.
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If any of the AMIs have a product code attached for which the user has not subscribed, the request fails.
You can create a launch template, which is a resource that contains the parameters to launch an instance. When you launch an instance using RunInstances, you can specify the launch template instead of specifying the launch parameters.
To ensure faster instance launches, break up large requests into smaller batches. For example, create five separate launch requests for 100 instances each instead of one launch request for 500 instances.
An instance is ready for you to use when it's in the running state. You can check the state of your instance using DescribeInstances. You can tag instances and EBS volumes during launch, after launch, or both. For more information, see CreateTags and Tagging your Amazon EC2 resources.
Linux instances have access to the public key of the key pair at boot. You can use this key to provide secure access to the instance. Amazon EC2 public images use this feature to provide secure access without passwords. For more information, see Key pairs.
For troubleshooting, see What to do if an instance immediately terminates, and Troubleshooting connecting to your instance.
We are retiring EC2-Classic. We recommend that you migrate from EC2-Classic to a VPC. For more information, see Migrate from EC2-Classic to a VPC in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.
Servers
- https://ec2.{region}.amazonaws.com
- https://ec2.amazonaws.com
- https://ec2.{region}.amazonaws.com.cn
Request headers
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
X-Amz-Content-Sha256 |
String | No | |
X-Amz-Credential |
String | No | |
Content-Type |
String | Yes |
The media type of the request body.
Default value: "text/xml" |
X-Amz-Date |
String | No | |
X-Amz-Algorithm |
String | No | |
X-Amz-SignedHeaders |
String | No | |
X-Amz-Security-Token |
String | No | |
X-Amz-Signature |
String | No |
Query parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Version |
String | Yes |
Possible values:
|
Action |
String | Yes |
Possible values:
|
Request body fields
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Ipv6Addresses[] |
Array | No |
[EC2-VPC] The IPv6 addresses from the range of the subnet to associate with the primary network interface. You cannot specify this option and the option to assign a number of IPv6 addresses in the same request. You cannot specify this option if you've specified a minimum number of instances to launch. You cannot specify this option and the network interfaces option in the same request. |
MaxCount |
Integer | Yes |
The maximum number of instances to launch. If you specify more instances than Amazon EC2 can launch in the target Availability Zone, Amazon EC2 launches the largest possible number of instances above Constraints: Between 1 and the maximum number you're allowed for the specified instance type. For more information about the default limits, and how to request an increase, see How many instances can I run in Amazon EC2 in the Amazon EC2 FAQ. |
ElasticGpuSpecification[] |
Array | No |
An elastic GPU to associate with the instance. An Elastic GPU is a GPU resource that you can attach to your Windows instance to accelerate the graphics performance of your applications. For more information, see Amazon EC2 Elastic GPUs in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. |
ImageId |
String | No |
The ID of the AMI. An AMI ID is required to launch an instance and must be specified here or in a launch template. |
KeyName |
String | No |
The name of the key pair. You can create a key pair using CreateKeyPair or ImportKeyPair. If you do not specify a key pair, you can't connect to the instance unless you choose an AMI that is configured to allow users another way to log in. |
InstanceType |
String | No |
The instance type. For more information, see Instance types in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. Default: Possible values:
|
EbsOptimized |
Boolean | No |
Indicates whether the instance is optimized for Amazon EBS I/O. This optimization provides dedicated throughput to Amazon EBS and an optimized configuration stack to provide optimal Amazon EBS I/O performance. This optimization isn't available with all instance types. Additional usage charges apply when using an EBS-optimized instance. Default: |
UserData |
String | No |
The user data script to make available to the instance. For more information, see Run commands on your Linux instance at launch and Run commands on your Windows instance at launch. If you are using a command line tool, base64-encoding is performed for you, and you can load the text from a file. Otherwise, you must provide base64-encoded text. User data is limited to 16 KB. |
SecurityGroups[] |
Array | No |
[EC2-Classic, default VPC] The names of the security groups. If you specify a network interface, you must specify any security groups as part of the network interface. Default: Amazon EC2 uses the default security group. |
KernelId |
String | No |
The ID of the kernel. We recommend that you use PV-GRUB instead of kernels and RAM disks. For more information, see PV-GRUB in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. |
SubnetId |
String | No |
[EC2-VPC] The ID of the subnet to launch the instance into. If you specify a network interface, you must specify any subnets as part of the network interface. |
ElasticInferenceAccelerators[] |
Array | No |
An elastic inference accelerator to associate with the instance. Elastic inference accelerators are a resource you can attach to your Amazon EC2 instances to accelerate your Deep Learning (DL) inference workloads. You cannot specify accelerators from different generations in the same request. Starting April 15, 2023, Amazon Web Services will not onboard new customers to Amazon Elastic Inference (EI), and will help current customers migrate their workloads to options that offer better price and performance. After April 15, 2023, new customers will not be able to launch instances with Amazon EI accelerators in Amazon SageMaker, Amazon ECS, or Amazon EC2. However, customers who have used Amazon EI at least once during the past 30-day period are considered current customers and will be able to continue using the service. |
NetworkInterfaces[] |
Array | No |
The network interfaces to associate with the instance. If you specify a network interface, you must specify any security groups and subnets as part of the network interface. |
Ipv6AddressCount |
Integer | No |
[EC2-VPC] The number of IPv6 addresses to associate with the primary network interface. Amazon EC2 chooses the IPv6 addresses from the range of your subnet. You cannot specify this option and the option to assign specific IPv6 addresses in the same request. You can specify this option if you've specified a minimum number of instances to launch. You cannot specify this option and the network interfaces option in the same request. |
DisableApiTermination |
Boolean | No |
If you set this parameter to Default: |
InstanceInitiatedShutdownBehavior |
String | No |
Indicates whether an instance stops or terminates when you initiate shutdown from the instance (using the operating system command for system shutdown). Default: Possible values:
|
RamdiskId |
String | No |
The ID of the RAM disk to select. Some kernels require additional drivers at launch. Check the kernel requirements for information about whether you need to specify a RAM disk. To find kernel requirements, go to the Amazon Web Services Resource Center and search for the kernel ID. We recommend that you use PV-GRUB instead of kernels and RAM disks. For more information, see PV-GRUB in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. |
MinCount |
Integer | Yes |
The minimum number of instances to launch. If you specify a minimum that is more instances than Amazon EC2 can launch in the target Availability Zone, Amazon EC2 launches no instances. Constraints: Between 1 and the maximum number you're allowed for the specified instance type. For more information about the default limits, and how to request an increase, see How many instances can I run in Amazon EC2 in the Amazon EC2 General FAQ. |
ClientToken |
String | No |
Unique, case-sensitive identifier you provide to ensure the idempotency of the request. If you do not specify a client token, a randomly generated token is used for the request to ensure idempotency. For more information, see Ensuring Idempotency. Constraints: Maximum 64 ASCII characters |
TagSpecifications[] |
Array | No |
The tags to apply to the resources that are created during instance launch. You can specify tags for the following resources only:
To tag a resource after it has been created, see CreateTags. |
LicenseSpecifications[] |
Array | No |
The license configurations. |
PrivateIpAddress |
String | No |
[EC2-VPC] The primary IPv4 address. You must specify a value from the IPv4 address range of the subnet. Only one private IP address can be designated as primary. You can't specify this option if you've specified the option to designate a private IP address as the primary IP address in a network interface specification. You cannot specify this option if you're launching more than one instance in the request. You cannot specify this option and the network interfaces option in the same request. |
SecurityGroupIds[] |
Array | No |
The IDs of the security groups. You can create a security group using CreateSecurityGroup. If you specify a network interface, you must specify any security groups as part of the network interface. |
DisableApiStop |
Boolean | No |
Indicates whether an instance is enabled for stop protection. For more information, see Stop protection. |
BlockDeviceMappings[] |
Array | No |
The block device mapping, which defines the EBS volumes and instance store volumes to attach to the instance at launch. For more information, see Block device mappings in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. |
DryRun |
Boolean | No |
Checks whether you have the required permissions for the action, without actually making the request, and provides an error response. If you have the required permissions, the error response is |
AdditionalInfo |
String | No |
Reserved. |
How to start integrating
- Add HTTP Task to your workflow definition.
- Search for the API you want to integrate with and click on the name.
- This loads the API reference documentation and prepares the Http request settings.
- Click Test request to test run your request to the API and see the API's response.