Back to results for “Migration”
AWS › AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration

What is AWS Application Migration Service, and how does it support migrating entire servers, not just databases, into AWS?

Intermediate

Answer

AWS Application Migration Service, often called MGN, uses continuous block level replication to copy entire on premises or other cloud servers into AWS, including the full operating system, applications, and data, allowing you to launch fully functioning EC2 instances that are exact replicas of your original servers with minimal manual reconfiguration, which is significantly less effort than manually rebuilding an application from scratch in the cloud.
aws mgn start-replication --source-server-id s-1234567890abcdef0
Real-world example An enterprise migrating dozens of legacy application servers from an on premises data center uses Application Migration Service to continuously replicate each server into AWS, then performs a test launch to validate everything works correctly before cutting over production traffic.

Common follow-ups: How does Application Migration Service differ from AWS Database Migration Service in terms of what they migrate?;What is involved in the cutover process once replication is complete?