Minimal Ubuntu Server image maintained by Cloud Infrastructure Services. Minimal images are designed for automated deployment at scale. They use the optimised kernels and optimised boot process on their target compute substrate. These images have a greatly reduced default package set, without many convenience tools for interactive usage. They are much smaller, boot faster, and will require fewer security updates over time since they have fewer packages installed.
Minimal instances are not intended to be comfortable to use at the command line, but you can apt-get and snap install anything as usual, so on the occasions when humans do need to use them for debugging purposes, they can be made comfortable. The 'unminimize' command will install the standard Ubuntu Server packages if you want to convert a Minimal instance to a standard Server environment for interactive use.
Since they retain full support for installing from the Ubuntu archive, Minimal Ubuntu has access to the same breadth of software, and the same excellent security maintenance, as the regular server images. Combined with full snap support, anything you can do with the regular Ubuntu images, you can do with the minimal images.
Disclaimer: Ubuntu is a registered trademark owned by Canonical. This Ubuntu release is maintained by Cloud Infrastructure Services.
Highlights
Small but powerful: Minimal Ubuntu is the smallest Ubuntu image for cloud operations being 50 percent the size of the standard Ubuntu server image. Boots up 40 percent faster than the standard image.
Reduced attack surface: With the decreased quantity of installed packages, Minimal Ubuntu images tend to avoid a lot of security vulnerabilities. Also, it will require fewer updates. Usage of Minimal Ubuntu will minimize the overall bandwidth consumption eventually reducing the requirement for storage.
Minimal Ubuntu Server - Faster, More Secure, Smaller footprint. Optimized for speed & performance on AWS
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Pricing is based on actual usage, with charges varying according to how much you consume. Subscriptions have no end date and may be canceled any time.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
If you are an AWS Free Tier customer with a free plan, you are eligible to subscribe to this offer. You can use free credits to cover the cost of eligible AWS infrastructure. See AWS Free Tier for more details. If you created an AWS account before July 15th, 2025, and qualify for the Legacy AWS Free Tier, Amazon EC2 charges for Micro instances are free for up to 750 hours per month. See Legacy AWS Free Tier for more details.
You pay by the hour for the software running on your chosen EC2 instance. Pricing has one usage-based dimension measured in hours (Hrs), and it scales with the instance type you select. The many options listed are AWS instance sizes, not separate product tiers. They range from small burstable types like t2.nano and t3.micro up to large memory, compute, storage, and GPU instances. Larger or more specialized instances carry a higher hourly rate. You pick the instance that fits your workload, and your cost tracks the hours you run it.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
What does the hourly rate cover, and what does it not include?
The hourly rate covers the Ubuntu 22.04 Minimal Server software running on your chosen EC2 instance. You also pay AWS separately for the underlying compute, storage, and network usage. The software charge and AWS infrastructure charge appear as distinct line items on your bill.
Am I charged for the software when my instance is stopped or paused?
The hourly software charge meters running time only. A stopped or paused instance does not accrue software charges. You may still pay AWS storage fees for the attached disk while the instance is stopped, but the software licence bills active hours.
Does the hourly cost change if I convert a Minimal instance to a standard server?
No. The hourly software rate tracks the instance type you run, not the packages installed. Running the 'unminimize' command adds standard Ubuntu Server packages for interactive use, but your bill still reflects your chosen instance size and the hours you run it.
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An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
New OS updates are available, simply run 'sudo apt-get update' to install latest OS package updates.
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
Utilizes optimized kernels and optimized boot process on AWS compute substrate, achieving 40 percent faster boot time compared to standard Ubuntu Server images.
Reduced Package Set
Implements greatly reduced default package set without convenience tools for interactive usage, resulting in 50 percent smaller image size than standard Ubuntu Server.
Security Vulnerability Mitigation
Decreases attack surface through minimal installed packages, reducing exposure to security vulnerabilities and requiring fewer security updates over time.
Full Ubuntu Archive Support
Retains full support for installing packages from Ubuntu archive with complete snap support, enabling access to same breadth of software as regular server images.
Flexible Environment Configuration
Provides 'unminimize' command capability to convert minimal instances to standard Ubuntu Server environment with full interactive packages when needed.
Extended Security Maintenance Coverage
Security updates for 30,000+ open source packages including Apache Kafka, NGINX, MongoDB, Redis and PostgreSQL with 10-year maintenance window until April 2032
Kernel Live Patching
Kernel patches delivered and applied without requiring node reboot
FIPS 140-2 Certification
FIPS 140-2 certified modules with FedRAMP compliance and FIPS mode availability
Security Hardening and Compliance Tools
CIS security hardening and audit tools to establish security baseline across systems
Optimized Kernel Performance
Custom Ubuntu-aws optimized kernel with improved boot speed, runtime performance and advanced device support
Long-Term Support Coverage
Security updates and maintenance guaranteed until May 2031 for production environment stability
Automatic Storage Expansion
Root partition and filesystem automatically expands at boot for volumes larger than 8 GiB without manual intervention
Enhanced Network Performance
Preconfigured with Cloud-init and ENA (Elastic Network Adapter) support for optimized cloud network performance
SSH Public Key Authentication
SSH-based access configured with public key authentication using 'ubuntu' user for secure remote login
Comprehensive Package Repository
Access to thousands of applications and libraries from Ubuntu package repository for simplified software deployment
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