This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for a hardened, minimal Rocky Linux 9.8 image: SELinux enforcing, root login disabled, key-only SSH, audit rules, PAM lockout and sysctl hardening, each verified on a booted instance. 8GB size (no LVM), UEFI/GPT, cloud-init, ENA and NVMe.
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for a hardened, minimal Rocky Linux 9.8 image built and verified by Rinne Labs.
What you are paying for
Rocky Linux is free and open source software, downloadable at no cost from the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. This listing charges neither for the operating system nor for support.
The charge covers the hardened build: a security baseline applied to the image at build time, an automated assertion suite that proves every control of that baseline is live on a booted instance before the image is published, and continued rebuilds carrying current security updates.
Hardening baseline
Every control below is applied at build time and verified by an automated assertion against a booted instance before publication. The image records the baseline it carries in a versioned marker at /etc/rinne-labs-hardening.
SELinux enforcing, at runtime and persistently across reboots
Root login over SSH disabled
Key-only SSH: password and keyboard-interactive authentication refused
Reduced SSH surface: X11 forwarding off, lowered MaxAuthTries and LoginGraceTime, empty passwords and host-based authentication refused
Kernel network hardening via sysctl, confirmed live in the running kernel
Audit rules loaded in the running kernel, auditd enabled at boot
Account lockout via pam_faillock, with a bounded unlock interval and root exempt
Password quality enforcement via pam_pwquality
A default umask of 027 for login shells
Login banners on console and network logins
The default user's authorized_keys restricted to mode 0600
Key Features
Built from the official Rocky Linux 9.8 ISO, "Minimal Install" package group
8GB root volume, no LVM, for a fast boot and a small storage footprint
UEFI/GPT boot with an XFS root filesystem
cloud-init configured; root partition and filesystem grow to the volume size at first boot
Elastic Network Adapter (ENA) and NVMe drivers present and verified
AWS CLI preinstalled
Distribution security updates applied at build time
Ideal For
Apache HTTP Server and NGINX web and reverse-proxy tiers
PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and MongoDB database hosts
Jenkins, GitLab CI and self-hosted GitHub Actions runners
Terraform, OpenTofu and Ansible control nodes
Docker and Podman container hosts, and Kubernetes worker nodes
Auto Scaling groups and immutable golden-image fleets
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I connect? SSH in as rocky with the key pair you chose at launch: ssh -i your-key.pem rocky@your-instance. Password login is disabled and root may not log in over SSH; run sudo -i for a root shell.
Do I need a subscription? No. Rocky Linux is free and open source, and the image updates from the distribution's public repositories.
Will the version change? No. This listing stays on Rocky Linux 9.8 and is rebuilt only for security updates. To follow 9.x as it moves, use the rolling Rocky Linux 9 listing.
Who maintains this image? Rinne Labs. Nothing is published until it passes the full assertion suite on a booted instance.
Why Rinne Labs
Every image comes out of the same reproducible, fully automated build pipeline, starting from the distribution's official ISO. Nothing is hand-edited in.
Every image is validated by an automated assertion suite against a booted instance, covering the hardening baseline, the cloud drivers, the repositories and the applied updates. An image that fails an assertion is not published.
"Rocky Linux" is a trademark of the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. Rinne Labs is an independent publisher, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. This product repackages free and open source software; all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
THIS IMAGE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
Hardened at build time and proven on a booted instance before publication: SELinux enforcing, root login over SSH disabled, key-only authentication, a reduced SSH surface, kernel network hardening, audit rules loaded in the running kernel, account lockout and password quality through PAM, a 027 umask and login banners. Every control carries an automated assertion that must pass before the image ships, and the image records its baseline at /etc/rinne-labs-hardening.
Minimal by construction: built from the official Rocky Linux 9.8 ISO using only the "Minimal Install" package group, on an 8GB root volume with no LVM, UEFI/GPT boot and an XFS root filesystem. Fewer packages means a smaller attack surface, quicker launches for auto-scaling groups, and lower EBS cost on every instance you run.
Ready for AWS from first boot: cloud-init expands the root partition and filesystem to the volume size you launch with, the Elastic Network Adapter (ENA) and NVMe drivers are present and verified, and the AWS CLI is preinstalled.
AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
Try this product free for 14 days according to the free trial terms set by the vendor. Usage-based pricing is in effect for usage beyond the free trial terms. Your free trial gets automatically converted to a paid subscription when the trial ends, but may be canceled any time before that.
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. Alternatively, you can pay upfront for a contract, which typically covers your anticipated usage for the contract duration. Any usage beyond contract will incur additional usage-based costs.
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 a Rocky Linux 9 machine image that comes hardened and minimally installed. Pricing is set per EC2 instance type, so your hourly rate follows the instance size you launch. Small shared instances like t2.nano or t3.micro carry lower hourly rates. Rates rise as you move to compute, memory, storage, or accelerated GPU and machine-learning instances such as c7a, r7a, x2iedn, inf2, trn1, and p5.48xlarge. There are no tiers or upfront commitments. You choose an instance type, run it, and are billed only for the hours you use.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
What do I get with the Rocky Linux 9 Hardened & Minimal image on any instance type?
You get a minimal Rocky Linux 9 installation configured for security. It ships with SELinux enabled, the root user disabled, cloud-init enabled, an expandable root disk, a single volume, and the latest security updates available at the release date. These features stay the same across every instance type you choose.
Am I charged when my instance is stopped?
The software is billed per hour while the instance runs. When you stop the instance, the hourly software charge stops. You may still pay separate AWS fees for attached storage, but the image itself meters running hours only. There is no upfront commitment, so you pay for the hours you actually use.
Why does the hourly rate change between instance types?
Each EC2 instance type has its own hourly rate. Shared burstable types such as t2.nano cost less per hour. Rates increase for compute, memory, storage, and accelerated GPU or machine-learning families like c7a, r7a, inf2, trn1, and p5.48xlarge. Your rate follows the size and class of the instance you launch.
www.rinne-labs.com
Helpful?
Vendor refund policy
The instance can be terminated at anytime to stop incurring charges. No refund available
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Content disclaimer
Vendors are responsible for their product descriptions and other product content. AWS does not warrant that vendors' product descriptions or other product content are accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.
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
Security Update
Kernel version: 5.14.0-687.46.1.el9_8.x86_64
Additional details
Usage instructions
To connect to the VM:
Use SSH to connect
Username provisioned inside is: 'rocky'
Use the SSH key provided at the launch of the instance
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.
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for a hardened, minimal Rocky Linux 9 image, newest 9.x (now 9.8): SELinux enforcing, root login disabled, key-only SSH, audit rules, PAM lockout and sysctl hardening, each verified on a booted instance. 8GB size (no LVM), UEFI/GPT, cloud-init, ENA and NVMe.
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for a hardened, minimal Rocky Linux 9.7 image: SELinux enforcing, root login disabled, key-only SSH, audit rules, PAM lockout and sysctl hardening, each verified on a booted instance. 8GB size (no LVM), UEFI/GPT, cloud-init, ENA and NVMe.
This Rocky Linux 9 Minimal image has charges associated with it for security hardening and optimization provided by ProComputers. Rocky Linux 9 Minimal delivers a streamlined, secure, and fully open-source base operating system optimized for modern cloud workloads on AWS EC2. This Rocky 9 Minimal image focuses on providing a compact and efficient core environment, making it ideal as a standardized foundation for building custom appliances, layered application stacks, and reproducible golden images. The Rocky Linux 9 Minimal AMI enables rapid provisioning, consistent updates through official Rocky Linux 9 repositories, and complete cloud-init support for automated configuration. With ENA networking, SELinux enforcement, and full compatibility with RHEL 9, Rocky9 Minimal offers a predictable, high-performance platform for development, CI/CD pipelines, and production environments that demand stability and fine-grained control.
This Rocky Linux 9.8 Minimal image has charges associated with it for security hardening and optimization provided by ProComputers. Rocky Linux 9.8 Minimal represents a modern, forward-looking release of the Rocky Linux 9 platform in its most compact and streamlined form, delivering a balance between innovation, stability, and long-term platform consistency. This Rocky Linux 9.8 AMI provides a minimal base operating system for AWS EC2, designed to serve as a clean and efficient foundation on top of which custom appliances, application stacks, and cloud platforms can be built and validated. With ENA networking, SELinux enforcement, and full compatibility with RHEL 9, Rocky9 ensures dependable performance while enabling precise control over installed components. Built, tested, and continuously maintained by ProComputers, this Rocky Linux 9.8 Minimal image is production-ready and optimized for scalability, security, and predictable behavior in modern AWS environments.
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