What it is: A template that contains the OS and initial software configuration for an EC2 instance.

What it’s for:

• Launch instances with the same base OS setup.
• Create “golden images” for consistent deployments.

Key ideas:

• AMIs are regional (copy to another Region if needed).
• You can create your own AMI from an existing instance.

Exam cues:

• “preconfigured server image” → AMI.
• “standardize deployments” → custom AMI.

Hard words:

• *template* /ˈtemplət/: mẫu
• *configuration* /kənˌfɪɡjəˈreɪʃn/: cấu hình
• *golden image* /ˈɡoʊldən ˈɪmɪdʒ/: ảnh chuẩn dùng chung