🧠 What is EC2 Fast Launch?
EC2 Fast Launch improves launch time for Windows EC2 instances by pre-initializing AMI snapshots, resulting in:
⚡ Faster instance boot times
⏱️ Reduced wait for RDP and service readiness
🔁 Better support for auto-scaling, blue/green deployments, or patch testing
🛠️ How to Enable EC2 Fast Launch (via Console)
Open the Amazon EC2 Console:
👉 https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/
In the left navigation pane, choose Images > AMIs.
Select your Windows AMI by checking the box next to its name.
Click on Actions > Configure fast launch.
On the configuration page:
✅ Check "Enable fast launch for Windows"
📊 Choose your anticipated launch frequency — AWS uses this to maintain pre-provisioned snapshots matching your launch volume.
Click Save changes.
❌ How to Disable EC2 Fast Launch
Open the EC2 Console > AMIs section.
Select the AMI you want to update.
Click Actions > Configure fast launch.
On the page:
❎ Uncheck the "Enable fast launch for Windows" box.
🔄 This will delete pre-provisioned snapshots and revert the AMI to standard launch behavior.
Click Save changes.
📝 Note: If you want to enable it again later, you'll need to reconfigure everything after snapshots are removed.
📈 Why It Matters
🚀 Launch Windows instances faster without the setup hassle
💡 Simplifies infrastructure for automation and CI/CD
🔧 Works even without a Default VPC
🛡️ Ideal for custom networking setups and scale-out scenarios
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