CIS Hardened Image STIG on Amazon Linux 2

I use Amazon Linux  to host applications, specifically as an OS platform on our servers, EC2  servers. Our main use case for Amazon Linux  is that it is well optimized, making it pretty fast.

The best features Amazon Linux offers include being lightweight because it does not have many preinstalled libraries, and it is compatible with Amazon hardware, which is why I use it in EC2  virtual machines to run applications, making the ecosystem smooth and the setup very easy, requiring minimal time.

The lightweight nature of Amazon Linux has helped our organization since the storage required is minimal, and background activities and processes are less because libraries are not installed from the start, allowing me to customize library installation as needed.

There is no clutter in Amazon Linux; it is similar to core Linux, which causes no confusion.

Amazon Linux has positively impacted my organization by making shipment and deployment faster and easier, which has saved us time, cost, and increased our productivity.

In terms of time savings, previously deployment took around two hours, but now it has become half that time since I switched to Amazon Linux, and the changes and updates have been smooth, making the migration of legacy parts not that difficult.

When I started using Amazon Linux, the username and password to connect to SSH was difficult to find out, but I think it could be a little easier. If you get used to it, then it is not that hard, and actually, it is very easy to use.

I have been using Amazon Linux for two years on their cloud.

Amazon Linux is stable with no issues.

Amazon Linux's scalability is suitable for large-scale production, and while the customer support is good, I have not had a chance to contact them. They also have an AI chatbot for support which responds.

I rate customer support a 10 on 10.

Positive

I previously used Ubuntu  LTS in AWS , but it was a little heavy, consuming more memory, which is why I switched.

I do not have the exact numbers regarding return on investment, but obviously time has been saved, optimization has improved in replication, and costing has also been saved due to the memory efficiency Amazon Linux offers and the easy setup requiring fewer people to manage it.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that everything is clearly mentioned when creating EC2 containers, including the setup cost, pricing, and all. It is included in the EC2 pricing, which has zero licensing fees.

Before choosing Amazon Linux, I evaluated other options like Windows Server  and Ubuntu , and after comparing them, I concluded to use Amazon Linux due to its greater compatibility with EC2 since I have over 90% of my workload on EC2.

I would add that the documentation is well sorted, which guides the process.

I rate Amazon Linux a 10 on 10.

I give it a 10 because it aligns with my daily workflow, and since I have been using Amazon Linux, I have not tried any other platform, as it offers everything I need.

Amazon Linux handles security for our applications and servers easily and with well-sorted processes, as I have installed Nginx to expose the web server, which manages all traffic and things effectively.

Amazon Linux integrates with other AWS  services in my workflow in various ways, such as using Lambda and many other tools, making it faster since it is AWS, and improving internal communication between applications for easier and faster connections to them in a single platform. I also use AWS Systems Manager  and CloudWatch monitoring and logging with Amazon Linux.

I handle updates and patch management in Amazon Linux through a straightforward process, as they have streamlined it, requiring nothing to worry about at all. They cover everything, including the legacy part if there is a major change, using the DNF package manager, which only requires a single command.

The performance of Amazon Linux compared to other operating systems I have used, such as Windows or Ubuntu, is faster, lighter, and more compatible with Amazon, with better performance on EC2 due to its memory and boost efficiency, allowing it to boot really fast.

The documentation and community support for Amazon Linux are helpful, as I refer to it and find it easy to understand.

I manage scaling my applications with Amazon Linux simply with a single click on the EC2 instances.

My advice for others looking into using Amazon Linux is that if they want to save on cost, memory, and experience a smoother, faster interaction with the AWS ecosystem using EC2, I would recommend it.

I have nothing else to add about Amazon Linux. I rate Amazon Linux a 10 on 10 overall.

My primary use case was Amazon Linux  as the default operating system for EC2  instances supporting Docker-based container deployments, CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins , Kubernetes  worker nodes, back-end application servers, and monitoring and logging agents. I used Amazon Linux  as an operating system in the service known as Amazon EC2  in Amazon Web Services . Our workflow typically involved provisioning EC2 instances with Amazon Linux, configuring IAM  roles, installing Docker  and runtime dependencies, setting up services, and deploying applications via automated CI/CD pipelines. Amazon Linux acted as the core layer in our cloud architecture. After provisioning EC2 instances, we used yum as the package manager to install and manage system dependencies. Security updates were applied automatically through AWS  managed repositories, ensuring compliance and organizational security standards. Amazon Linux was used for both learning projects and production-like client deployments. Client identities cannot be disclosed, but its predictable update cycle and stability made it suitable for long-running services.

We used Amazon Linux for Docker  daemon and container runtimes, for Jenkins  agents and build servers, for NGINX  and many back-end services, for CloudWatch agents for metrics, and for log collection. During my internship at Cognizant, I extensively worked with Amazon Linux as the primary operating system for workloads deployed on AWS. Amazon Linux served as the base OS for EC2 instances, running Docker containers, CI/CD tools, monitoring agents, and back-end services. Amazon Linux is a purpose-built Linux distribution maintained by AWS, optimized for AWS infrastructure, and designed to deliver long-term stability and enhanced security. The tight integration with native AWS services provides a production-ready environment with minimal overhead, making it suitable for enterprise-grade cloud deployments. It significantly reduces operational complexity in AWS environments. A solid understanding of Linux system administration and AWS fundamentals is required for efficient usage.

I strongly recommend learning Linux system administration fundamentals and AWS core services such as EC2, IAM , VPC, and CloudWatch for setting up the instance and giving basic permissions for users to use it, and security and network basics. When combined with Docker, CI/CD pipelines, and AWS infrastructure, Amazon Linux becomes a powerful and reliable operating system for cloud-native applications.

The best features Amazon Linux offers is that it has many packages installed as an operating system. I can directly use tools such as Docker runtime, Jenkins, and any DevOps features such as Ansible  and many other tools. I can directly access it in the Linux environment using Amazon Linux. What stood out to me and made my experience better were the security updates. I continue to receive security updates so that bugs cannot come through the system.

Technical benefits include the AWS-optimized kernel, which is tuned for better EC2 performance, native IAM  integration for secure access without static credentials, and CloudWatch compatibility for system-level monitoring. It has a security-first design, including SE Linux support and rapid patching. Amazon Linux reduces operational risk by minimizing incompatibilities between the OS and AWS infrastructure.

Amazon Linux is highly stable. In my experience, EC2 instances run continuously for long periods without unexpected OS failures. Combined with AWS managed infrastructure, it provides enterprise-grade reliability suitable for production workloads. Amazon Linux scales efficiently with AWS. It supports horizontal scaling using EC2 Auto Scaling groups and vertical scaling by resizing instance types. It performs consistently under high CPU, memory, and input-output workloads. It is well-suited for microservices and container platforms and for high-traffic back-end systems.

From a technical perspective, Amazon Linux could improve in broader availability of third-party packages, simplified system-level troubleshooting tools, and more beginner-focused system administration documentation. New users often need time to understand the permissions of Linux, networking, system services, and AWS security models together.

Amazon Linux has some limitations, such as a smaller package ecosystem compared to Ubuntu . It requires deep Linux knowledge for troubleshooting. The AWS-centric design makes it less portable outside AWS.

I am not currently using Amazon Linux, but I used it during my entire internship with Cognizant, probably for five to six months.

Amazon Linux is highly stable. In my experience, EC2 instances run continuously for long periods without unexpected OS failures. Combined with AWS managed infrastructure, it provides enterprise-grade reliability suitable for production workloads.

Amazon Linux scales efficiently with AWS. It supports horizontal scaling using EC2 Auto Scaling groups and vertical scaling by resizing instance types. It performs consistently under high CPU, memory, and input-output workloads.

Regarding community support and customer services, AWS provides extensive documentation and security advisors for Amazon Linux. Most issues can be resolved using official AWS documentation, AWS knowledge bases, community forums, and internal support teams.

Previously, I used general-purpose Linux distributions such as Ubuntu . I switched to Amazon Linux because it is fully optimized for AWS infrastructure. It integrates more naturally with AWS services, and it provides long-term support without license costs.

The initial setup is moderately complex. Launching an EC2 instance with Amazon Linux is straightforward, but configuring IAM  roles, network security such as setting up VPC and security groups, and user permissions and services requires some foundational Linux and AWS knowledge. Once configured, daily operations are efficient and low-maintenance.

Amazon Linux delivers a positive return on investment by eliminating OS licensing costs, reducing maintenance overhead, improving operational stability, and accelerating DevOps and deployment workflows. While specialized knowledge is required, the long-term cost and reliability benefits outweigh the learning curve.

Amazon Linux is provided at no additional charge by AWS. This means I will not pay anything extra for the OS itself. AWS distributes and maintains Linux images free of licensing fees. Although Amazon Linux itself is free, I still incur AWS usage charges for the services I host on it.

If I am a new AWS customer, the AWS Free Tier typically includes, for the first six months, micro instances such as t2.micro or t3.micro for free, so I can use that.

Amazon Linux is an operating system, and I can install any of the other tools such as DevOps tools and other back-end services, back-end servers, and also AWS tools. I primarily used it in an EC2 instance, and an EC2 instance can be combined with any AWS tool, per my knowledge.

Amazon Linux is open to all AWS services. I can integrate any AWS service using Amazon Linux.

It is a cloud service that I use. The updates will be done by Amazon. I do not need to do anything. Amazon and AWS will handle the updates of Amazon Linux.

I rated this product nine out of ten.

Positive

I normally use Amazon Linux  for monolithic applications or websites as a web server. Amazon Linux  helps me run those monolithic applications or web servers by allowing us to install NGINX  or HTTPd using the package managers, RPM. Amazon Linux provides a secure, stable, and high-performance environment that is optimized for the AWS  ecosystem itself. It features deep AWS  services integration, long-term support, and performance tuning for EC2 , making it a reliable choice for monolithic applications.

I normally use Amazon Linux for containerized applications as well, such as EKS. As node groups in EKS, we use Amazon Linux AMIs. Since it is reliable, secure, and gives long-term support from Amazon AWS itself, it serves our needs well.

Considering the best features Amazon Linux offers, I would say the security and reliability stand out. The operating system has been optimized by AWS itself, so it is highly optimized. There are various pre-installed AWS tools inside it. It is Graviton  optimized for Arm-based workloads and has security by default with enhanced security, lifecycle, and deterministic updates. Upgrades are also good in this offering. It is cost-effective and works well with the modern toolchain.

Regarding those features, Amazon Linux benefits my day-to-day work by enhancing creativity and content generation with visuals in slides, video productions, and it is quite time-saving.

Regarding how Amazon Linux has impacted my organization positively, it helped us mostly with the costing part. Beyond that, the security posture has improved, which is always a big challenge in larger organizations.

Using Amazon Linux gives us a pay-as-you-go model, paying for fewer resources instead of a large upfront investment in hardware servers. I have seen various case studies which have helped save a lot of costs. Regarding security, I have seen very few incidents related to Amazon Linux. There are various kernel issues which we face in other operating systems, but not in Amazon Linux.

While VM images exist in other virtualization platforms, Amazon Linux is primarily designed for EC2  itself. Expanding official support for on-premise and hybrid scenarios would improve the flexibility for companies with multi-cloud setups. Additionally, expanded package repositories for third-party software would be beneficial. Compared to Ubuntu  or Red Hat, Amazon Linux has smaller communities and fewer third-party repositories. Documentation examples could be improved by providing more real-world, varied use case examples rather than just command references.

Amazon Linux should be easily upgradable. From Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023 requires a complete migration, as there is no direct in-place upgrade path. Having an easier upgrade path for migrating from one version to another would be really helpful. Standardized Yum behaviors would also help because Amazon Linux 2023 defaults to DNF, while Amazon Linux 2 was established using Yum workflows. This creates minor compatibility hurdles. Although we can use Yum, it would be better if those behaviors were standardized. Minor improvements could also be made regarding an enhanced terminal experience.

I did not rate Amazon Linux as a perfect ten because of the upgrade path and standardizing the package behaviors. The improvements I needed in Amazon Linux included the upgrade path, standardizing the package behaviors, and support for third-party software. That is why I rated it nine instead of ten.

I have been using Amazon Linux for the past seven years.

In my experience, Amazon Linux is stable. I have not faced any issues with stability.

In my experience, Amazon Linux's scalability is not an issue. I have not faced any issues with that.

The experience with customer support for Amazon Linux was very good. I interacted with them a couple of times and they were very helpful.

Positive

Previously, I was on a private cloud setup where we used to use Ubuntu  or Red Hat as per the customer requirements. Later on, I switched to Amazon Linux because of its security and compatibility and everything else it offers.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was really good. The cost is comparatively less, and since there is no license involved when we are using it within AWS itself, the setup was also quite simple. Overall, it was a good experience.

I took Amazon Linux from the Marketplace itself.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was really good. The cost is comparatively less, and since there is no license involved when we are using it within AWS itself, the setup was also quite simple. Overall, it was a good experience.

I have not explored any other options because Amazon Linux itself has a lot of options and features which really helped me with my applications deployment and everything else. If I wanted to explore alternatives, I would have considered Ubuntu, which is also similarly very good.

Most of what I would recommend relates to the security, performance, compatibilities, and support of Amazon Linux that I mentioned earlier. My advice is to not perform in-place upgrades. Try to identify the differences that exist between Amazon Linux 2 and 2023 before upgrading. I rated this product nine out of ten overall.

My main use case for Amazon Linux  is to run my production environment in a robust, scalable operating system. I have a SaaS platform where we run all our servers in Amazon, and we use Amazon Linux  as the operating system that serves all our servers to our customers.

Being a SaaS platform, we need to ensure the security of the platform that we are running, and Amazon Linux provides the latest and greatest patches with all the packages included, making it easier for us to manage. The best features Amazon Linux offers include a very good package management system where we can quickly install everything, and the packages are compatible and very performant with Graviton  processors. Graviton  is even cheaper, but we do not have much expertise on running things on Arm processors, so we rely on the operating system, which abstracts us from the Arm processor to the application. Amazon Linux helps us do that, and the performance is so high on these servers. They are fine-tuned in such a way that it can use the best out of the hardware. Amazon Linux has positively impacted our organization. We were running on normal servers which were expensive, and we moved to Graviton servers. If we had used any other operating system, there might have been many packaging issues with the modules that we are using, the classes, the objects, and other components. Amazon Linux comes with all the packages required to run on Graviton, which helped us reduce our cost. We were able to achieve almost 30% more improvement in performance on the servers and almost 10% reduction in cost.

Amazon Linux is currently available mostly in Amazon, but I would like to see it available outside as well. Amazon last provided some security patches that were not very fast, which was one reason I did not rate it higher, along with a few things, such as some particular versions of Python that are not readily available in Amazon Linux.

I have been using Amazon Linux for almost four years.

We have Amazon Linux servers which we have not restarted for almost three years, and the operating system is very robust. Once we received a security patch from Amazon through proactive updates, and we had to update it. Amazon Linux is stable.

Amazon Linux is highly scalable.

Previously, we were using CentOS , and we switched to Amazon Linux for better reliability and continuous support, as Amazon Linux was also a Fedora flavor.

I have seen a return on investment. As I mentioned earlier, we were able to increase the performance by at least 10 to 20% and also reduce the cost by up to 10%.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Amazon Linux is that it was decent, and in fact, it was good.

Before choosing Amazon Linux, I evaluated CentOS  as an option.

My advice to others looking into using Amazon Linux is that if you are moving to Graviton servers, Amazon Linux would be the best option, as you will get almost all the packages right away in Amazon Linux. I give this review a rating of 10.