Amazon EC2 instances are tied to specific AWS regions, and while direct migration across regions isn't possible, you can move an instance by using Amazon Machine Images (AMI) for reasons like latency, compliance, or cost.

1. Create an AMI of Your EC2 Instance

1. Go to the EC2 Dashboard.

2. Select your instance → Actions → Image → Create Image.

3. Give it a name (e.g., myapp-server-ami).

4. AWS will create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI).

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2. Copy AMI to Target Region

1. In the EC2 console, go to AMIs.

2. Select the created AMI → Actions → Copy AMI.

3. Choose the destination region.

4. Wait until the AMI is available in the new region.

👉 Behind the scenes, AWS copies the underlying snapshot(s) to the target region.

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3. Launch EC2 in the New Region

1. Switch your console to the destination region.

2. Go to AMIs, select the copied AMI.

3. Click Launch instance.

4. Choose:

   • Instance type

   • VPC/Subnet

   • Security groups (must be recreated, they don’t migrate automatically).

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4. Handle Data Migration (if needed)

• If your instance uses EBS volumes:

  • Snapshots are copied along with the AMI.

• If your app stores data locally or in databases (RDS/MySQL):

  • Use database replication, S3 sync, or AWS DataSync.

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5. Update Networking

• Elastic IPs cannot move across regions. Allocate a new one.

• Update Route 53 (DNS) to point to the new instance.

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6. Validate

• SSH into the new instance.

• Check services are running.

• Test website/application accessibility.

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⚡ Alternate Methods

• EC2 Image Builder → automates cross-region image distribution.

• CloudEndure Migration Service → good for large-scale migrations.

• AWS Backup → can copy backups across regions and restore.

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