App2Container command reference - AWS App2Container
Containerization phasesUtility commands

App2Container command reference

Tip

To containerize your applications with a console-based experience and deploy them on Amazon ECS on AWS Fargate, you can use the Replatform applications to Amazon ECS template on the AWS Migration Hub Orchestrator console. For more information, see Replatform applications to Amazon ECS in the AWS Migration Hub Orchestrator User Guide.

AWS App2Container is a command line tool that transforms supported legacy applications running on physical servers or virtual machines into applications that run in Docker containers on Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, or AWS App Runner.

Important

Running App2Container commands on a Linux server requires elevated permissions. Prefix the command syntax with sudo, or run the sudo su command one time when you log in before running the commands as shown in the syntax for the commands linked below.

Containerization phases

The containerization process has several phases.

Initialize

The init command performs one-time initialization tasks for App2Container. This interactive command prompts for the information required to set up the local App2Container environment. Run this command before you run any other App2Container commands. If you are using a worker machine to run commands remotely on application servers, you must also run the remote configure command on the worker machine.

init

Run the init command to configure the AWS App2Container workspace on your application servers and worker machines. If you are using a worker machine, and running commands remotely, the init command is only required on the worker machine.

remote configure

After setting up remote access for the worker machine on your application server (see Enable remote access for a worker machine (optional)), run the remote configure command on the worker machine to configure the connections needed to run remote workflows on application servers. This interactive command prompts for the required information for each application server that you enter.

Analyze

After you have completed setup and initialization tasks on your servers, you can begin the analyze phase. Run the version of these commands that applies to your server setup:

Run commands directly on application servers
inventory

Run the inventory command to produce an inventory of applications that are running on your application servers, and to assign each one a unique ID to use when you run other commands.

analyze

Run the analyze command to analyze your running applications and to identify dependencies that are required for containerization. This command creates the analysis.json file that feeds into the Transform phase commands.

Run commands remotely from a worker machine
remote inventory

Run the remote inventory command from your worker machine to produce an inventory of applications that are running on your target application server and to assign each one a unique ID to use when you run other commands.

remote analyze

Run the remote analyze command from your worker machine to analyze the applications running on your target application server, and to identify dependencies that are required for containerization. This command creates the analysis.json file that feeds into the Transform phase commands.

Transform

The transform phase creates containers for your applications that have gone through analysis. Run the version of these commands that applies to your server setup:

Run the extract directly on application servers, or run the remote extract from a worker machine
extract

Run the extract command on your application server to generate an application archive based on the analysis.json file, created by the analyze command. Transfer the archive to the worker machine for the remaining steps that require the operating system to support containers.

remote extract

Run the remote extract command from your worker machine to generate an application archive for the applications running on your target application server, based on the analysis.json file that was created by the analyze command.

Run all remaining commands directly on application servers or on a worker machine
containerize

Run the containerize command for the application specified in the --application id parameter to do the following:

  • Extract application artifacts or read from an extract archive for the specified application. For complex, multi-component Windows applications, this also applies to any additional applications or services that run in the same container.

  • Generate Docker container artifacts, including a Dockerfile and container image, based on the application artifacts, and the application settings in the analysis.json file.

  • Create the deployment.json file for input to the generate app-deployment command

Deploy

The deploy phase consists of deploying an application to your target container management environment (Amazon ECR with Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, or AWS App Runner), and optionally creating a CI/CD pipeline to automate future deployments.

generate app-deployment
Option 1: Generate deployment artifacts and deploy directly

Run the generate app-deployment command with the --deploy option to generate container deployment artifacts and to deploy them to your target environment all in one step.

Option 2: Generate deployment artifacts and customize

  • Run the generate app-deployment command without the deployment option to generate deployment artifacts.

  • Review and customize the generated Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, or AWS App Runner deployment artifacts.

  • Deploy to your target environment using the AWS CLI or AWS console.

generate pipeline (optional)
Option 1: Generate CI/CD pipeline artifacts and deploy directly

Run the generate pipeline command with the --deploy option to generate CI/CD pipeline artifacts and to deploy them with AWS CodePipeline all in one step.

Option 2: Generate CI/CD pipeline artifacts and customize

  • Run the generate pipeline command without the deployment option to generate pipeline artifacts.

  • Review and customize the generated pipeline artifacts.

  • Deploy to your target environment using the AWS CLI or AWS console.

Utility commands

The following additional commands help you maintain AWS App2Container in your environment.

upgrade

Run the upgrade command to upgrade your existing installation of App2Container. This command checks if there is a newer version of App2Container available, and automatically upgrades if doing so will not break backwards compatibility with previously generated container artifacts.

upload-support-bundle

Run the upload-support-bundle command for assistance from the AWS App2Container team for troubleshooting a command failure. This command securely uploads App2Container logs and supporting artifacts, and an optional message for your troubleshooting request to the AWS App2Container team.