# What Is Amazon WorkSpaces Applications?
<a name="what-is-appstream"></a>

Amazon WorkSpaces Applications is a fully managed application streaming service that provides users with instant access to their desktop applications from anywhere. WorkSpaces Applications manages the AWS resources required to host and run your applications, scales automatically, and provides access to your users on demand. WorkSpaces Applications provides users access to applications they need on the device of their choice, with a responsive, fluid user experience that is indistinguishable from natively installed applications. 

With WorkSpaces Applications, you can easily add your existing desktop applications to AWS and enable your users to instantly stream them. Windows users can use either the WorkSpaces Applications client or an HTML5-capable web browser for application streaming. You can maintain a single version of each of your applications, which makes application management easier. Your users always access the latest versions of their applications. Your applications run on AWS compute resources, and data is never stored on users' devices, which means they always get a high performance, secure experience.

Unlike traditional on-premises solutions for desktop application streaming, WorkSpaces Applications offers pay-as-you-go pricing, with no upfront investment and no infrastructure to maintain. You can scale instantly and globally, ensuring that your users always have the best possible experience.

For more information, see [WorkSpaces Applications](https://aws.amazon.com/appstream2/details).

**Topics**
+ [

# Features of Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
](what-is-features.md)
+ [

# Key Concepts of Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
](what-is-concepts.md)
+ [

# How to Get Started with Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
](what-is-how-to-start.md)
+ [

# Accessing Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
](what-is-accessing.md)

# Features of Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
<a name="what-is-features"></a>

Using Amazon WorkSpaces Applications provides the following advantages:

**Access desktop applications securely from any supported device**  
Your desktop applications can be accessed securely through an HTML5-capable web browser on Windows and Linux PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, iPads, and Android tablets. Or, for supported versions of Windows, the WorkSpaces Applications client can be used for application streaming.

**Secure applications and data**  
Applications and data remain on AWS — only encrypted pixels are streamed to users. Applications run on an WorkSpaces Applications instance dedicated to each user so that compute resources are not shared. Applications can run inside your own virtual private cloud (VPC), and you can use Amazon VPC security features to control access. This enables you to isolate your applications and deliver them in a secure way.

**Consistent, scalable performance**  
WorkSpaces Applications runs on AWS with access to compute capabilities not available on local devices, which means that your applications run with consistently high performance. You can instantly scale locally and globally, and ensure that your users always get a low-latency experience. Unlike on-premises solutions, you can quickly deploy your applications to the AWS region that is closest to your users, and start streaming with no incremental capital investment.

**Integrate with your IT environment**  
Integrate with your existing AWS services and your on-premises environments. By running applications inside your VPCs, your users can access data and other resources that you have in AWS. This reduces the movement of data between AWS and your environment and provides a faster user experience.  
Integrate with your existing Microsoft Active Directory environment. This enables you to use existing Active Directory governance, user experience, and security policies with your streaming applications.  
Configure identity federation, which allows your users to access their applications using their corporate credentials. You can also allow authenticated access to your IT resources from applications running on WorkSpaces Applications.

**Choose the fleet type that meets your needs**  
These are the types of fleets:  
+ Always-On — Streaming instances run all the time, even when no users are streaming applications and desktops. Streaming instances must be provisioned before a user is able to stream. The number of streaming instances provisioned is managed through auto scaling rules. For more information, see [Fleet Auto Scaling for Amazon WorkSpaces Applications](autoscaling.md).

  When your users choose their application or desktop, they will start streaming instantly. You are charged the running instance fee for all streaming instances, even when no users are streaming.
+ On-Demand — Streaming instances run only when users are streaming applications and desktops. Streaming instances not yet assigned to users are in a stopped state. Streaming instances must be provisioned before a user is able to stream. The number of streaming instances provisioned is managed through auto scaling rules. For more information, see [Fleet Auto Scaling for Amazon WorkSpaces Applications](autoscaling.md).

  When your users choose their application or desktop, they will start streaming after a 1-2 minute wait. You are charged a lower stopped instance fee for streaming instances that are not yet assigned to users, and the running instance fee for streaming instances that are assigned to users.
+ Elastic — The pool of streaming instances is managed by WorkSpaces Applications. When your users select their application or desktop to launch, they will start streaming after the app block has been downloaded and mounted to a streaming instance. 

  You are charged the running instance fee for Elastic fleet streaming instances only for the duration of the streaming session, in seconds.
For more information, see [Amazon WorkSpaces Applications Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/appstream2/pricing/).

# Key Concepts of Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
<a name="what-is-concepts"></a>

To get the most out of WorkSpaces Applications, be familiar with the following concepts:

**application**  
An *application* contains the information necessary to launch the application that you want to stream to your users. An application is associated with the resource that contains the files necessary to launch the application, such as an app block or image.

**app block**  
An *app block* contains the application files that you want to stream to your users, and the details necessary to configure it.

**app block builder**  
An *app block builder* is a virtual machine that you use to create an app block. You can launch and connect to an app block builder by using the WorkSpaces Applications console. After you connect to an appblock builder, you can install your application(s). App block builder packages your app contents, uploads it to an Amazon S3 bucket, and completes app block creation.

**image builder**  
An *image builder* is a virtual machine that you use to create an image. You can launch and connect to an image builder by using the WorkSpaces Applications console. After you connect to an image builder, you can install, add, and test your applications, and then use the image builder to create an image. You can launch new image builders by using private images that you own.

**image**  
An *image* contains applications that you can stream to your users, and default system and application settings to enable your users to get started with their applications quickly. AWS provides base images that you can use to create image builders to then create images that include your own applications. After you create an image, you can't change it. To add other applications, update existing applications, or change image settings, you must create a new image. You can copy your images to other AWS Regions or share them with other AWS accounts in the same Region. your users, and default system and application settings to enable your users to get started with their applications quickly. 

**fleet**  
A *fleet* consists of fleet instances (also known as streaming instances) that run the applications and desktops that you specify. 

**stack**  
A *stack* consists of an associated fleet, user access policies, and storage configurations. You set up a stack to start streaming applications to users.

**streaming instance**  
A *streaming instance* (also known as a fleet instance) is an EC2 instance that is made available to a single user for application streaming. After the user’s session completes, the instance is terminated by EC2.

**user pool**  
Use the *user pool* to manage users and their assigned stacks.

**auto scaling rules**  
*Auto scaling rules* are schedule-based and usage-based policies that you can apply to an Always-On or On-Demand fleet to automatically manage the number of streaming instances available for users to stream from.

**multi-session**  
A *multi-session* fleet allows you to provision more than one user session on a single fleet instance. The underlying infrastructure resources are shared across all of the user sessions.   
Multi-session is available only on Always-on and On-demand fleets powered by a Windows operating system. Multi-session is not available on Elastic fleets or the Linux operating system.  
Make sure you are using latest WorkSpaces Applications images for multi-session fleets. To keep your images are up-to-date, see [Keep Your Amazon WorkSpaces Applications Image Up-to-Date](keep-image-updated.md). For details on supported images and WorkSpaces Applications agent versions for multi-session, see [WorkSpaces Applications Base Image and Managed Image Update Release Notes](base-image-version-history.md).

# How to Get Started with Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
<a name="what-is-how-to-start"></a>

If you are using WorkSpaces Applications for the first time, you can use the **Try it Now **feature or follow the [Get Started with Amazon WorkSpaces Applications: Set Up With Sample Applications](getting-started.md) tutorial (both are available in the WorkSpaces Applications console).
+ **Try It Now **provides you with a free trial experience that allows you to easily start desktop applications from your desktop browser. 
+ The Getting Started tutorial enables you to set up application streaming by using sample applications or your own applications. If you decide to start by using sample applications, you can always add your own applications later.

  For more information about these two options, see [Amazon WorkSpaces Applications FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/appstream2/faqs/).

When you use the service for the first time, WorkSpaces Applications creates an [AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)](https://aws.amazon.com/iam/faqs/) role to create and manage WorkSpaces Applications resources on your behalf. 

**To use the Try It Now feature**

1. Open the WorkSpaces Applications console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/appstream2/home](https://console.aws.amazon.com/appstream2/home).

1. Choose **Try it now**.

1. Sign in using your AWS account credentials, if requested.

1. Read the terms and conditions and choose **Agree and Continue**.

1. From the list of applications shown, select one to try.

**To run the Getting Started tutorial**

1. Open the WorkSpaces Applications console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/appstream2/home](https://console.aws.amazon.com/appstream2/home).

1. Choose **Get Started**.

1. Select the option to learn more about WorkSpaces Applications resources.

# Accessing Amazon WorkSpaces Applications
<a name="what-is-accessing"></a>

You can work with WorkSpaces Applications using any of the following interfaces:

**AWS Management Console**  
The console is a browser-based interface to manage WorkSpaces Applications resources. For more information, see [Get Started with Amazon WorkSpaces Applications: Set Up With Sample Applications](getting-started.md).

**AWS command line tools**  
AWS provides two sets of command line tools: the [AWS Command Line Interface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/) (AWS CLI) and the [AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/userguide/). To use the AWS CLI to run WorkSpaces Applications commands, see [Amazon WorkSpaces Applications Command Line Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/appstream/).

**AWS SDKs**  
You can access WorkSpaces Applications from a variety of programming languages. The SDKs automatically take care of tasks such as the following:  
+ Setting up an WorkSpaces Applications stack or fleet
+ Getting an application streaming URL to your stack
+ Describing your resources
For more information, see [Tools for Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/tools/).