Key resources and components - Amazon GameLift

Key resources and components

Create the following resources in your AWS account before you set up your game hosting resources with Amazon GameLift FleetIQ. As a best practice, develop and test your game server deployment with these resources before using them through a game server group.

  • Amazon Machine Image (AMI). An AMI is a template for a specific software configuration that you want to launch with your Amazon EC2 instances. For game hosting, your AMI includes an operating system, your game server binaries or container, and other runtime software that your game server requires. For more information about creating an AMI, refer to Amazon Machine Images in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. AMIs are Region-specific. You can copy an AMI from one Region to another, as described in Copying AMIs in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

  • Amazon EC2 launch template. A launch template provides instructions for launching and managing instances in an Auto Scaling group. It specifies an AMI, provides a list of suitable instance types, and sets network, security, and other properties. For more information about creating a launch template, see Launching an Instance from a Launch Template in the Amazon EC2 User Guide. Launch templates are Region-specific.

  • AWS IAM role. An IAM role defines a set of permissions that allow limited access to AWS resources. A trusted entity, such as another AWS service, can assume the role and inherit its permissions. When using Amazon GameLift FleetIQ, you must provide an IAM role with a managed policy that allows Amazon GameLift FleetIQ to create and access Auto Scaling groups and EC2 instance resources in your AWS account. IAM roles are not Region-specific.

Amazon GameLift FleetIQ manages the following resources directly and has direct authority over them.

  • GameLift game server group. A game server group contains configuration settings that define how Amazon GameLift FleetIQ works with a corresponding Auto Scaling group to deliver low-cost game hosting. Game server groups are Region-specfic. When you create a game server group in a Region, a new Auto Scaling group is automatically created in your AWS account in the same Region. The game server group is linked to the Auto Scaling group and has access (by assuming the IAM role) to manage and modify some of its settings. A game server group is a long-lived resource; developers should expect to create them infrequently. A game server group is also a functional grouping resource for game servers that are hosted on instances in the Auto Scaling group and registered with Amazon GameLift FleetIQ.

  • GameLift game server. A game server resource represents a game execution that is running on an instance associated with a Amazon GameLift FleetIQ game server group. This resource is created when a game server registers with Amazon GameLift FleetIQ and identifies the game server group it belongs to. Amazon GameLift FleetIQ tracks the utilization status and claim status of each registered game server, which enables it to monitor game server availability. Game servers are Region-specific in that they are associated with a Region-specific game server group. When your game requests a new game server, it specifies the game server group and Region.

These resources are created through Amazon GameLift FleetIQ resources. They are created in your AWS account and you have full control of them.

  • Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling group. An Auto Scaling group launches and manages a collection of EC2 instances, and automatically scales group capacity. With Amazon GameLift FleetIQ, there is a one-to-one relationship between the game server group and the Auto Scaling group. While you can update all settings for an Auto Scaling group, Amazon GameLift FleetIQ periodically overrides and updates certain settings as part of its logic to balance Spot Instances for game hosting viability. For more information, see AutoScalingGroup in the Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling User Guide. Auto Scaling groups are Region-specific; they are created in the same Region as the game server group.

  • Amazon EC2 Instance. An instance is a virtual server in the cloud. Instance types have specific hardware configurations that specify compute, memory, disk, and network resources. They are typically launched by an Auto Scaling group with an AMI. Instances can be Spot or On-Demand, depending on availability. With Amazon GameLift FleetIQ, instances run one or multiple game server processes, each of which can host multiple game sessions. Instances are Region-specific in that they are associated with a Region-specific Auto Scaling group.