Documentation history of changes to the Image Builder user guide - EC2 Image Builder

Documentation history of changes to the Image Builder user guide

The following table describes important changes to the documentation by date. For notification about updates to this documentation, you can subscribe to an RSS feed.

  • API version: 2023-12-12

ChangeDescriptionDate

Document support for logical operators in AWS Task Orchestrator and Executor

Use logical operators to add or modify conditional expressions in your component document.

August 16, 2024

Document support for conditional constructs in AWS Task Orchestrator and Executor

Use conditional constructs like the "if" statement to direct the flow of control for component actions in your component document.

August 16, 2024

Document support for comparison operators in AWS Task Orchestrator and Executor

Use comparison operators to compare values in your component document.

August 16, 2024

Added Assert action module

Added documentation for the ExecuteDocument action module under General execution.

August 14, 2024

Operating system support

Added support for RHEL 9 and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

August 2, 2024

Document update: Reorganize content

Reorganized documentation to improve presentation and navigation.

June 21, 2024

STIG Q2 updates

Updated Linux STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2024 second quarter release. Added support for RHEL 9, CentOS Stream 9, and Ubuntu 22.04. There were no changes to Windows versions.

May 10, 2024

STIG Q1 updates

Updated Linux STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2024 first quarter release. There were no changes to Windows versions.

February 23, 2024

STIG Q1 updates

Updated Linux STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2024 first quarter release. There were no changes to Windows versions.

February 23, 2024

Feature release: Image workflow management

With image workflows, you have more flexibility, visibility, and control over the image creation process. You can customize build and test steps for your workflows, or you can use the Image Builder default workflow.

December 12, 2023

STIG Q4 updates

Updated Linux STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2023 fourth quarter release. There were no changes to Windows versions. Also updated Linux and Windows SCAP for new component, software, and benchmark numbers.

December 7, 2023

Feature release: Image lifecycle management

With image lifecycle management policies and rules, you can define your resource management strategy to ensure that outdated images and their associated resources go through a process of tagging and removal.

November 17, 2023

IAM policy update: service role

Updated the service-linked role policy for instance placement support. For more information, see the AWSServiceRoleForImageBuilder policy.

October 19, 2023

STIG Q3 updates

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2023 third quarter release. Additionally updated messaging to clarify that third-party packages are not automatically installed, with very few exceptions. All skipped STIGs are logged.

October 5, 2023

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2023 second quarter release.

May 3, 2023

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2023 first quarter release. Added support for AL2023.

April 14, 2023

Update supported Regions for AWSTOE

Added AWSTOE support for the following AWS Regions: Asia Pacific (Hyderabad), Asia Pacific (Jakarta), Europe (Zurich), Europe (Spain), and Middle East (UAE).

April 13, 2023

AWSTOE application download updates

Updated the signature for the AWSTOE installation download on Windows. Also updated TLS note that application downloads from S3 buckets now require TLS version 1.2 or later.

March 31, 2023

Feature release: Enhanced build workflows

Added runtime details for image builds in the new workflow tab in the image build version details. Improved information for troubleshooting builds.

March 30, 2023

Feature release: CVE detection and reporting

For accounts that have activated Amazon Inspector scans, Image Builder can capture the common vulnerability and exposures (CVE) findings from Amazon Inspector during the test stage of the build process for new images, including container images stored in Amazon ECR. Image Builder creates a snapshot of the findings to support detail analysis. Image Builder also reports on findings counts that can be filtered by account, by pipeline, or by image, with the ability to drill down on details.

March 30, 2023

Added version history

Added version history to the Windows and Linux sections.

February 17, 2023

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2022 fourth quarter release.

February 1, 2023

Feature release: AWS Marketplace integration and CIS hardening

Added AWS Marketplace integration to easily find and use a subscribed image as the baseline for a new custom image, including CIS Hardened Images and a new CIS Hardening component from the Center for Internet Security.

January 13, 2023

CIS hardening components

Added CIS hardening components that are owned and maintained by CIS.

January 13, 2023

New STIG Versions

Introduced Ubuntu support, updated STIG versions, and applied STIGS for 2022 second quarter release.

July 20, 2022

Document update: Navigation for Create YAML component document page

Moved the Create YAML component document content to its own page, and updated other pages to reference it.

June 7, 2022

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2022 first quarter release.

April 25, 2022

Added ExecuteDocument action module

Added documentation for the ExecuteDocument action module under General execution.

March 28, 2022

Feature release: Support for faster launching Windows AMI

Added distribution configuration settings to support faster launching for Windows AMIs.

February 21, 2022

Maintenance release: Update AWSTOE binary thumbprint

Updated binary thumbprint for AWSTOE signer certificate.

February 18, 2022

Feature release: Configure input for AWSTOE

Added support for using a JSON configuration file as input for the AWSTOE run command.

February 3, 2022

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2021 fourth quarter release. Also added a section for new SCAP Compliance Checker (SCC) components.

December 22, 2021

Feature release: VM Import/Export (VMIE) integration

Added support for VM import via all channels (console, API/CLI, etc.), and for VM export via API/CLI. VM export is not currently available from the Image Builder console.

December 20, 2021

Feature release: AMI sharing for AWS Organizations and OUs

Updated distribution configuration to add support for sharing output AMIs with AWS Organizations and OUs.

November 24, 2021

Document update: Update component stages and phases

Expanded content for component stages in Image Builder, and how those interact with AWSTOE component phases.

September 22, 2021

Document update: Add CloudTrail integration content

Added monitoring summary and CloudTrail integration content.

September 17, 2021

New STIG Versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2021 third quarter release.

September 10, 2021

Feature release: Amazon EventBridge integration

Added EventBridge support that enables you to connect Image Builder with events from related AWS services, and initiate events based on rules defined in EventBridge.

August 18, 2021

Document update: Reorder AWSTOE pages

Rearranged AWSTOE pages for clarity.

August 11, 2021

Feature release: Parameterized components and additional instance configuration

Added support for specifying parameters to customize components for recipes. Expanded configuration of the EC2 instances that are used for building and testing images, including the ability to specify commands to run on launch, and more control over installation and removal of the Systems Manager agent.

July 7, 2021

New STIG versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS for 2021 second quarter release.

June 30, 2021

Enhancement: Tagging enhancements

Improved messaging around resource tagging.

June 25, 2021

Feature release: Launch template integration

Added support for using Amazon EC2 launch templates for AMI distribution in the Distribution settings.

April 7, 2021

Feature release: Container build enhancements

Added support for configuring block device mappings and specifying AMIs to use as the base image for container builds.

April 7, 2021

New STIG versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS.

March 5, 2021

Update cron expressions

Image Builder cron processing is updated to increase cron expression granularity to the minute, and use a standard cron scheduling engine. Examples are updated with the new format.

February 8, 2021

Feature release: Container support

Added support for creating Docker container images using Image Builder, with registration and storage of the resulting images on Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR). Content has been rearranged to reflect new functionality and accomodate future growth.

December 17, 2020

Restructured cron documentation

This page now highlights more information about how cron works with Image Builder pipeline builds, and includes details about UTC time. Wildcards that are not allowed for specific fields have been removed. Examples now include expression samples for both console and CLI.

November 13, 2020

Console version 2.0: updated pipeline editing

Content changes in getting started and create pipeline tutorials, plus the manage image pipelines page, to incorporate new console features and flow.

November 13, 2020

New STIG versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS. Note - list format changed to show STIGs that are applied by default.

October 15, 2020

Support for looping constructs in AWSTOE

Create looping constructs to define a repeated sequence of instructions in the AWSTOE application.

July 29, 2020

Support for local development of AWSTOE components

Develop and test image components locally with the AWSTOE application.

July 28, 2020

Encrypted AMIs

EC2 Image Builder adds support for encrypted AMI distribution.

July 1, 2020

AutoScaling deprecation

Deprecation of the use of AutoScaling to launch instances.

June 15, 2020

Support for connectivity through AWS PrivateLink

You can establish a private connection between your VPC and EC2 Image Builder by creating an interface VPC endpoint. Interface endpoints are powered by AWS PrivateLink, a technology that enables you to privately access Image Builder APIs without an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN connection, or AWS Direct Connect connection. Instances in your VPC don't need public IP addresses to communicate with Image Builder APIs. Traffic between your VPC and Image Builder does not leave the Amazon network.

June 10, 2020

New STIG versions

Updated STIG versions and applied STIGS.

January 23, 2020

Troubleshooting

Added general troubleshooting scenarios.

January 22, 2020

STIG Components

You can create STIG-compliant images with AWSTOE STIG components.

January 22, 2020