Migrating ROS applications to containers - AWS RoboMaker

End of support notice: On September 10, 2025, AWS will discontinue support for AWS RoboMaker. After September 10, 2025, you will no longer be able to access the AWS RoboMaker console or AWS RoboMaker resources. For more information on transitioning to AWS Batch to help run containerized simulations, visit this blog post.

Migrating ROS applications to containers

Starting in October of 2021, AWS RoboMaker expanded support to enable any set of robot and simulation software. Previously, Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo were the only supported robot and simulation software configurations allowed to run in AWS RoboMaker. With this change, you can now configure any robot and simulation software of your choice while running simulations in AWS RoboMaker.

What does this mean for customers that would like to continue to use ROS and Gazebo?

It means you are required to move to a Docker-based workflow to build your own application containers for use in AWS RoboMaker. Docker is an industry standard tool that allows developers to bundle their application's dependencies and ship their software as a bundled package (container). For more information, see Docker basics for Amazon ECS. The images that you use must meet the requirements listed in Requirements for AWS RoboMaker compatible containers.

What if I'm already using ROS based containers?

Then you're most of the way there! You must update the software suite of your Robot and Simulation application from ROS related software suites to General and Simulation runtime software suite via the AWS console or CLI. Then, follow the steps for Running a simulation.

How to migrate to a Docker-based workflow

  1. Choose one of the following tutorials depending on your desired version of ROS and follow the steps within it.

  2. After you have created containers, you can proceed to submitting your simulation job.