EBS Snapshot vs AMI: Backup Building Blocks Compared

Both are 'copies' of EC2 state, but they answer different questions: an EBS snapshot backs up a single volume's data; an AMI is a launchable image bundling the root volume snapshot plus configuration (instance type, permissions, block device mappings).

EBS snapshots

Point-in-time, incremental backups of one volume stored in S3. Copy them across AZs/Regions for DR, resize on restore, or share across accounts. Use snapshots to protect data volumes and to seed new volumes.

AMIs

An AMI packages the root volume snapshot + launch metadata so new instances boot identically. Use AMIs for golden images, Auto Scaling launch templates, and replicating a configured instance across Regions (copy AMI).

Which does the scenario need?

• 'Back up the data on this volume' → EBS snapshot
• 'Launch identical instances in another Region/AZ' → AMI
• 'Restore a database volume after corruption' → snapshot → new volume
• 'Standardize a hardened image for the fleet' → AMI pipeline