Choose an Amazon Lightsail instance image
Last updated: May 30, 2023
Lightsail provides several options for you to create your virtual private server. This topic helps you decide which operating system (OS), application, or development stack is right for your project. We organized the applications by functional area (such as CMS and ecommerce).
Compare platforms
Lightsail has two platforms to choose from: Linux/Unix-based or Windows-based platforms. If you already have an application in mind, you probably already have an OS platform picked out. You can choose one of the following options to get started:
Compare operating systems
Lightsail has several operating systems to choose from.
Windows Server 2022
Lightsail running Windows Server is a fast and dependable environment for deploying applications using the Microsoft Web Platform. With Lightsail, you can run any compatible Windows-based solution on the high-performance, reliable, cost-effective AWS cloud computing platform. Common Windows use cases include Enterprise Windows-based application hosting, website and web service hosting, data processing, distributed testing, ASP.NET application hosting, and any other application requiring Windows software. For end of support information, see the Microsoft website.
Windows Server 2019
Lightsail running Windows Server is a fast and dependable environment for deploying applications using the Microsoft Web Platform. Lightsail enables you to run any compatible Windows-based solution on the high-performance, reliable, cost-effective AWS cloud computing platform. Common Windows use cases include Enterprise Windows-based application hosting, website and web service hosting, data processing, distributed testing, ASP.NET application hosting, and any other application requiring Windows software. For end of support information, see the Microsoft website.
Windows Server 2016
Lightsail running Windows Server is a fast and dependable environment for deploying applications using the Microsoft Web Platform. Lightsail enables you to run any compatible Windows-based solution on the high-performance, reliable, cost-effective AWS cloud computing platform. Common Windows use cases include Enterprise Windows-based application hosting, website and web service hosting, data processing, distributed testing, ASP.NET application hosting, and any other application requiring Windows software. For end of support information, see the Microsoft website.
Windows Server 2012 R2
Important
The Windows Server 2012 R2 blueprint will reach end of life and end of standard support on October 10, 2023. You will not be able to create new Lightsail instances with this blueprint on or after October 11, 2023.
Windows Server 2012 R2 is also available as a base operating system. If you're migrating an application from somewhere else to Lightsail, and it's not compatible with Windows Server 2016, you might want to use this base OS instead.
You can use Windows Server 2012 R2 for the same use cases that are listed under Windows Server 2016. For end of support information, see the Microsoft website.
Amazon Linux 2
Amazon Linux 2 is the current generation of Amazon Linux, a Linux server operating system from AWS. It provides a secure, stable, and high performance execution environment to develop and run cloud and enterprise applications. With Amazon Linux 2, you get an application environment that offers long term support with access to the latest innovations in Linux. Amazon Linux 2 is provided at no additional charge. For end of support information, see Amazon Linux 2 FAQs.
Learn more about Amazon Linux 2.
CentOS 7
CentOS is a Linux distribution that provides a free, enterprise-class, community-supported computing platform functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux. For end of support information, see the CentOS website.
CentOS Stream 9
CentOS Stream 9 is the next major release of the CentOS Stream distribution. CentOS Stream 9 is a continuously delivered distribution that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) development, positioned as a midstream between Fedora Linux and RHEL. It's designed to be functionally compatible with RHEL and provides a stable, predictable, manageable and reproducible Linux environment. For end of support information, see the CentOS website.
Debian 10 and 11
Debian is a free operating system, developed by thousands of volunteers from all over the world who collaborate over the internet. The Debian project's key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication to the Debian Social Contract and Free Software, and its commitment to provide the best operating system possible. This new release is another important step in that direction. For end of support information, see the Debian website.
FreeBSD 12
FreeBSD is an operating system used to power servers, desktops, and embedded systems. Derived from BSD, the version of UNIX developed at the University of California, Berkeley, FreeBSD has been continually developed by a large community for more than 30 years. FreeBSD's networking, security, storage, and monitoring features, including the pf firewall, the Capsicum and CloudABI capability frameworks, the ZFS file system, and the DTrace dynamic tracing framework, make FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of the busiest websites and most pervasive embedded networking and storage systems. For end of support information, see the FreeBSD website.
openSUSE 15
The openSUSE distribution is a stable, easy to use and complete multipurpose Linux distribution. It is aimed towards users and developers working on the desktop or server. It is great for beginners, experienced users and ultra geeks alike, in short, it is perfect for everybody! For end of support information, see the openSUSE website.
Ubuntu 18, and 20, and 22
Important
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS has reached end of standard support and will no longer receive security updates from Canonical after May 31st, 2023. It’s important to take action by migrating the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to one of the supported LTS versions (for example, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS). Alternatively, you can upgrade to Ubuntu Pro for Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) to receive security updates until April 2028. For more information, see the following articles from Canonical:
Ubuntu Server is a Debian-based Linux operating system used for virtual servers. A default installation of Ubuntu contains a wide range of software that includes LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, and Transmission. You can install many additional software packages, such as Evolution, GIMP, Pidgin, and Synaptic by using the APT-based package management tool (
apt-get). For end of support information, see the Ubuntu website.
Compare Database applications
Lightsail has the following database application available:
SQL Server 2022 Express
SQL Server Express is a relational database management system that is free to download, distribute, and use. It comprises a database specifically targeted for embedded and smaller-scale applications. This Lightsail image runs on a base OS of Windows Server 2022.
SQL Server 2019 Express
SQL Server Express is a relational database management system that is free to download, distribute, and use. It comprises a database specifically targeted for embedded and smaller-scale applications. This Lightsail image runs on a base OS of Windows Server 2022.
SQL Server 2016 Express
SQL Server Express is a relational database management system that is free to download, distribute, and use. It comprises a database specifically targeted for embedded and smaller-scale applications. This Lightsail image runs on a base OS of Windows Server 2016.
Compare CMS applications
Lightsail has three content management system (CMS) applications to choose from. Each image uses Linux/Unix (Ubuntu) as the base operating system.
WordPress certified by Bitnami
Bitnami WordPress is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running WordPress on Lightsail. WordPress is a popular web publishing platform for building blogs and websites. You can customize it by using a wide selection of themes, extensions, plugins, and widgets.
WordPress features a full theme system, which enables you to change the look and feel of your site with a few clicks. You can also use existing free or commercial WordPress themes. WordPress is in full compliance with the standards of the W3C.
WordPress Multisite certified by Bitnami
WordPress Multisite enables administrators to host and manage multiple websites from the same WordPress instance. These websites can all have unique domain names and can be customized by their owners, while sharing assets such as themes and plugins that are made available by the server admin. Updates to all sites can be pushed at once, ensuring that they are always kept safe and secure.
WordPress Multisite is great for organizations such as universities, corporations, and agencies that need to enable many people to host their own websites while giving overall control to a central administrator.
Learn more about the Bitnami WordPress Multisite application.
cPanel & WebHost Manager (WHM)
cPanel & WHM is a suite of tools built for Linux OS that gives you the ability to automate web hosting tasks by using a simple graphical user interface. Its goal is to make managing servers easier for you and managing websites easier for your customers.
PrestaShop packaged by Bitnami
PrestaShop is one of the most prolific ecommerce solutions in the world. It is free and open source software, with a community of over 1 million active members. It is designed to get your online store up and running quickly, with a preconfigured theme so that you can start selling almost immediately along with a Live Configurator for easily customizing the look of your site. PrestaShop features multi-store support, customizable URLs, multiple payment gateway options (including PayPal and Stripe), and marketplace integration with Amazon, eBay, Facebook and more.
Ghost packaged by Bitnami
Ghost is a publishing platform that is suitable for everything from personal blogs to major news websites. Built on Node.js, its modern technology stack makes it versatile and flexible for developers seeking to integrate with other applications and tools, while maintaining ease of use for content creators.
Joomla! packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami Joomla! is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running Joomla! on Lightsail. Joomla! is a CMS that you can use to build a variety of websites or portals. These include personal, corporate, small business, nonprofit, and other organizational websites.
Joomla! also features a registration system that enables users to configure personal options. Authentication is an important part of user management, and Joomla! supports multiple protocols, including LDAP, OpenID, and others. Joomla! supports many different languages and offers guidance for using them for the website and the administration panel. Also, the Banner Manager makes it easy to set up and manage banners on your site. You can track metrics, including setting impression numbers, special URLs, and more.
Drupal packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami Drupal is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running Drupal on Lightsail. Drupal is a content management platform that helps users easily publish, manage, and organize content. It's used for community web portals, discussion sites, corporate websites, and more. You can easily extend Drupal by plugging in modules. Drupal is built for high performance, is scalable to many servers, and has easy integration with REST, JSON, SOAP, and other formats.
There are thousands of add-on modules and designs available for Drupal free of charge. Drupal is also available in multiple languages.
Compare application stacks and servers
Lightsail has five application stacks and servers for a wide variety of development projects. Each image uses Linux/Unix (Ubuntu) as the base operating system.
LAMP stack (PHP 8) packaged by Bitnami
The Bitnami LAMP stack simplifies the development and deployment of PHP applications. It includes ready-to-run versions of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and phpMyAdmin, and also the other software required to run each of those components. Bitnami LAMP stack is completely integrated and configured, so you'll be ready to start developing your application as soon as you create your instance in Lightsail. Bitnami LAMP stack is regularly updated to ensure that you always have access to the latest stable releases for each bundled component.
Django packaged by Bitnami
Django is a high-level Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Python is a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. The Bitnami Django Stack greatly simplifies the deployment of Django and its runtime dependencies and includes ready-to-run versions of Python, Django, MySQL, and Apache.
Node.js packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami Node.js is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running Node.js on Lightsail. Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily creating fast, scalable network applications. It uses an event-driven, nonblocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. Node.js is well suited for data-intensive, real-time applications.
MEAN stack packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami MEAN stack provides a complete development environment for MongoDB and Node.js that you can deploy in one click. It includes the latest stable release of MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node.js, Git, PHP, and RockMongo.
GitLab CE Packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami GitLab Community Edition (CE) is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running GitLab on Lightsail. GitLab is self-hosted Git management software that is fast, secure, and based on Ruby on Rails. GitLab CI (also included) is an open source Continuous Integration (CI) server closely integrated with Git and GitLab.
GitLab enables you to keep your code secure on your own server, manage repositories, users, and access permissions. It's self-contained, so you can duplicate or move the installation to different servers easily.
Nginx (LEMP stack) packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami NGINX Stack provides a complete PHP, MySQL, and NGINX development environment that you can launch in one click. It also bundles phpMyAdmin, SQLite, ImageMagick, FastCGI, Memcache, GD, CURL, PEAR, PECL, and other components.
NGINX is an asynchronous server and its main advantage is scalability. The NGINX stack is also known as LEMP (Linux, NGINX, MySQL, and PHP).
Plesk Hosting Stack on Ubuntu
Build, secure, and run websites and applications on Lightsail and AWS using the Hosting Stack powered by Plesk. This includes all your web-based server management and security tools, plus WordPress automation in a graphical user interface. It simplifies the work of web professionals and provides the scalability, security, and performance that your customers need.
Ecommerce applications in Lightsail
Lightsail currently has one ecommerce application image: Magento. This Magento image uses Linux/Unix (Ubuntu) as the base operating system.
Magento packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami Magento is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running Magento on Lightsail. You can build engaging, responsive, and secure sites using Magento. Magento is a feature-rich, flexible ecommerce solution that includes transaction options, multistore functionality, loyalty programs, product categorization, shopper filtering, promotion rules, and more.
You can use Magento to create a highly customized ecommerce site that reflects your brand. Magento integrates with your business operations, so you can manage your ecommerce site as your business needs.
Project management applications in Lightsail
Lightsail currently has one project management application image, Redmine. This image uses Linux/Unix (Ubuntu) as the base operating system.
Redmine packaged by Bitnami
Bitnami Redmine is a preconfigured, ready-to-use image for running Redmine on Lightsail. Redmine is a flexible project management web application. It includes support for multiple projects, role-based access control, Gantt charts and calendars, management of news, documents, and files, per-project wikis and forums, SCM integration, and more.