AWS Outposts
AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to on-premises data centers or edge locations, delivering AWS-managed hardware racks so customers can run select AWS services locally while…
Definition
AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to on-premises data centers or edge locations, delivering AWS-managed hardware racks so customers can run select AWS services locally while remaining connected to a home AWS Region.
Overview
AWS Outposts addresses workloads that need to run physically close to on-premises systems or end users but still want a consistent AWS operating model. AWS ships pre-configured server racks (or smaller 1U/2U servers for space-constrained sites) to a customer's data center or colocation facility; AWS remains responsible for installing, monitoring, patching, and maintaining the underlying hardware and hypervisor, while the customer runs workloads using the same APIs, console, and tooling used in the public cloud. Outposts supports a subset of core AWS services locally — including EC2, EBS, ECS/EKS, S3 (via Outposts-specific storage), and RDS — and each Outpost is anchored to a specific AWS Region and Availability Zone, from which it receives control-plane connectivity and software updates. This design means Outposts is not a fully autonomous or air-gapped system: it requires reliable network connectivity back to AWS for management operations, distinguishing it from disconnected edge solutions. Common drivers for choosing Outposts include low-latency requirements that can't tolerate a round trip to a distant AWS Region (e.g., manufacturing floor control systems, telco workloads), data residency or local processing regulations that mandate data stay within a specific facility or country, and migrating latency-sensitive legacy applications that are impractical to fully re-architect for the cloud. Because the hardware is AWS-owned and managed under a subscription model, Outposts trades the flexibility of self-managed on-premises infrastructure for AWS's operational consistency, at a materially higher cost than comparable self-hosted hardware. Outposts sits within AWS's broader hybrid and edge portfolio alongside AWS Local Zones and AWS Wavelength, each targeting different latency and location tradeoffs — Outposts for customer-owned premises, Local Zones for major metro areas, and Wavelength for telecom network edges.
Key Features
- AWS-owned, managed hardware racks installed in a customer's own data center
- Runs a subset of native AWS services (EC2, EBS, ECS/EKS, RDS, S3) locally
- Uses the same APIs, SDKs, and console as the public AWS cloud
- Anchored to a home AWS Region for control-plane connectivity and updates
- AWS handles hardware installation, patching, and lifecycle management
- Available in full-rack and smaller 1U/2U server form factors
- Requires ongoing network connectivity to AWS; not designed for fully disconnected use
- Billed as a subscription service rather than a capital hardware purchase