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AWS Whitepapers features a comprehensive list of technical AWS whitepapers, covering topics such as architecture, security, and economics. These whitepapers have been authored by the AWS Team, independent analysts, or the AWS Community (Customers or Partners). To read reports authored by industry analysts click here. This page will be updated regularly with new and updated whitepapers and reports.


  • Overview of Amazon Web Services (December 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of all AWS services.
  • An Overview of the AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Framework to help customers be successful adopting AWS.  
  • AWS Security Best Practices (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Authoritative guidance for security when using AWS services.
  • How AWS Pricing Works (March 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Guidance on using the AWS Simple Monthly Calculator to estimate monthly AWS usage costs.
  • Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices (February 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Prescriptive guidance for architects designing solutions with AWS services.
  • AWS Storage Services Overview (November 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of storage solutions available from AWS.
  • AWS Serverless Multi-Tier Architectures: Using Amazon API Gateway and AWS Lambda (November 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Design patterns for serverless solutions.  
  • AWS Well-Architected Framework (October 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Guidance to ensure your AWS solution is secure, reliable, performant, and cost optimized.
  • The Business Value of AWS: Succeeding at Twenty-First Century Business Infrastructure (June 2015)    PDF
    • Using AWS to drive business value and agility.
  • Cloud Architectures (July 2008)    PDF
    • Walk-through of a cloud-based application and best practices for cloud designed solutions.  
  • How AWS Pricing Works (March 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Guidance on using the AWS Simple Monthly Calculator to estimate monthly AWS usage costs.
  • Cost Optimization with AWS (February 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Cost optimization using the AWS Well-Architected framework.
  • The Business Value of AWS: Succeeding at Twenty-First Century Business Infrastructure (June 2015)    PDF
    • Using AWS to drive business value and agility.
  • Introduction to AWS Economics: Reducing Costs and Complexity (May 2015)    PDF
    • How to calculate costs, savings, and complexity reduction when adopting AWS.
  • 10 Considerations for a Cloud Procurement (January 2015)    PDF
    • A top 10 list of cloud procurement considerations for public sector.
  • The Total Cost of (Non) Ownership of Web Applications in the Cloud (August 2012)    PDF
    • Calculating total costs of using AWS services. 
  • The Total Cost of (Non) Ownership of a NoSQL Database Cloud Service (March 2012)    PDF
    • Calculating cost and value of a NoSQL database environment.
  • The Economics of the AWS Cloud vs. Owned IT Infrastructure
    (December 2009)    PDF
    • Compares on-premise to AWS services cost model.
  • Introduction to AWS Security (July 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Introduction to AWS' approach to security and foundational tools available to customers.
  • Overview of Security Processes (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Physical and operational security processes for network and infrastructure under AWS' management.  
  • AWS Security Best Practices (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Authoritative guidance for security when using AWS services.
  • Introduction to AWS Security Processes (June 2016)    PDF
    • Physical and operational security processes for network and infrastructure under AWS' management.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Analytics, Mobile, and Applications Services (June 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of Amazon EMR, Amazon Kinesis, AWS Data Pipeline, AWS IAM, Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudHSM, and more.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Application Services (June 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of Amazon CloudSearch, Amazon SES, Amazon SNS, Amazon SQS, Amazon SWF, and more.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Compute Services (June 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of the hypervisor usage, instance isolation, and auto scaling.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Database Services (June 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon RDS, encryption, and network isolation.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Network Security (August 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of the network architecture, access points, transmission protection, and fault-tolerant design.
  • Overview of AWS Security - Storage Services (June 2016)    PDF
    • Security aspects of storage, including data access, data transfer, durability, and access logs.
  • Security at Scale: Governance in AWS (October 2015)    PDF
    • Using governance-enabling features to drive greater security.
  • Security at Scale: Logging in AWS (October 2015)    PDF
    • Overview of common compliance requirements related to logging.
  • Whitepaper on EU Data Protection (November 2016)    PDF
    • Meeting EU compliance requirements when using AWS services.
  • AWS Risk and Compliance (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Integrating AWS into your existing control framework.  
  • AWS Key Management Service Cryptographic Details (August 2016)    PDF
    • Detailed description of cryptographic operations when using AWS Key Management Service.
  • Architecting for HIPAA Security and Compliance on AWS (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • HIPAA-compliant solutions using AWS services.
  • AWS Best Practices for DDoS Resiliency (June 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Techniques to mitigate Distributed Denial of Service attacks.
  • Introduction to Auditing the Use of AWS (October 2015)    PDF
    • Shared security model, tools, and appoaches for auditing security.
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Compliance on AWS (May 2015)    PDF
    • Considerations when using AWS services in FERPA compliance environments.
  • Single Sign-On: Integrating AWS, OpenLDAP, and Shibboleth (April 2015)    PDF
    • Integrating AWS IAM and LDAP for single sign-on solution.
  • Architecting for Genomic Data Security and Compliance in AWS (December 2014)    Executive Overview | PDF
    • Working with controlled-access datasets for genomic research repositories.
  • Encrypting Data at Rest (November 2014)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of options for encrypting data at rest.  
  • Using Windows Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) for Single Sign-On to EC2 (March 2010)    PDF
    • Single sign-on for hybrid environment.

  • AWS Cloud Transformation Maturity Model (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Maps the maturity of an IT organization’s process, people, and technology through the four stages of an AWS cloud journey.
  • An Overview of the AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Framework to help customers successfully adopt AWS.  
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Business Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing business managers for AWS cloud adoption.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Maturity Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Assessing your current state IT environment in preparation for AWS cloud adoption.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Operations Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing to integrate AWS into your operations environment.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - People Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing your people for AWS cloud adoption.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Platform Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing for AWS services integration into your existing platform landscape.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Process Perspective (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing your business processes for AWS cloud adoption.
  • AWS Cloud Adoption Framework - Security Perspective (June 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Preparing your security team for AWS cloud adoption.
  • Blue/Green Deployments on AWS (August 2016)    PDF
    • Overview, techniques, and best practices for implementing a Blue/Green deployment strategy.
  • ITIL Asset and Configuration Management in the Cloud (January 2016)    PDF
    • An approach to ITIL asset and configuration management when using AWS.
  • AWS Well-Architected Framework (October 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Guidance to ensure your AWS solution is secure, reliable, performant, and cost optimized.
  • ITIL Event Management in the Cloud: An AWS Cloud Adoption Framework Addendum (July 2015)    PDF
    • Best practices for using AWS for ITIL event management in hybrid clouds.
  • Introduction to DevOps on AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • Primer for using a DevOps aproach with AWS.  
  • Operational Checklists for AWS (June 2013)    PDF
    • Basic and Enterprise Operations checklists and Auditing Security checklist.
  • Development and Test on AWS (November 2012)    PDF
    • Software Development Life Cycle test environments using AWS services.  
  • Backup and Recovery Approaches Using AWS (June 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance for creating a backup and recovery solution that meets your RTO and RPO requirements.
  • Enterprise Backup and Recovery: On-Premises to AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • Using AWS services for backup, restore, and recovery workloads.
  • Building Fault-Tolerant Applications on AWS (October 2011)    PDF
    • Using AWS service features to create fault-tolerant solutions.
  • Real-time Anomaly Detection on Streaming Data (August 2016)    PDF
    • Using the Random Cut Forest algorithm in Amazon Kinesis analytics.
  • Big Data Analytics Options on AWS (January 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of big data options for architects, data scientists, and developers.
  • Lambda Architecture for Batch and Real-Time Processing on AWS with Spark Streaming and Spark SQL (May 2015)    PDF
    • Using AWS Spark Streaming and Spark SQL to implement a lambda design pattern.
  • Amazon Kinesis and Apache Storm: Building a Real-Time Sliding-Window Dashboard over Streaming Data (October 2014)    PDF
    • Using Amazon Kinesis for real-time dashboards.  
  • Best Practices for Amazon Elastic MapReduce (Amazon EMR) (August 2013)    PDF
    • Best practices for using Amazon Elastic MapReduce for analytics.
  • SaaS Storage Strategies: Building a Multitenant Storage Model on AWS (November 2016)    PDF
    • Strategies for partitioning multitenant environments.
  • Jenkins on AWS (September 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Two specific approaches to deploying the Jenkins open-source automation server on AWS.  
  • Best Practices for Deploying Amazon WorkSpaces (July 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for deploying and managing your virtual desktop infrastructure.
  • Running Adobe Experience Manager on AWS (July 2016)    PDF
    • Benefits and best practices for technical leaders running Adobe Experience Manager on AWS.
  • Estimating AWS Deployment Costs for Microsoft SharePoint Server (March 2016)    PDF
    • Using the AWS Simple Monthly Calculator to estimate the cost of a Microsoft SharePoint Server solution.
  • Modernize Your Microsoft Applications on AWS (March 2016)    PDF
    • Describes the benefits of operating your Microsoft applications on AWS.
  • SaaS Solutions on AWS: Tenant Isolation Architectures (January 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • SaaS deployment models using AWS and AWS Partner Network solutions.
  • Using Windows Storage Spaces and iSCSI on Amazon EBS (October 2015)    PDF
    • Using Windows Storage Spaces and iSCSI on Amazon EBS.
  • SoftNAS Architecture on AWS (May 2015)    PDF
    • Block and file storage using SoftNAS on AWS.
  • Docker on AWS: Running Containers in the Cloud (April 2015)    PDF
    • Deploying and managing Docker containers at scale on AWS.
  • Optimizing ASP.NET with C++ AMP on the GPU (April 2015)    PDF | Sample Code
    • Running MVC web apps on GPUs for matrixed multiplication.
  • Deploying WordPress with AWS Elastic Beanstalk (January 2015)    PDF
    • Creating an elastic WordPress environment using AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
  • Choosing the Operating System for Oracle Workloads on Amazon EC2 (December 2014)    PDF
    • Operating selection for Oracle solutions on AWS.
  • WordPress: Best Practices on AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • System admin guidance for running WordPress on AWS.
  • Best Practices for Running Oracle Database on AWS (August 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance and best practices for running Oracle databases on AWS.
  • Deploying Microsoft SQL Server on AWS (July 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance for running SQL Server databases on Amazon RDS or Amazon EC2.
  • Strategies for Migrating Oracle Databases to AWS (May 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance on preferred methods for migrating Oracle databases to AWS.
  • Determining the IOPS Needs for Oracle Database on AWS (April 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance for sizing your Oracle workloads on AWS.
  • Getting Started with Amazon Aurora (April 2016)    PDF
    • Overview and migration guidance for MySQL-compatible Amazon Aurora.
  • Data Warehousing on AWS (March 2016)    PDF
    • AWS services and design patterns for modern data warehousing and analytic solutions.
  • Apache Cassandra on AWS: Guidelines and Best Practices (January 2016)    PDF
    • Design and deployment best practices for running Apache Cassandra on AWS.
  • Best Practices for Migrating from RDBMS to Amazon DynamoDB (March 2015)    PDF
    • Identifying and migrating Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) databases to DynamoDB.
  • Setting up AWS Resources and SLES for SAP HANA Installation (March 2015)    PDF
    • Steps to install or scale out SAP HANA databases on AWS.
  • MarkLogic on AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • Technical guidance for deploying MarkLogic NoSQL databases on AWS.
  • Advanced Architectures for Oracle Database on Amazon EC2 (November 2014)    PDF
    • Approaches for deploying Oracle solutions on AWS.
  • Comparing the Use of Amazon DynamoDB and Apache HBase for NoSQL (September 2014)    PDF
    • Matching your data use case to available options.  
  • The Total Cost of (Non) Ownership of a NoSQL Database Cloud Service (March 2012)    PDF
    • Calculating cost and value of a NoSQL database environment.
  • Introduction to DevOps on AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • Primer for using a DevOps aproach with AWS.  
  • An Introduction to High Performance Computing on AWS (August 2015)    PDF
    • Overview and best practices for running HPC applications on AWS.
  • Core Tenets of IoT (April 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance for using AWS services as part of an IoT strategy.  
  • Strategies for Managing Access to AWS Resources in AWS Marketplace (July 2016)    PDF
    • Describes how AWS Marketplace applications can use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for authentication.  
  • Use AWS Config to Monitor License Compliance on Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts (April 2016)    PDF
    • Configuring AWS Config and AWS Config Rules to monitor license compliance.
  • Managing Your Microsoft Windows Server Fleet with AWS Directory Service (May 2015)    PDF
    • Using AWS Directory Service and the Simple Service Manager (SSM) to manage Microsoft Windows servers.
  • Managing Multi-Tiered Applications with AWS OpsWorks (January 2015)    PDF
    • Using OpsWorks to deploy and maintain multi-tiered applications.
  • Best Practices for Migrating MySQL Databases to Amazon Aurora (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Using Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) to migrate databases to Amazon Aurora.
  • AWS Database Migration Service Best Practices (August 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for using the AWS Database Migration Service.
  • Moving Amazon RDS MySQL Databases to Amazon VPC (July 2016)    PDF
    • Detailed guidance for migrating Amazon RDS MySQL databases to Amazon VPC.
  • Migrating Your Databases to Amazon Aurora (June 2016)    PDF
    • Migrating your MySQL-compatible databases to Amazon Aurora through Amazon RDS.
  • An Overview of AWS Cloud Data Migration Services (May 2016)    PDF
    • Approaches, options, and tradeoffs for AWS data migration solutions.  
  • A Practical Guide to Cloud Migration: Migrating Services to AWS (December 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Tips and tricks for moving from an on-premise environment to the AWS Cloud.
  • Performance at Scale with Amazon ElastiCache (May 2015)    PDF
    • In-memory caching for better application performance and value.
  • Overview of Deployment Options on AWS (March 2015)    PDF
    • Options for provising infrastructure and deploying applications to AWS.
  • Migrating AWS Resources to a New Region (March 2013)    PDF
    • Options and methods for migrating services to different AWS regions.
  • Migrating Your Existing Applications to the AWS Cloud (October 2010)    PDF
    • Phase-driven approach to cloud migration with three example scenarios.  
  • Hosting Static Websites on AWS: Prescriptive Guidance (January 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Architectural guidance for developing, deploying, and managing static websites on AWS.
  • Web Application Hosting in the AWS Cloud: Best Practices (September 2012)    PDF
    • Creating available and scalable web hosting solutions using AWS services.
  • The Total Cost of (Non) Ownership of Web Applications in the Cloud (August 2012)    PDF
    • Calculating total costs of using AWS services.
  • Building a Real-Time Bidding Platform on AWS (February 2016)    PDF
    • Designing guidance for real-time bidding solutions for the digital advertising industry.
  • Setting Up Multiuser Environments (for Classroom Training and Research) (October 2013)    PDF
    • Different approaches for setting up isolated environments in educational environments.
  • Financial Services Grid Computing on AWS (January 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for using AWS for grid computing in the financial industry.
  • How Cities Can Stop Wasting Money, Move Faster, and Innovate (January 2016)    PDF
    • Strategic guidance for local and regional governments looking to use AWS services.
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Compliance on AWS (May 2015)    PDF
    • Considerations when using AWS services in FERPA compliance environments.
  • Architecting for HIPAA Security and Compliance on AWS (August 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • HIPAA-compliant solutions using AWS services.
  • Demystifying the Number of vCPUs for Optimal Workload Performance (August 2016)    PDF
    • Scientific methodology and detailed examples for benchmarking CPU performance for different CPU generations.
  • Financial Services Grid Computing on AWS (January 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for using AWS for grid computing in the financial industry.
  • Lambda Architecture for Batch and Real-Time Processing on AWS with Spark Streaming and Spark SQL (May 2015)    PDF
    • Using AWS Spark Streaming and Spark SQL to implement a lambda design pattern.
  • Extend Your IT Infrastructure with Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (December 2013)    PDF
    • Secure connections to AWS services using Amazon Virtual Private Cloud.
  • Backup and Recovery Approaches Using AWS (June 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance for creating a backup and recovery solution that meets your RTO and RPO requirements.
  • AWS Storage Services Overview (November 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of storage solutions available from AWS.
  • Using AWS and Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) for Disaster Recovery of File Servers (July 2015)    PDF
    • Step-by-step process for implementing a proven Microsoft Windows-based disaster recovery plan.
  • Enterprise Backup and Recovery: On-Premises to AWS (December 2014)    PDF
    • Using AWS services for backup, restore, and recovery workloads.
  • Using AWS for Disaster Recovery (October 2014)    PDF  | Kindle
    • Providing business continuity with AWS services.
  • Best Practices for Migrating MySQL Databases to Amazon Aurora (October 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Using Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) to migrate databases to Amazon Aurora.
  • AWS Database Migration Service Best Practices (August 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for using the AWS Database Migration Service.
  • Migrating Your Databases to Amazon Aurora (June 2016)    PDF
    • Migrating your MySQL-compatible databases to Amazon Aurora through Amazon RDS.
  • Strategies for Migrating Oracle Databases to AWS (May 2016)    PDF
    • Guidance on preferred methods for migrating Oracle databases to AWS.
  • Getting Started with Amazon Aurora (April 2016)    PDF
    • Overview and migration guidance for MySQL-compatible Amazon Aurora.
  • Data Warehousing on AWS (March 2016)    PDF
    • AWS services and design patterns for modern data warehousing and analytic solutions.
  • Performance at Scale with Amazon ElastiCache (May 2015)    PDF
    • In-memory caching for better application performance and value.
  • Best Practices for Migrating from RDBMS to Amazon DynamoDB (March 2015)    PDF
    • Identifying and migrating Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) databases to DynamoDB.
  • Comparing the Use of Amazon DynamoDB and Apache HBase for NoSQL (September 2014)    PDF
    • Matching your data use case to available options.  
  • Amazon Virtual Private Cloud Network Connectivity Options (July 2014)    PDF | Kindle
    • Connecting VPCs to each other and to other remote networks.
  • An Overview of AWS Cloud Data Migration Services (May 2016)    PDF
    • Approaches, options, and tradeoffs for AWS data migration solutions.  
  • Use AWS Config to Monitor License Compliance on Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts (April 2016)    PDF
    • Configuring AWS Config and AWS Config Rules to monitor license compliance.
  • Overview of Deployment Options on AWS (March 2015)    PDF
    • Options for provising infrastructure and deploying applications to AWS.
  • Managing Your AWS Infrastructure at Scale (February 2015)    PDF
    • Tools and techniques for managing your AWS environment at any scale.
  • Managing Multi-Tiered Applications with AWS OpsWorks (January 2015)    PDF
    • Using OpsWorks to deploy and maintain multi-tiered applications.
  • Migrating AWS Resources to a New Region (March 2013)    PDF
    • Options and methods for migrating services to different AWS regions.
  • Real-time Anomaly Detection on Streaming Data (August 2016)    PDF
    • Using the Random Cut Forest algorithm in Amazon Kinesis analytics.
  • Big Data Analytics Options on AWS (January 2016)    PDF | Kindle
    • Overview of big data options for architects, data scientists, and developers.
  • Amazon Kinesis and Apache Storm: Building a Real-Time Sliding-Window Dashboard over Streaming Data (October 2014)    PDF
    • Using Amazon Kinesis for real-time dashboards.  
  • Best Practices for Amazon Elastic MapReduce (Amazon EMR) (August 2013)    PDF
    • Best practices for using Amazon Elastic MapReduce for analytics.
  • A Practical Guide to Cloud Migration: Migrating Services to AWS (December 2015)    PDF | Kindle
    • Tips and tricks for moving from an on-premise environment to the AWS Cloud.
  • Best Practices for Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) (July 2012)    PDF | Kindle
    • Factors and best practices for mass emailing services.
  • Migrating Your Existing Applications to the AWS Cloud (October 2010)    PDF
    • Phase-driven approach to cloud migration with three example scenarios.  
  • Best Practices for Deploying Amazon WorkSpaces (July 2016)    PDF
    • Best practices for deploying and managing your virtual desktop infrastructure.