Attach an Ubuntu Pro subscription to your AWS Image Builder image

We are pleased to announce that you can now attach an Ubuntu Pro subscription directly to any base image in AWS Image Builder, allowing you to create enterprise-grade custom images from the get go.

Why this is important

Until now, getting Ubuntu Pro into a custom AMI (Amazon Machine Image) meant either starting from an Ubuntu Pro base image or manually applying a token during the build. You can now attach an Ubuntu Pro subscription to any base image directly in your build pipeline even if the base image is a non-Ubuntu Linux image.

This unlocks simpler and more flexible AMI builds: add Ubuntu Pro as just another component to the recipe, with no manual steps required. This makes Ubuntu Pro straightforward to integrate into CI/CD pipelines and automated provisioning workflows.

Note: Attaching Ubuntu Pro to a non-Ubuntu host only licenses the cluster to run Ubuntu Pro containers. It does not give the host access to Ubuntu Pro services like Expanded Security Maintenance, compliance hardening, or Kernel live patching.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following in place:

• An AWS account with permissions to use EC2 Image Builder and AWS Marketplace.
• IAM permissions which allow Image Builder to access Marketplace components (imagebuilder:GetComponent, aws-marketplace:Subscribe).
• A base image ready to use (EC2 Managed image, Marketplace AMI, or a custom AMI).
• If your base image is Ubuntu, ubuntu-pro-client should be installed for the Pro client to activate services on first boot.

How to get it

Step 1: Subscribe to the marketplace listing

Subscribe to the component that matches your target architecture:

• Ubuntu Pro subscription for EC2 Image Builder (AMD64)
• Ubuntu Pro subscription for EC2 Image Builder (ARM64)

Step 2: Create or edit an image recipe

You can do this using the AWS Web Console or the AWS CLI. The overall flow is the same:

1. Create an image pipeline (or open an existing one).
2. Create a new recipe or edit an existing one:
   1. Select a base image (EC2 Managed image, Marketplace AMI, or a custom image).
   2. Select the image name (the operating system to use as a base).
   3. Add user data if needed.
   4. Add your components – this is where the Upgrade to Ubuntu Pro component comes in.

If you are using the AWS Web console, open the Source dropdown and select AWS Marketplace. This will display all available Marketplace components. Search for Ubuntu Pro and select the component that matches your base AMI architecture (AMD64 or ARM64).

If you are using AWS CLI, you will need to take note of the Ubuntu Pro component ARN to use it in your API call.

Step 3: Continue with the rest of the details as usual

The next step should be familiar: configure custom workflows, infrastructure details, and distribution settings.

Step 4: Build and distribute

Once you have added the Ubuntu Pro component to your recipe, the rest of the workflow follows the instructions of the standard Image Builder:

1. Add any additional components for your own configurations and deployments.
2. Configure a distribution setting (regions, AMI name, etc.).
3. Configure a test pipeline (optional but recommended).
4. Run the pipeline and let Image Builder produce the image.

Once the image is built, the Ubuntu Pro subscription will be attached to the resulting AMI as instance metadata. If your base image is Ubuntu and the Pro client is installed, the default Ubuntu Pro services will be activated on the next boot.

If you want to learn more in detail about how to build a recipe with the Ubuntu Pro component, read more in our official documentation page.

Validating your license

To confirm the Ubuntu Pro license was attached correctly, check whether the right Marketplace product code is present on your AMI.

Using the AWS console

Go to EC2 → AMIs, select your AMI, and look at the Product codes field in the details panel below. You should see one of the following:

• Marketplace:9bztusbna2lfuk6zw7upzdvsv — AMD64 images
• Marketplace:291iwywwdb7ujmih1x7z4l3my — Graviton (ARM64) images

Using the AWS CLI

aws ec2 describe-images 
  --owners self 
  --query 'Images[*].{ImageId: ImageId, Name: Name, ProductCodes: ProductCodes[*].ProductCodeId}' 
  --output text

Learn more

• Ubuntu Documentation for EC2 Image Builder Components
• AWS EC2 Image Builder Documentation
• AWS Marketplace Premium Components
• Ubuntu Pro on AWS