AWS EC2: Start, Stop, and Terminate Instances
CUSTOMER GENERIC
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Introduction
This Universal Task allows users to start, stop, terminate, and manage AWS EC2 instances on demand, simply by providing one or more instance IDs as input.
Overview
This task uses python boto3 to interact with the AWS platform using the credentials supplied within the task.
It supports multiple EC2 instances at once.
In Universal Controller, this task goes to the success state until the EC2 instance is completely Started, Stopped, or terminated.
Scheduling this task using a Universal Controller workflow spins up and tears down EC2 instances based on the business needs, complete with correct set up and dependencies.
It dynamically manages EC2 operations, offering the potential to reduce EC2 operations costs in the cloud.
Software Requirements
This integration requires a Universal Agent and a Python runtime to execute the Universal Task against AWS EC2 Instance.
Software Requirements for Universal Template and Universal Task
Requires Python 3.7 or higher. Tested with the Universal Agent bundled Python distribution.
Python modules required:
requests
Boto3
Software Requirements for Universal Agent
Universal Agent for Windows x64 Version 7.5 and later with python options installed.
Universal Agent for Linux Version 7.5 and later with python options installed.
Software Requirements for Universal Controller
Universal Controller Version 7.5. and later..
Technical Considerations
Consider using this Universal Task either with Universal Agent bundled with python (uapy) and also the boto3 module within this environment, or a python environment (py) in a host where Universal Agent is installed with the boto3 module in it.
AWS IAM credentials (Access Key, Secret Access key, and Region) should be with the appropriate access for handling AWS EC2 instances.
Key Features
Feature | Description |
Start EC2 Instance | Start one or Multiple EC2 instance. |
Stop EC2 Instance | Stops one or Multiple EC2 instance. |
Terminate EC2 Instance | Terminate one or Multiple EC2 instance. |
EC2 status | Provides one or Multiple EC2 instance status. |
Import Universal Template
To use this downloadable Universal Template, perform the following steps.
- This Universal Task requires the Resolvable Credentials feature. Check that the Resolvable Credentials Permitted system property has been set to true.
- To import the Universal Template into your Controller, follow the instructions here.
- When the files have been imported successfully, refresh the Universal Templates list; the Universal Template will appear on the list.
Configure Universal Task
For the new Universal Task type, create a new task, and enter the task-specific details that were created in the Universal Template.
Field Descriptions
Field | Description |
AWS-DEFAULT-REGION | AWS Region kept as Credential. |
| Use IAM Role | Check the box to use IAM role. |
AWS-SECRET-ACCESS-KEY | AWS Secret Key. |
AWS-ACCESS-KEY-ID | AWS Access Key. |
| loglevel | Log level of the task (set to "Info" by default). |
EC2 Instance Function | Select either Start, Stop, Terminate, or Check EC2 Instance. |
InstanceIds | Provide the Instance ID that you need to start, stop, or terminate. |
Task Examples
Start EC2 Instances
Stop EC2 Instances
Document References
This document references the following documents:
Name | Description |
|---|---|
User documentation for creating Universal Templates in the Universal Controller user interface. | |
User documentation for creating Universal Tasks in the Universal Controller user interface. |
Changelog
ut-cs-aws-start-stop-terminate-ec2-instance-1.2.0 (2025-10-27)
Enhancements
- Added: inclusion IAM Roles based auth
ut-cs-aws-start-stop-terminate-ec2-instance-1.1.2 (2022-03-25)
Enhancements
- Added: Display the EC2 Instance JSON payload in STDOUT
ut-cs-aws-start-stop-terminate-ec2-instance-1.0.0
Initial Release