Migration from Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023 - Amazon Elastic Beanstalk
Differences and compatibilityMigration processHelpful references
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Migration from Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023

This topic provides guidance to migrate your application from an Amazon Linux 2 platform branch to an Amazon Linux 2023 platform branch.

Differences and compatibility

Between the Elastic Beanstalk AL2 and AL2023 platforms

There is a high degree of compatibility between Elastic Beanstalk Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023 platforms. Although there are some differences to note:

  • Instance Metadata Service Version 1 (IMDSv1) – The DisableIMDSv1 option setting defaults to true on AL2023 platforms. The default is false on AL2 platforms.

  • pkg-repo instance tool – The pkg-repo tool is not available for environments running on AL2023 platforms. However, you can still manually apply package and operating system updates to an AL2023 instance. For more information, see Managing packages and operating system updates in the Amazon Linux 2023 User Guide.

  • Apache HTTPd configuration – The Apache httpd.conf file for AL2023 platforms has some configuration settings that are different from those for AL2:

    • Deny access to the server’s entire file system by default. These settings are described in Protect Server Files by Default on the Apache website Security Tips page.

    • Deny access to set up of .htaccess in all directories, except for those specifically enabled. This setting is described in Protecting System Settings on the Apache website Security Tips page. The Apache HTTP Server Tutorial: .htaccess files page states this setting may help improve performance.

    • Deny access to files with name pattern .ht*. This setting prevents web clients from viewing .htaccess and .htpasswd files.

    You can change any of the above configuration settings for your environment. For more information, see Configuring Apache HTTPD.

  • Multiline environment variable support – AL2023 platforms support multiline values for environment variables and secrets in systemd service configurations. Amazon Linux 2 platforms do not support multiline environment variable values. This enhancement allows you to use multiline secrets and configuration values on AL2023 platforms. For more information about using environment variables and secrets, see Multiline values in Amazon Linux 2 environment variables.

  • CloudWatch custom log forwarding – The deprecated CloudWatch Logs agent (awslogs package) is not available on AL2023 platforms. If you have custom log forwarding configurations that install and use the deprecated awslogs agent, you must update your configuration files to use the unified CloudWatch agent when migrating from Amazon Linux 2 to AL2023. For more information, see Custom log file streaming.

Platform-specific differences

In addition to the base operating system differences, there are platform-specific differences between Amazon Linux 2 and AL2023 runtime platforms:

  • .NET platform branching – The .NET platform branching strategy differs between Amazon Linux 2 and AL2023. On Amazon Linux 2, the .NET Core platform maintains a rotating window of .NET major versions within a single platform branch. On AL2023, each platform branch is pinned to a specific .NET major version (for example, .NET 9, .NET 10).

    If you deploy framework-dependent applications (applications that rely on the platform's installed .NET runtime), you must select a platform branch that matches your application's target .NET version. If you deploy self-contained applications (applications that bundle their own .NET runtime), you can use any AL2023 .NET platform branch regardless of your application's .NET version, as your application is not dependent on the platform's installed runtime. For more information, see Bundling applications for the .NET Core on Linux Elastic Beanstalk platform.

  • Node.js version selection – The Node.js platform on Amazon Linux 2 supports specifying a Node.js version in your application's package.json file. The Node.js platform on AL2023 does not support this feature. You must use the default Node.js version provided by the platform branch. For more information about Node.js version management, see Configuring your application's dependencies on Elastic Beanstalk.

  • Ruby Puma server version – The Ruby platform on Amazon Linux 2 ignores the Puma version specified in your application's Gemfile.lock file and uses the platform default Puma version. The Ruby platform on AL2023 honors the Puma version specified in Gemfile.lock if present. If no version is specified, the platform installs the platform default Puma version.

  • PHP package availability – Some packages available on Amazon Linux 2 PHP platforms are not available on AL2023 PHP platforms:

    • MySQL client packages – The mysql and mysql-devel command-line client packages are not installed on AL2023 PHP platforms. If your application requires MySQL database connectivity, use the PHP mysqli or pdo_mysql extensions, which are available on both platforms.

    • Compass and Ruby tools – The ruby-devel and rubygems packages for Compass CSS framework support are not installed on AL2023 PHP platforms. Compass has been deprecated. Consider using modern CSS preprocessing tools as alternatives.

  • Go version control tools – The Bazaar version control system (bzr) is not available on AL2023 Go platforms. Bazaar is deprecated and not included in the AL2023 package repository. Use Git, Mercurial, or Subversion for version control instead, all of which are available on AL2023 Go platforms.

Between the Amazon Linux operating systems

For more information about the differences between the Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023 operating systems, see Comparing Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023 in the Amazon Linux 2023 User Guide.

For more information about Amazon Linux 2023, see What is Amazon Linux 2023? in the Amazon Linux 2023 User Guide.

General migration process

When you're ready to go to production, Elastic Beanstalk requires a blue/green deployment to perform the upgrade. The following are the general best practice steps that we recommend for migration with a blue/green deployment procedure.

Preparing to test for your migration

Before you deploy your application and start testing, review the information in the prior section Differences and compatibility. Also review the reference cited in that section, Comparing Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023 in the Amazon Linux 2023 User Guide. Make a note of the specific information from this content that applies or may apply to your application and configuration set up.

High level migration steps

  1. Create a new environment that's based on an AL2023 platform branch.

  2. Deploy your application to the target AL2023 environment.

    Your existing production environment will remain active and unaffected, while you iterate through testing and making adjustments to the new environment.

  3. Test your application thoroughly in the new environment.

  4. When your destination AL2023 environment is ready to go to production, swap the CNAMEs of the two environments to redirect traffic to the new AL2023 environment.

More detailed migration steps and best practices

For a more detailed blue/green deployment procedure, see Blue/Green deployments with Elastic Beanstalk.

For more specific guidance and detailed best practice steps, see Blue/Green method.

More references to help plan your migration

The following references can offer additional information to plan your migration.