Compare image import and instance import processes in VM Import/Export - VM Import/Export
Services or capabilities described in Amazon Web Services documentation might vary by Region. To see the differences applicable to the China Regions, see Getting Started with Amazon Web Services in China (PDF).

Compare image import and instance import processes in VM Import/Export

The following table summarizes the key differences between image import and instance import.

Characteristic Image import (Recommended) Instance import

CLI support

Amazon CLI

Amazon EC2 CLI

Supported formats for import

OVA, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, raw

VHD, VMDK, raw

Multi-disk support

✔

Windows BYOL support

✔

For additional information on these import processes, see Image import overview and Instance import overview.