Difference between a snapshot and AMI

Question

I just learned about snapshots for volume backups, but what makes an AMI different? Can anyone help me understand?

Answer 1

When I was using AWS for data backups, I learned about two main concepts: snapshots and AMIs (Amazon Machine Images). Understanding the differences between them helped me decide on the best backup method for my needs.

So here is the actual difference I found while I was understanding. Just have  a look :

Snapshots	AMIs
A snapshot is a backup of an EBS volume at a specific time.	An AMI is a complete package that includes the operating system and applications.
It captures only the data from one volume.	It contains everything needed to launch a new EC2 instance.
Snapshots are mainly used for data recovery and backups.	AMIs are used to quickly create new EC2 instances.
You cannot launch a server directly from a snapshot.	You can easily launch new instances directly from an AMI.
Snapshots are primarily for data safety.	AMIs are primarily for deploying new servers or environments.

For more details to restore EC2 from Snapshot click here