How to Hibernate an Amazon EC2 Instance

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Introduction

Hibernation in Amazon EC2 allows you to pause and resume instances, preserving the in-memory state (RAM) to the Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) root volume.
To hibernate an instance, it must be enabled for hibernation and meet specific prerequisites, such as using supported instance types and having an Encrypted EBS Root Volume.
Hibernation is useful for Cost Optimization, faster startup times, Data Persistence, and Simplified Maintenance.
You can enable hibernation during instance launch or by modifying an existing instance.
When hibernated, the instance's EBS root volume and any attached EBS data volumes are persisted, and the instance retains its instance ID.
To resume a hibernated instance, the EBS root volume is restored, RAM contents are reloaded, and previously running processes are resumed.

Supported Instance Types: Ensure the instance type supports hibernation (e.g., M3, M4, M5, C3, C4, C5, R3, R4, R5).
Encrypted EBS Root Volume: The root volume must be encrypted to protect sensitive data in memory.
Operating System: Hibernation is supported on instances running Amazon Linux AMI version 1.
Instance Configuration: The instance must be configured to support hibernation during launch or modification.

Launch Instance: Enable hibernation during the instance launch process.
Modify Existing Instance: Modify an existing instance to enable hibernation.
AWS Management Console: Use the AWS Management Console to configure hibernation settings.
CLI Commands: Use AWS CLI commands to enable hibernation (e.g., aws ec2 modify-instance-attribute).

Step 1: Launch the instance with hibernation enabled.
Step 2: Bring the instance to the desired state.
Step 3: Hibernate the instance to save its current state.
Step 4: Resume the instance to restore its previous state, including RAM contents and running processes.

Cost Optimization: Hibernate instances during periods of inactivity to reduce costs.
Faster Startup: Resume hibernated instances faster than starting from a stopped state.
Data Persistence: Preserve in-memory data for long-running processes or applications.
Simplified Maintenance: Apply updates and perform maintenance tasks while the instance is paused.

Cost: Pay only for EBS storage and any Elastic IP addresses attached to the instance during hibernation.
Performance: The time to hibernate or resume depends on the memory size, in-memory data, and EBS volume throughput.
No Instance Usage Charges: You're not charged for instance usage when it is in the stopped state.
Data Transfer: No charges for data transfer when RAM contents are transferred to the EBS root volume.

Check Hibernation Configuration: Ensure the instance is configured for hibernation.
Verify EBS Volume Encryption: Confirm that the EBS root volume is encrypted.
Instance Type Compatibility: Ensure the instance type supports hibernation.
AWS CLI Commands: Use AWS CLI commands to check hibernation status and troubleshoot issues.
AWS Documentation: Refer to AWS documentation for detailed troubleshooting steps.