AWS Systems Manager

A service that consolidates operational management of AWS environments and servers.

A suite of services for operating AWS resources and servers. Includes Parameter Store, Session Manager, and Run Command.

• Managing configuration values with Parameter Store
• Securely connecting to EC2 via Session Manager
• Running operational tasks with Run Command

• An operations management service
• Manages configuration values via Parameter Store
• Session Manager enables SSH-less connections

• Consider Session Manager as a replacement for bastion hosts
• Parameter Store SecureString integrates with KMS
• Standardize operations with automation documents

AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is a suite of services for integrated operational management of AWS resources and on-premises servers. Rather than being a single service, it is provided as a collection of multiple capabilities, including Parameter Store, Session Manager, Run Command, Patch Manager, State Manager, and Automation. By installing the SSM Agent on EC2 instances or on-premises servers, each server becomes a manageable target for these capabilities. The most commonly used features in practice are as follows. Parameter Store manages configuration values, connection strings, and encrypted secrets in a hierarchical structure, allowing retrieval from Lambda or EC2 (it is cheaper than Secrets Manager and is well suited to configuration values that are not sensitive secrets). Session Manager provides terminal access to EC2 without SSH keys or open inbound ports, eliminating the need for bastion hosts. Run Command allows scripts or commands to be executed simultaneously against multiple EC2 instances and is used to automate routine operational tasks. Patch Manager handles OS patching, and State Manager manages configuration drift. Pricing varies by capability, with the Standard tier of Session Manager, Run Command, and Parameter Store available at no cost (Advanced Parameter Store and on-premises management extensions are paid). In CLF-C02, Systems Manager as a whole is asked as a suite of operational management services, with Parameter Store-based configuration management and Session Manager's SSH-less access being especially frequent topics. The choice between Secrets Manager and Parameter Store (Secrets Manager when high confidentiality and automatic rotation are required, Parameter Store when cost is the priority and plaintext or SecureString management is sufficient) is also worth keeping organized for quicker elimination of choices.

• What is AWS Systems Manager (AWS Official Documentation)
• AWS Systems Manager (AWS Official)

Last updated: 2026-06-01