Virtual machines & images
EC2 Image Builder vs Azure VM Image Builder
EC2 Image Builder maps to Azure VM Image Builder.
Both are managed services that run your customization steps on a temporary VM and publish the resulting image.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | EC2 Image Builder | Azure VM Image Builder |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Managed pipelines that build, test, and distribute hardened AMIs and container images on a schedule. | A managed service (built on HashiCorp Packer) that customizes marketplace or custom images and distributes them to Compute Gallery, managed images, or VHDs. |
| Pricing model | There's no charge for Image Builder itself. You pay for the EC2 instances, EBS, and other resources used during builds and for stored images. | There's no charge for VM Image Builder itself. You pay for the build VM, storage, networking, and gallery replicas. |
| Docs | EC2 Image Builder docs | Azure VM Image Builder docs |
| Pricing page | EC2 Image Builder pricing | Azure VM Image Builder pricing |
| Exams | SOA-C03 DOP-C02 | AZ-104 AZ-400 |
Key differences
- Engine. Azure VM Image Builder is built on HashiCorp Packer and is driven by an image template (ARM, Bicep, or CLI). EC2 Image Builder uses recipes, reusable components (AWSTOE YAML documents), and pipelines with schedules.
- Outputs. EC2 Image Builder outputs AMIs and container images (to ECR). Azure VM Image Builder outputs Compute Gallery versions, managed images, or VHDs. For containers on Azure, use ACR Tasks.
- Testing. EC2 Image Builder has built-in test phases and vulnerability scanning (via Inspector). Azure supports validation steps in the template, and scanning is done with Defender for Cloud or your own tools.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- There's no charge for Image Builder itself. You pay for the EC2 instances, EBS, and other resources used during builds and for stored images. EC2 Image Builder pricing →
- Azure
- There's no charge for VM Image Builder itself. You pay for the build VM, storage, networking, and gallery replicas. Azure VM Image Builder pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate SOA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Replaces AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02), whose last exam day was Sep 29, 2025. Simplified Chinese and Korean versions retire after Nov 19, 2026. |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional DOP-C02 | AWS | Professional | current Korean version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104 | Azure | Associate | current |
| Microsoft Certified – DevOps Engineer Expert AZ-400 | Azure | Expert | current A new Agentic DevOps Engineer Expert certification (exam AZ-401) is in beta. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of EC2 Image Builder?
EC2 Image Builder maps to Azure VM Image Builder. Both are managed services that run your customization steps on a temporary VM and publish the resulting image.
How does pricing compare between EC2 Image Builder and Azure VM Image Builder?
AWS: There's no charge for Image Builder itself. You pay for the EC2 instances, EBS, and other resources used during builds and for stored images. Azure: There's no charge for VM Image Builder itself. You pay for the build VM, storage, networking, and gallery replicas. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03); AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02); Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400).