Skip to main content
AWS Launch Wizard is a managed service that streamlines deploying popular third-party and enterprise applications on AWS. Many enterprise applications (for example, SQL Server, Active Directory, SAP) require specific compute, memory, storage, and network topologies to meet performance, availability, and licensing requirements. Launch Wizard provides curated deployment workflows, resource recommendations, and CloudFormation templates so you can deploy repeatable, production-ready stacks without designing every low-level detail.
A simple AWS Launch Wizard diagram showing a user invoking the Launch Wizard. Inside a VPC it depicts the us-east-1 region with two availability zones (us-east-1a and us-east-1b), each containing compute and storage icons.
Launch Wizard automates the provisioning of AWS resources and applies recommended best practices for security, availability, and cost control. It outputs the resulting infrastructure as AWS CloudFormation templates, enabling repeatable deployments, easy auditing, and customization. Deployed stacks are integrated with AWS management and monitoring services so you can operate them in production.

​
How it works

  1. Choose an application from the Launch Wizard catalog — supported applications are commonly used enterprise platforms and databases.
  2. Provide application configuration details such as instance sizing, storage type and capacity, licensing options, and high-availability requirements.
  3. Launch Wizard analyzes the inputs and recommends an AWS architecture (EC2 instance types, EBS volumes, networking patterns) and provides an estimated monthly cost for the recommended resources.
  4. Review the recommendations and approve them to proceed.
  5. Launch Wizard generates and deploys AWS CloudFormation stacks that provision the specified resources and configure the application for HA and resiliency.
  6. The service integrates the deployed application with AWS monitoring (CloudWatch), IAM for access control, and other platform services, then saves the generated CloudFormation templates for future reuse or customization.
A colorful flowchart titled "How it works?" showing the steps of an application deployment process. It lists: Choose an Application to Deploy → Enter Application Specifications → Resource Recommendation and Cost Estimate → Approval and Resource Provisioning → Configuration and Template Creation → Deployment and Integration.
Launch Wizard supports multi-AZ deployments where applicable, follows AWS best practices for networking and storage, and helps enforce security and availability patterns during provisioning.

​
Supported applications and common use cases

  • SQL Server (single-node or high-availability deployments)
  • Microsoft Active Directory
  • SAP applications and database tiers
  • Other enterprise applications commonly deployed in AWS that require specific sizing and topology
When to use Launch Wizard:
  • You need a fast, repeatable way to deploy complex third-party applications.
  • You want recommended AWS resource selections and an upfront cost estimate.
  • You prefer infrastructure-as-code outputs (CloudFormation templates) you can version and reuse.

​
Benefits

A slide titled "Features" with four numbered vertical cards, each displaying a colorful round icon. The cards list: Simplified Application Deployment, AWS Resource Selection, Cost Estimation, and Time‑Saving with Repeatable Code Templates.
AWS Launch Wizard is free to use — you only pay for the underlying AWS resources it provisions (for example, EC2 instances, block storage volumes, and any other billable services).
To provision resources, Launch Wizard needs permissions to create CloudFormation stacks and manage resources (EC2, block storage, [IAM]-related resources, etc.). Ensure the IAM user or role you use has the required permissions or that you deploy using an appropriately privileged role.

​
Summary

AWS Launch Wizard speeds up and standardizes deployments of supported third-party enterprise applications by recommending appropriate AWS resources, generating CloudFormation templates, and deploying production-ready stacks that follow AWS best practices. It reduces operational overhead, provides cost visibility, and gives you reusable infrastructure-as-code artifacts — while you remain responsible for the costs of the underlying AWS resources.

Watch Video