Amazon EC2 Systems Manager AWS Systems Manager
Legacy names Amazon EC2 Systems Manager, Amazon Simple Systems Manager
Unified operational hub for viewing infrastructure telemetry and automating configuration, patching, parameter management, and remote session access across AWS, on-premises, and multicloud nodes.
Naming timeline
- Amazon Simple Systems Manager (SSM)
Initially introduced as Amazon Simple Systems Manager (SSM) for configuring Windows instances and expanded with Amazon EC2 Run Command in October 2015.
- Amazon EC2 Systems Manager
Expanded into a suite of configuration, patching, automation, inventory, State Manager, and Parameter Store tools for Amazon EC2 and on-premises servers.
- AWS Systems ManagerCurrent name
Rebranded from Amazon EC2 Systems Manager to AWS Systems Manager with a standalone console unified around Resource Groups and operational insights, while retaining the ssm technical namespace.
What is Amazon EC2 Systems Manager called now?
Amazon EC2 Systems Manager is now called AWS Systems Manager, with the latest change on 29 November 2017 (AWS re:Invent 2017). Earlier names covered by this entry also include Amazon Simple Systems Manager. Unified operational hub for viewing infrastructure telemetry and automating configuration, patching, parameter management, and remote session access across AWS, on-premises, and multicloud nodes. Only the customer-facing name changed; the underlying technical identifiers remain backward compatible.
Also known as
- AWS SSM
- SSM
Technical identifiers
Technical identifiers unchanged. Only the customer-facing product name changed; the APIs, CLI commands, IAM roles and Terraform resources below keep their legacy identifiers for backward compatibility.
| AWS Service APIs / SDKs | ssm ssm-incidents ssm-contacts |
|---|---|
| AWS CLI Commands | aws ssm aws ssm-incidents aws ssm-contacts |
| IAM Actions & Policies | ssm:* ssm-incidents:* ssm-contacts:* |
| Terraform Resources (aws_*) | aws_ssm_parameter aws_ssm_document aws_ssm_association aws_ssm_patch_baseline aws_ssm_maintenance_window |
The legacy 'ssm' identifier (from Simple Systems Manager) remains the active, non-deprecated namespace across all AWS SDKs, CLI commands, IAM actions, ARNs (arn:aws:ssm:*), and Terraform resources.
Notes & disambiguation
- Official AWS documentation ('Systems Manager service name history') states that AWS Systems Manager was previously known as 'Amazon Simple Systems Manager (SSM)' and 'Amazon EC2 Systems Manager (SSM)', and that the original abbreviated name 'SSM' is still reflected across AWS resources and consoles.
- At AWS re:Invent 2017 (November 29, 2017), AWS expanded the service beyond Amazon EC2 to provide a standalone console and unified operational interface for cloud and hybrid resources under the name AWS Systems Manager.
- All underlying technical primitives retain the 'ssm' prefix, including the agent (SSM Agent), service endpoints (ssm.<region>.amazonaws.com), AWS CLI (aws ssm), IAM actions and managed policies (ssm:*, AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore), CloudFormation resources (AWS::SSM::*), and Terraform resources (aws_ssm_*).
Sources & official documentation
- Official documentation ↗
- Product page ↗
- What is AWS Systems Manager? (Systems Manager service name history) — AWS Systems Manager User Guide
- Introducing AWS Systems Manager — AWS What's New (Nov 29, 2017)
- AWS Systems Manager – A Unified Interface for Managing Your Cloud and Hybrid Resources — AWS News Blog
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