
πΉ Step-by-Step Guide: Migrating from x86 to AWS Graviton π
Migrating from x86-based EC2 instances (Intel/AMD) to Graviton (ARM64) can improve performance and reduce costs. Follow this step-by-step guide to migrate your workloads smoothly.
β Step 1: Check Compatibility of Your Applications
Before migrating, ensure your applications and dependencies support ARM64 architecture.
Check Your Current System
Run the following command on your x86 instance:
uname -m
If it returns x86_64, you are using an Intel/AMD processor.
Verify Software & Dependencies
- Check if your programming languages support ARM64:
- β Python, Node.js, Java, Golang, PHP all support ARM64.
- β οΈ Some compiled languages (C/C++) may need re-compilation.
- Check your packages:
dpkg --print-architecture # Ubuntu/Debian rpm -q --queryformat '%{ARCH}\n' glibc # RHEL/CentOS
- Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and MongoDB support ARM64.
β Step 2: Choose a Graviton-Based Instance
AWS offers different Graviton instance types:
Instance | Use Case |
---|---|
M7g, M6g | General-purpose workloads |
C7g, C6g | Compute-intensive applications |
R7g, R6g | Memory-intensive applications |
T4g | Small workloads and testing |
β Step 3: Launch a Graviton-Based EC2 Instance
1οΈβ£ Go to AWS Console β EC2 β Launch Instance
2οΈβ£ Choose an ARM64-supported AMI:
- Amazon Linux 2 (Recommended)
- Ubuntu 20.04+
- Debian, SUSE, RHEL, or AWS Bottlerocket
3οΈβ£ Select a Graviton instance type (e.g.,t4g.small
,m7g.medium
).
4οΈβ£ Configure security groups and storage.
5οΈβ£ Launch the instance.
Once the instance is running, connect via SSH:
ssh -i my-key.pem ec2-user@graviton-instance-ip
β Step 4: Migrate Your Applications
Option 1: Rebuild from Source (Recommended for Native Apps)
If your application is compiled, rebuild it for ARM64:
docker build --platform linux/arm64 -t myapp:latest .
Option 2: Use Multi-Architecture Docker Images
If you’re using containers, create an ARM-compatible Docker image:
docker buildx create --use
docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t myapp:latest --push .
Option 3: Deploy Using AWS Lambda (If Serverless)
AWS Lambda supports ARM64 functions, reducing costs by 20%.
To migrate:
aws lambda update-function-configuration --function-name myFunction --architectures arm64
β Step 5: Test & Benchmark Performance
Run performance tests to compare x86 vs. Graviton:
sysbench --test=cpu run
Graviton should show better performance at lower costs!
β Step 6: Update Infrastructure & Automate Deployment
- CI/CD Pipelines: Modify your GitHub Actions / Jenkins / Terraform scripts to deploy ARM64 instances.
- Auto Scaling: Update AWS Auto Scaling Groups to use Graviton-based AMIs.
π― Final Thoughts
β
Graviton reduces costs & improves performance π
β
Most applications can migrate easily π‘
β
Use multi-arch Docker or rebuild binaries for ARM64 ποΈ
β
Automate deployment & scale using AWS tools π
Would you like a Terraform script to automate Graviton instance setup? π€