In this article, I’m going to explain in a very detailed way all the required information for the process of creating and deploying an AWS Marketplace AMI in AWS China. This article assumes that you already took a look at my previous articles regarding AWS China so you are already familiar with the basic concepts of AWS China and you know the differences between AWS global and AWS China.
What is the AWS Marketplace China
The AWS Marketplace China is an online platform operated by AWS China that covers products in both AWS China regions (Beijing and Ningxia). The AWS Marketplace China is a different and independent platform from the AWS Marketplace. Thus, you will not find exactly the same sellers or products.
AWS Marketplace China is a curated digital catalog that makes it easy for customers to find, buy, deploy, and manage the software from independent software vendors (ISVs) that customers need to build solutions and run their businesses.
AWS official documentation
AWS Marketplace China contains hundreds of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on AWS China. These products usually cover specific use cases or are desired for particular scenarios that AWS China does not offer a solution for that.
Who can use the AWS Marketplace China
You can use AWS Marketplace China for buying products, selling products, or even both. However, you must have an AWS China account to use AWS Marketplace China. If you want to know how to create an AWS account in China, I wrote a step-by-step guide that you can find here. A seller can be an ISV or a value-added reseller that has software that works with AWS products and services. In accordance with Chinese regulations, you must be a business entity registered in mainland China to sell your products through AWS Marketplace China.
Every launched product in AWS Marketplace China goes through an approval process. When the seller submits a product in AWS Marketplace China, they define the price of the product as well as the terms and conditions of use. When a buyer subscribes to a product offering, they agree to the pricing and terms and conditions set for the offer. Currently, AWS Marketplace China supports free and bring-your-own-license (BYOL) Amazon Machine Image (AMI) products.
How to sell your Product in the AWS Marketplace China
You can sell your product based on Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) through AWS Marketplace China. AMI software allows the customer to deploy and run the software under their own AWS account on AWS infrastructure in China. A customer finds the software in AWS Marketplace China, subscribes, and is immediately able to deploy the AMI onto AWS Infrastructure in China and manage the software and their subscription.
What is an Amazon Machine Images (AMIs)
An AMI is a machine image of a specific computer running an operating system that is configured in a specific way and that can also contain a set of applications and services for accomplishing a specific purpose. An AMI contains all the information necessary to start up and running the software in the image. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) and AWS infrastructure make up the computing environment for running an AMI.
How to build an AMI
You can find here the official AWS documentation on how to build step-by-step an AMI.
Remember, that your AMI must meet the following requirements:
- Your AMI meets all AWS Marketplace China policies
- Your AMI is created in AWS China Region
- Your AMI must be EBS-backed AMIs; S3-backed AMIs is currently not supported
- Your AMI must use Hardware Virtual Machine (HVM) virtualization
- Your AMI must use 64-bit architecture
- SSH port is open (default is 22) for Linux based AMIs, and that an RDP port is open (default is 3389) for Windows based AMIs. WINRM (port 5985) must be open to 10.0.0.0/16
- AMIs must use a supported file system; Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, Xfs, Vfat, Lvm, and NTFS. Encrypted file systems are not supported
- Remove all user credentials from the system; all default passwords, authorization keys, key pairs, security keys or other credentials
- Ensure that root login is disabled / locked; only sudo access accounts are allowed
Becoming a Seller
If you are interested in selling your software and you want to launch your product in AWS Marketplace China, in this article you will find all the requirements, and the steps to follow to register as a seller. If you have any questions or concerns about the process or requirements, you can contact us.
To sell your product in AWS Marketplace China, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be a business entity registered in mainland China
- Have an AWS account in China
- Meet the requirements in the terms and conditions for AWS Marketplace China sellers
- Follow best practices and guidelines when marketing your product in AWS Marketplace China
- Production-ready software. It cannot be a beta product
- Keep your product regularly updated and free of known vulnerabilities
About Roopu Cloud
If you have any questions or concerns about AWS China, you can contact us. We are experts in building and implementing cloud solutions in the AWS China platform as well as in other Chinese cloud platforms. Let us help you!
