Gate 1
Session shape
Record startup target, normal and maximum duration, idle windows, checkpoints, interruption tolerance, retries, and whether work can finish inside the current serverless session boundary.
Evidence-first AgentCore compute choice
AgentCore Runtime Instance Fit Planner
Describe one real agent session, compute profile, Region, dependencies, failure behavior, security boundary, and budget. Generate a runtime-instance versus serverless acceptance plan without turning a longer session limit into a migration mandate.
Four deployment gates
Gate 2
Compute fit
Measure CPU, memory, GPU or accelerator, disk, network, dependency, concurrency, and instance-family requirements with one replayable agent session.
Gate 3
Region and operations
Confirm account, Region, EC2 family and quota, capacity provider, IAM, networking, secrets, patching, scaling, observability, incident, and rollback paths.
Gate 4
Full cost
Compare AgentCore management, EC2, accelerator, storage, transfer, logs, model, tool, idle, retry, and engineering costs per accepted session.
Choose from measured outcomes
Prefer runtime instances
A sustained, specialized, resource-intensive, or longer-than-eight-hour session passes EC2 fit, Region, security, availability, and cost tests.
Keep serverless
The workload fits the current microVM session boundary and fast startup plus variable demand outperform dedicated capacity for accepted sessions.
Run a controlled pilot
Session length or hardware points toward instances, but quota, capacity, networking, checkpoint, cost, or rollback evidence remains incomplete.
Minimum pilot
Replay the same session on both candidates; preserve inputs and versions; test interruption and resume; compare startup, p95 action latency, failures, compute utilization, scale behavior, security evidence, and full accepted-session cost; then exercise the rollback.
Read the deployment guide
AgentCore runtime instances vs serverless microVMReview launch limits, nine-Region scope, EC2 families, management boundaries, charges, migration, and rollback.Official facts checked August 15, 2026 against the AWS GA announcement and documentation. Recheck live Regions, quotas, instance support, and pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
It converts the workload, session, compute, Region, operations, security, and cost evidence you provide into a comparison checklist. It does not inspect AWS or provision capacity.
AWS listed up to 14 days for runtime instances and described the default serverless microVM runtime as designed for sessions up to 8 hours. Verify current documentation and quotas.
AWS says AgentCore manages provisioning, patching, scaling, and lifecycle while the user defines a capacity provider and EC2 instance types.
No. Compare the AgentCore management charge plus EC2 and every dependency against the full serverless cost for accepted sessions.