EC2 Dedicated Hosts Drop Mandatory License Manager Step
AWS removes the Self-Managed License requirement for Host Resource Groups, simplifying setup for Mac instances and isolation-only workloads.
Do EC2 Dedicated Hosts still require Self-Managed Licenses for Host Resource Groups?
No. As of July 24, 2026, AWS lets you create a Host Resource Group (HRG) for EC2 Dedicated Hosts without first setting up a Self-Managed License (SML) in AWS License Manager. The change removes a mandatory configuration step that had no practical value for customers using Dedicated Hosts purely for hardware isolation.
What changed
Previously, creating an HRG required customers to create an SML and associate AMIs through AWS License Manager, regardless of whether they actually needed license tracking. That prerequisite is now optional. Customers who do not need BYOL enforcement can skip the SML entirely.
For those who still rely on bring-your-own-license workflows, the old path remains available. Creating an HRG with an associated SML continues to restrict launches to approved AMIs and tracks host-level license consumption, the same as before.
Who benefits most
AWS calls out two groups in particular. EC2 Mac instance customers frequently need Dedicated Hosts because Apple's licensing terms require single-tenant hardware, not because they are tracking their own software licenses. Forcing those customers through License Manager setup was extra friction with no compliance payoff.
The second group is anyone using Dedicated Hosts strictly for hardware-level isolation, such as regulated workloads that must run on physically separate servers but are not subject to per-host software licensing. For both cases, skipping the SML step is now legitimate, not a workaround.
How to use it
The option is exposed in two places: the EC2 Console and the AWS CLI.
In the console, uncheck the "Restrict to AMIs associated with self-managed license" option when creating a new Host Resource Group.
From the CLI, set the instance-launch-option parameter:
aws license-manager create-license-configuration \
--name "my-hrg" \
--license-counting-type Host \
--instance-launch-option license-configuration-required=false
Note that license-configuration-required is the specific value to supply when you want HRG creation without SML enforcement.
Feature availability
The capability is live in every AWS Region where Host Resource Groups are currently supported. No opt-in or preview enrollment is needed.
Quick reference
| Use case | SML required? | AMI restriction enforced? | License consumption tracked? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware isolation only | No | No | No |
| EC2 Mac instances | No | No | No |
| BYOL workloads | Yes (optional to keep) | Yes | Yes |
Why this matters
Host Resource Groups exist to simplify Dedicated Host management: they let AWS automatically place and replace hosts on your behalf without manual intervention. Requiring a License Manager configuration to access that automation was an indirect tax on customers who had no licensing reason to be in License Manager at all. Removing the dependency makes HRGs useful to a broader set of Dedicated Host customers without changing anything for those who genuinely need license controls.