DescribeInstances
The DescribeInstances operation returns
information about instances owned by the user making the
request.
An optional list of instance IDs may be provided to request information for those instances only. If no instance IDs are provided, information of all relevant instances information will be returned. If an instance is specified that does not exist a fault is returned. If an instance is specified that exists but is not owned by the user making the request, then that instance will not be included in the returned results.
Recently terminated instances will be included in the returned results for a small interval subsequent to their termination. This interval is typically of the order of one hour.
The following table describes the request parameters for
DescribeInstances. Parameter names are case
sensitive.
| Element Name | Definition | Required? | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
instancesSet
|
Set of instances IDs to get the status of. | Yes (but may be empty) |
xsd:string[]
|
The following table describes the default response tags included
in DescribeInstances responses.
| Element Name | Definition | Type |
|---|---|---|
reservationSet
|
A list of structures describing the status of all requested instances. |
ec2:ReservationInfoType[]
|
<DescribeInstances xmlns="http://ec2.amazonaws.com/doc/2007-01-03">
<instancesSet>
<item>
<instanceId>i-28a64341</instanceId>
</item>
</instancesSet>
</DescribeInstances>
<DescribeInstancesResponse xmlns="http://ec2.amazonaws.com/doc/2007-01-03">
<reservationSet>
<item>
<reservationId>r-44a5402d</reservationId>
<ownerId>UYY3TLBUXIEON5NQVUUX6OMPWBZIQNFM</ownerId>
<groupSet>
<item>
<groupId>default</groupId>
</item>
</groupSet>
<instancesSet>
<item>
<instanceId>i-28a64341</instanceId>
<imageId>ami-6ea54007</imageId>
<instanceState>
<code>0</code>
<name>running</name>
</instanceState>
<privateDnsName>domU-12-31-35-00-1E-01.z-2.compute-1.internal</privateDnsName>
<dnsName>ec2-72-44-33-4.z-2.compute-1.amazonaws.com</dnsName>
<keyName>example-key-name</keyName>
<amiLaunchIndex>23</amiLaunchIndex>
<productCodesSet>
<item><productCode>774F4FF8</productCode></item>
<productCodesSet>
</item>
</instancesSet>
</item>
</reservationSet>
</DescribeInstancesResponse>