AWS Cloud Map
AWS Cloud Map is a service discovery registry for cloud resources. Every microservice registers itself and discovers other services by name — no hardcoded IPs. Think of it like a phone book for your app — services look up where other services live instead of memorizing their addresses.
What is Cloud Map? (Simple Explanation)
Cloud Map is an AWS service in the Network category. AWS Cloud Map is a service discovery registry for cloud resources.
When Would You Use Cloud Map?
- Microservice discovery and registration
- Service mesh routing tables
- Dynamic DNS for ECS tasks
- Multi-environment service naming
- Health-check-based routing
Who Uses Cloud Map?
From startups to enterprises, Cloud Map powers:
What Makes Cloud Map Powerful
Cloud Map Pricing & Free Tier
Free Tier: 1GB data transfer out (12 months), 750 hours of ELB (12 months). Pay-as-you-go from ~$0.025/GB for CloudFront.
Cloud Map Best Practices
- 1Use VPC Flow Logs for network traffic monitoring and threat detection
- 2Restrict security group inbound rules to specific CIDR ranges (never 0.0.0.0/0 for SSH/RDP)
- 3Use VPC Endpoints to keep traffic to AWS services off the public internet
- 4Enable WAF with managed rules (AWS Managed Core Rule Set) on all public-facing load balancers
- 5Use Transit Gateway instead of VPC peering mesh for >5 VPCs
Getting Started with Cloud Map in 5 Minutes
- 1Open the AWS Console and navigate to Cloud Map
- 2Click "Create" and define your network scope (VPC, subnets, region)
- 3Configure routing, security, and access controls
- 4Review and create — test connectivity before routing production traffic
Cloud Map CLI Quick Reference
2 production-ready commands. Full CLI Library (225+ services) →
aws cloud-map helpView all Cloud Map CLI v2 commands and subcommandsaws cloud-map describe-cloudmap --helpView options for describing Cloud Map resourcesPros & Cons of Cloud Map
Pros
- Service registry with namespace and attributes
- DNS-based and API-based discovery
- Built-in health checking with configurable intervals
- Automatic registration with ECS Service Discovery
- Private DNS namespaces for VPC resources
Cons
- ✕Data transfer costs are notoriously difficult to predict — egress is the #1 hidden cost
- ✕Network ACL and Security Group rules can conflict in complex multi-tier apps
- ✕VPC design mistakes (overlapping CIDRs) are painful to fix after resources are deployed
Cloud Map vs Alternatives
Cloud Map vs ECS
Choose Cloud Map for Microservice discovery and registration and Service mesh routing tables. It excels at service registry with namespace and attributes.
Choose ECS as an alternative when your requirements differ. Each service in the Network category serves different architectural patterns.
Services That Work with Cloud Map
Cloud Map is rarely used alone. It is typically combined with:
Compliance & Security
How AWS Cloud Map fits into major compliance standards. Browse all 41 frameworks →
Cloud Map configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults.
NIST 800-53Cloud Map access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families.
PCI DSS 4.0Cloud Map encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments.
SOC 2Cloud Map security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria.
ISO 27001Cloud Map configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud Map
What is AWS Cloud Map?
AWS Cloud Map is a service discovery registry for cloud resources. Every microservice registers itself and discovers other services by name — no hardcoded IPs. Think of it like a phone book for your app — services look up where other services live instead of memorizing their addresses.
What is Cloud Map used for?
Cloud Map is commonly used for: Microservice discovery and registration; Service mesh routing tables; Dynamic DNS for ECS tasks; Multi-environment service naming; Health-check-based routing. It's a core service in the network category of AWS.
Is Cloud Map free?
Free Tier: 1GB data transfer out (12 months), 750 hours of ELB (12 months). Pay-as-you-go from ~$0.025/GB for CloudFront.
What are the key features of Cloud Map?
Cloud Map's most important capabilities include: Service registry with namespace and attributes. DNS-based and API-based discovery. Built-in health checking with configurable intervals. Automatic registration with ECS Service Discovery. Private DNS namespaces for VPC resources. Each of these is designed to help teams microservice discovery and registration.
How does Cloud Map compare to alternatives?
Cloud Map competes with both AWS-native alternatives (ECS, EKS, VPC) and third-party equivalents. The right choice depends on your specific requirements for scalability, cost, and operational overhead. See the comparisons section below for detailed guidance.
Which compliance frameworks apply to Cloud Map?
CIS AWS v3.0: Cloud Map configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults. NIST 800-53: Cloud Map access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families. PCI DSS 4.0: Cloud Map encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments. SOC 2: Cloud Map security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. ISO 27001: Cloud Map configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
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