AWS Directory Service
Cloud directory services
User provisioning and governance tools
Identity management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is AWS Directory Service
AWS Directory Service is a managed directory offering that provides Microsoft Active Directory–compatible capabilities in AWS for authentication, domain join, and directory-aware applications. It is used by IT teams running Windows workloads, Amazon EC2 instances, and AWS-managed services that require LDAP/Kerberos/AD integration. The service supports multiple directory options, including AWS Managed Microsoft AD, AD Connector (proxy to on-premises AD), and Simple AD for basic directory needs. It is typically deployed to integrate AWS resources with existing enterprise identity infrastructure rather than to replace a full identity provider.
Managed AD operations in AWS
AWS Managed Microsoft AD offloads common directory infrastructure tasks such as domain controller provisioning, patching, and monitoring to AWS. It supports standard AD protocols (Kerberos/LDAP/NTLM) for Windows authentication and domain join scenarios. This reduces the need to run and maintain self-managed domain controllers on EC2 for many use cases.
Tight integration with AWS services
The service integrates with AWS-native components that commonly depend on directory services, such as Amazon WorkSpaces, Amazon WorkDocs, and Amazon RDS for SQL Server (for AD authentication scenarios). It also supports VPC-based deployment patterns and security controls aligned with AWS networking constructs. This makes it practical for organizations standardizing directory-backed access for AWS-hosted Windows workloads.
Flexible connectivity to existing AD
AD Connector enables AWS resources to use an existing on-premises Microsoft Active Directory without replicating directory data into AWS. This can simplify hybrid deployments where the authoritative directory remains on-premises. It also helps keep identity lifecycle processes and policies centralized in the existing AD environment.
Not a full IAM suite
AWS Directory Service focuses on directory infrastructure and AD compatibility rather than end-to-end identity governance. Capabilities such as broad SaaS SSO catalogs, adaptive access policies, and extensive lifecycle automation typically require additional AWS services or third-party tools. Organizations evaluating it as a replacement for an identity provider may find functional gaps.
AD-specific skills still required
Even with managed operations, administrators still need Microsoft AD expertise for tasks like OU design, Group Policy planning, DNS considerations, and troubleshooting authentication issues. Misconfiguration can affect Windows login, application authentication, and domain trust behavior. This can increase operational complexity compared with directory-less or cloud-native identity approaches.
Cost and design constraints
Pricing and architecture depend on directory type, size, and multi-AZ deployment, which can be costly for always-on directory infrastructure. Some advanced AD scenarios (for example, complex forest designs, certain schema extensions, or specialized domain controller customizations) may be constrained compared with fully self-managed AD. Network connectivity requirements for hybrid use cases (VPN/Direct Connect) can add additional cost and operational dependencies.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (hourly billing by directory/connector and domain-controller hours; regional rates vary)
Free tier/trial: 30-day limited free trial — 1,500 domain-controller/connector hours across eligible Directory Service managed directories (applies to AWS Managed Microsoft AD, small Simple AD, and small AD Connector where eligible; unused hours do not roll over). Refer to AWS Directory Service documentation for eligibility details.
Example costs (from AWS official pricing pages and examples; regional rates vary):
- AWS Managed Microsoft AD (per managed directory / billed as domain controllers): example US East (Ohio) Enterprise Edition: $0.40 per hour per managed directory (billed as two domain controllers at $0.20 per domain-controller-hour each). After free trial, typical example monthly cost (2 DCs, continuous) ≈ $288.00. cite
- AWS Managed Microsoft AD (Hybrid Edition) example: pricing table example shows $0.650 per hour per managed directory (billed as two domain controllers at $0.325 per domain-controller-hour each) in the N. Virginia example; monthly example after trial ≈ $468.00. cite
- Directory sharing (additional accounts sharing a directory): $0.06 per shared-directory hour (example used in AWS pricing examples). cite
- Simple AD (small): $0.025 per domain-controller-hour — example monthly cost (2 DCs, continuous) ≈ $36.00 (after trial). cite
- Simple AD (large): $0.075 per domain-controller-hour — example monthly cost (2 DCs, continuous) ≈ $108.00. cite
- AD Connector (small / large): billed hourly by size; AD Connector small is eligible for the 30-day limited free trial; exact hourly rates vary by region and are listed in the AWS Directory Service pricing table. cite
- Multi-region replication: Data transfer charges apply per GB for data transferred out of domain controllers to other AWS Regions; per-GB rates vary by region (see AWS pricing table). cite
Discount options: AWS pricing page lists on-demand hourly rates and provides a "Request a pricing quote" option for custom/enterprise arrangements; no explicit reserved/commitment discounts or savings plans are listed on the Directory Service pricing page. Contact AWS Sales for enterprise/quote pricing. cite
Notes & billing behavior:
- AWS creates a minimum of two domain controllers per managed Microsoft AD directory for high availability; billing is shown on the AWS bill as individual domain-controller line items even where the pricing table shows a per-managed-directory hourly rate. Examples on the official page illustrate how domain-controller hours are used against the 1,500-hour free-trial pool. cite
- Pricing varies by AWS Region; the official AWS pricing table on the Directory Service pages should be consulted for region-specific hourly and per-GB rates. cite
Seller details
Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Seattle, Washington, USA
2006
Subsidiary
https://aws.amazon.com/
https://x.com/awscloud
https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon-web-services/
