AWS
EC2UnsupportedOperation - EC2 Unsupported Operation
Getting an **EC2UnsupportedOperation** error means the EC2 operation you're trying to perform isn't supported for the specified resource or instance type—the operation might not be available for the current instance configuration, instance state, or instance type. This client-side error (4xx) happens when AWS validates operation compatibility. Most common when operations aren't supported for instance types, but also appears when instance states don't allow operations, features aren't available for instances, instance configurations are incompatible, or operations require different instance types.
#Common Causes
- →Identity: IAM policy allows EC2 operation but operation unsupported. Service Control Policy (SCP) restricts operation types.
- →Network: VPC endpoint EC2 operation restrictions. Operation not available for instance configuration.
- →Limits: Operation not supported for instance type. Instance state does not allow operation. Feature not available for instance. Incompatible instance configuration. Operation requires different instance type.
✓Solutions
- 1Step 1: Diagnose - Check exact error message: AWS usually specifies which operation is unsupported. Review error message for operation name. Check instance type.
- 2Step 2: Diagnose - Check instance type capabilities: aws ec2 describe-instance-types --instance-types INSTANCE_TYPE --query 'InstanceTypes[0].[InstanceType,SupportedVirtualizationTypes,SupportedRootDeviceTypes]' --output table. Verify if operation is supported.
- 3Step 3: Diagnose - Check instance state: aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids i-XXXXX --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].State.Name' --output text. Verify instance state allows operation. Some operations require running state.
- 4Step 4: Fix - Use supported instance type: Check instance type supports operation: aws ec2 describe-instance-attribute --instance-id i-XXXXX --attribute ebsOptimized. Or use different instance type that supports the operation.
- 5Step 5: Fix - Verify operation compatibility: Review EC2 operation documentation. Check if operation requires specific instance state. Verify instance configuration is compatible. Use supported instance type for operation.
</>Code Examples
Check Instance Type Capabilities
1#!/bin/bash
2INSTANCE_TYPE="t3.micro"
3
4echo "=== Instance Type Capabilities ==="
5aws ec2 describe-instance-types \
6 --instance-types ${INSTANCE_TYPE} \
7 --query 'InstanceTypes[0].[InstanceType,SupportedVirtualizationTypes,SupportedRootDeviceTypes,EbsInfo.EbsOptimizedSupport]' \
8 --output table
9
10echo "\n=== Check EBS Optimization Support ==="
11INSTANCE_ID="i-1234567890abcdef0"
12EBS_OPT=$(aws ec2 describe-instance-attribute \
13 --instance-id ${INSTANCE_ID} \
14 --attribute ebsOptimized \
15 --query 'EbsOptimized.Value' \
16 --output text 2>/dev/null)
17
18if [ ! -z "${EBS_OPT}" ]; then
19 echo "EBS Optimization: ${EBS_OPT}"
20 if [ "${EBS_OPT}" = "false" ]; then
21 echo "⚠ Instance does not support EBS optimization"
22 echo "Some operations may not be supported"
23 fi
24else
25 echo "✗ Cannot check EBS optimization (instance may not exist)"
26fiCheck Instance State Before Operation
1#!/bin/bash
2INSTANCE_ID="i-1234567890abcdef0"
3
4echo "=== Checking Instance State ==="
5INSTANCE_STATE=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
6 --instance-ids ${INSTANCE_ID} \
7 --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].State.Name' \
8 --output text 2>&1)
9
10if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [ ! -z "${INSTANCE_STATE}" ]; then
11 echo "Instance state: ${INSTANCE_STATE}"
12
13 if [ "${INSTANCE_STATE}" != "running" ]; then
14 echo "✗ Instance is not running (current state: ${INSTANCE_STATE})"
15 echo "Many operations require instance to be in 'running' state"
16 echo "Operation may not be supported in this state (EC2UnsupportedOperation)"
17 else
18 echo "✓ Instance is running"
19 echo "Most operations should be supported"
20 fi
21else
22 echo "✗ Cannot check instance state"
23 echo "Error: ${INSTANCE_STATE}"
24fiVerify Operation Compatibility with Instance Type
1#!/bin/bash
2INSTANCE_TYPE="t3.micro"
3
4echo "=== Checking Instance Type Support ==="
5echo "Instance type: ${INSTANCE_TYPE}"
6
7# Check if instance type is available
8OFFERING=$(aws ec2 describe-instance-type-offerings \
9 --location-type availability-zone \
10 --filters "Name=instance-type,Values=${INSTANCE_TYPE}" \
11 --query 'InstanceTypeOfferings[0].InstanceType' \
12 --output text)
13
14if [ ! -z "${OFFERING}" ]; then
15 echo "✓ Instance type ${INSTANCE_TYPE} is available"
16
17 echo "\n=== Instance Type Details ==="
18 aws ec2 describe-instance-types \
19 --instance-types ${INSTANCE_TYPE} \
20 --query 'InstanceTypes[0].[InstanceType,ProcessorInfo.SupportedArchitectures,NetworkInfo.NetworkPerformance]' \
21 --output table
22else
23 echo "✗ Instance type ${INSTANCE_TYPE} may not be available"
24 echo "Some operations may not be supported (EC2UnsupportedOperation)"
25fi
26
27echo "\n=== Common Unsupported Operations ==="
28echo "1. EBS optimization on non-supported instance types"
29echo "2. Enhanced networking on older instance types"
30echo "3. GPU operations on non-GPU instance types"
31echo "4. Nitro operations on non-Nitro instances"↗Related Errors
Provider Information
This error code is specific to AWS services. For more information, refer to the official AWS documentation.