AWS: Get email when EC2 instance state changes

To setup email notification when your EC2 instances change state, you should configure the following:

• Amazon SNS topic – where you define recepients
• Create an EventBridge event – where you define rule on instances that will trigger the notification

1. Create an Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) topic:

Go to Amazon SNS -> Create topic ->

-> Click Create topic

Go to Subscriptions -> Create subscription

A subscription confirmation email is sent to the address you have entered. Choose Confirm subscription in the email (Screen 3):

2. Create an EventBridge event

Open the EventBridge console -> Create rule

 To monitor all instances, in the Event pattern enter the following (Screen 4)

{
"source": ["aws.ec2"],
"detail-type": ["EC2 Instance State-change Notification"]
}

If you are planing to monitor particular instances then you need to indicate their instance IDs using the following way:

{
"source": ["aws.ec2"],
"detail-type": ["EC2 Instance State-change Notification"],
"detail": {
"instance-id": ["i-0897b9d936bda3bda", "i-0c76e28b0ec1a099c"]
}
}

Please note, this pattern can also be generated by choosing “Pre-defined pattern by service” radio button and choosing appropriate services. But for simplicity the above pattern can be entered.

In the Select targets section, choose previously created SNS topic.

In the Input transformer (Screen 5) paste the following strings accordingly:

Input Path

{"instance-id":"$.detail.instance-id", "state":"$.detail.state", "time":"$.time", "region":"$.region", "account":"$.account"}

Input Template

"At <time>, the status of your EC2 instance <instance-id> on account <account> in the AWS Region <region> has changed to <state>."

Click Create.

3. Test the configuration

Start/stop target instanes and check your email: