AWS App Runner(AR) (PaaS)

AWS App Runner is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that simplifies deploying and scaling web applications and APIs directly from source code or container images.

AWS App Runner (AR) is container based only. Not suitable for developers or applications not yet containerized or unsuitable for container deployment.

It is ideal for modern, containerized apps needing fast, infra-free deployment.

app-runner

Key Features

  1. No infrastructure to manage – AWS handles servers, scaling, and load balancing for you.
  2. Fast deployment – Just connect your GitHub repo, Amazon ECR, or Dockerfile to deploy.
  3. Auto build & deploy – App Runner can automatically detect changes and redeploy.
  4. Automatic scaling – Scales up or down based on traffic, saving you money.
  5. Built-in HTTPS – Free and automatic TLS for secure connections.
  6. Health checks & monitoring – Built-in tools to keep your app healthy and track performance.
  7. Ideal for: Web applications, REST APIs, microservices.
  8. Great for developers – No need to learn ECS/EKS or manage infrastructure.

Limitations

  1. AWS App Runner (AR) is container based only. Not suitable for developers or applications not yet containerized or unsuitable for container deployment.
  2. It abstracts away infrastructure details, means, applications requiring fine-grained control, or high-performance computing are poorly served by App Runner.
  3. Currently, App Runner does not support GPU acceleration, which disqualifies it from workloads involving machine learning inference, video processing, or other GPU-intensive operations.

Deployment Models

App Runner supports two deployment models -

  1. Source-based:
    • Connects to GitHub (Node.js/Python supported).
    • Auto builds container from source code.
  2. Container-based:
    • Deploy pre-built image from ECR.
    • Use if app is already containerized.

App Runner(PaaS) vs Fargate(Container-as-a-Service)

Both serverless compute services offered by AWS, but they are designed for different use cases and levels of control.

App Runner is basically a simpler interface built on top of Fargate that automates the deployment and scaling of web applications. It can't do everything that ECS + Fargate can.

App Runner is easier to use and ideal for developers who want to deploy web apps or APIs without managing infrastructure.

Amplify, Elastic Beanstalk & App Runner

  1. Amplify = Best for frontend-first teams building full-stack apps with minimal backend setup.
  2. Elastic Beanstalk = Good for developers with existing apps (e.g., Java, Node.js) who want simple deployment but some infra control.
  3. App Runner = Ideal for modern, containerized apps needing fast, infra-free deployment.