A capability of AWS Systems Manager that runs runbooks (automation documents) for common operational and maintenance tasks.
How it works
An automation document defines an ordered set of steps (branch, loop, approval, call an AWS API).
Runs on a schedule, manually, or triggered by another service.
Typical uses
Patch and restart instances in sequence.
Create an AMI, then update an Auto Scaling launch template.
Remediate a resource — AWS Config rules call Automation runbooks to auto-fix non-compliant resources.
Not to be confused with
Run Command — executes a command inside an instance’s OS. Automation orchestrates AWS-level actions across services, with multi-step logic and approvals.