---
title: "Cloud overview"
description: "Connect AWS accounts to discover EC2 instances in Alpacon. Install the agent through guided onboarding and manage cloud-hosted servers alongside other servers."
---

> Full documentation index: https://docs.alpacax.com/llms.txt

# Cloud overview

Connect AWS accounts to discover EC2 instances and onboard them in Alpacon.

## What Cloud does

- **Connect an AWS account**: link an account with a guided CloudFormation setup. Alpacon receives read-only access to your EC2 inventory, and optionally permission to install the agent.
- **Discover EC2 instances**: Alpacon keeps an up-to-date inventory of your instances across regions, syncing automatically.
- **Install the agent**: roll out the Alpamon agent to an instance with one click via AWS Systems Manager (SSM), or follow a manual SSH guide.
- **Manage in one place**: onboarded instances become regular Alpacon servers you connect to through [work sessions](/use/work-sessions/).

## Key concepts

**Cloud account**: a connected AWS account. Alpacon discovers instances and (optionally) installs agents within it. See [Connect an AWS account](/integrate/cloud/connect-aws/) and [Manage accounts](/integrate/cloud/accounts/).

**Instance**: an EC2 instance discovered in a connected account. See [Instance inventory](/integrate/cloud/instances/).

**Agent installation**: onboarding an instance by installing the Alpamon agent so it becomes a managed Alpacon server. See [Install the agent](/integrate/cloud/install-agent/).

## How it works

1. **Connect** an AWS account with the guided wizard.
2. Alpacon **discovers** your EC2 instances and keeps the inventory in sync.
3. **Install the agent** on the instances you want to manage.
4. Onboarded instances appear under [Servers](/use/servers/) and are accessed through [work sessions](/use/work-sessions/).

## Getting started

1. [Connect an AWS account](/integrate/cloud/connect-aws/)
2. [Instance inventory](/integrate/cloud/instances/)
3. [Install the agent](/integrate/cloud/install-agent/)

## Related docs

- [Register a server](/use/servers/register/)
- [Servers overview](/use/servers/)
- [Server registration token](/use/servers/register/tokens/)

Source: https://docs.alpacax.com/integrate/cloud/