Describes the status of the specified instances or all of your instances. By default, only running instances are described, unless you specifically indicate to return the status of all instances.

Instance status includes the following components:

• Status checks - Amazon EC2 performs status checks on running EC2 instances to identify hardware and software issues. For more information, see Status checks for your instances and Troubleshoot instances with failed status checks in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

• Scheduled events - Amazon EC2 can schedule events (such as reboot, stop, or terminate) for your instances related to hardware issues, software updates, or system maintenance. For more information, see Scheduled events for your instances in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

• Instance state - You can manage your instances from the moment you launch them through their termination. For more information, see Instance lifecycle in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.