ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Amazon Machine Image

An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is like a recipe that tells computers how to cook a delicious meal. Just like a cooking recipe tells us what ingredients we need and what steps to take to make a dish, an Amazon Machine Image tells computers which programs to run and what settings to use. That way, you can set up a computer that is already loaded with all the software and settings you want.