What is the AWS Well-Architected Tool?
The AWS Well-Architected Tool is a free service for structured evaluation of cloud architectures. Based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework, the tool guides you through a questionnaire and identifies risks and improvement opportunities in your workloads.
Core Features
- Workload Reviews: Structured assessment against the six framework pillars
- Improvement Plans: Prioritized recommendations with concrete actions
- Custom Lenses: Extension with industry-specific or custom best practices
- Milestone Tracking: Documentation of progress over time
- Reports: Exportable reports for stakeholders and audits
Typical Use Cases
Pre-Production Review: Before go-live, architects check new workloads for vulnerabilities. The tool identifies missing redundancy, security gaps, or cost risks before they go into production.
Continuous Improvement: DevOps teams use regular reviews for continuous improvement. Milestones document progress and show how architecture improves over time.
Cloud Center of Excellence: Central cloud teams define Custom Lenses with company-wide standards. All workloads are consistently evaluated against the same criteria.
Benefits
- Completely free, no hidden costs
- Structured approach based on years of AWS experience
- Trackable improvement through milestone tracking
- Extensible through Custom Lenses for specific requirements
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with Well-Architected Reviews: conducting assessments, prioritizing findings, implementing improvements, and establishing regular review cycles.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the six pillars of the Well-Architected Framework?
The six pillars are: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability. Each pillar contains design principles and best practices.
Is the Well-Architected Tool free?
Yes, the Well-Architected Tool is free. You can perform unlimited workload reviews. Costs only arise from AWS resources you modify as a result of recommendations.
What are Custom Lenses?
Custom Lenses allow you to add your own questions and best practices. This lets you integrate industry-specific or company standards into your reviews.
How often should I perform a Well-Architected Review?
AWS recommends reviews for major changes and at least annually. For critical workloads, quarterly reviews are advisable to ensure continuous improvement.