Amazon DCV
Amazon DCV is a remote display protocol for delivering desktops and streaming applications from clouds or data centers.
What Amazon DCV is
Amazon DCV is a remote display protocol for delivering desktops and streaming applications from clouds or data centers. The server compresses application visuals and sends them to clients as an encrypted pixel stream, using H.264, adaptive compression for bandwidth and latency, and lossless-quality compression when conditions allow. Sessions can span up to four monitors, with high-pixel-density support in native Windows and macOS clients. Dynamic sessions allow multiple collaborative clients to connect or disconnect. Linux servers support multiple virtual sessions and sharing physical GPUs between them. Depending on server platform, features include audio, printing, clipboard, file transfer, touch and stylus input, gamepads, WebAuthn, smart cards, and USB remotization. Clients are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, and modern web browsers, but the browser client is not supported on mobile operating systems and there are no mobile apps. Session Manager provides programmatic session lifecycle control, while permissions files manage user and group access. Amazon DCV has no additional charge on EC2, though standard EC2 and other feature charges apply. Outside EC2, a 30-day evaluation license is available; production licensing is required for concurrent sessions.
Good
- Encrypted remote pixel streaming
- Adaptive and lossless-quality compression options
- Up to four-monitor sessions
- Collaborative dynamic sessions
- Free on Amazon EC2
Watch out
- No mobile apps
- Browser client excludes mobile operating systems
- Production licenses required outside EC2
- Peripheral availability varies by server platform
Who it suits
Amazon DCV suits high-performance visualization workloads in areas such as oil and gas, life sciences, and design or engineering. It fits teams delivering remote applications through supported desktop or browser clients.
Verdict
Amazon DCV provides remote desktop delivery with collaboration, GPU sharing, and session-management controls. Check server-platform feature availability and licensing requirements before deploying outside EC2.
Plans and prices
From Amazon DCV's own pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon EC2 | Free | No additional charge for Amazon DCV on EC2 · pay standard rates for EC2 instances and other features |
| Automatic evaluation license | Free | For servers outside EC2 · valid for 30 days after installation |
| Production license | Priced on request | Required outside EC2 · one license per concurrent session · perpetual and subscription licenses available · purchase through a distributor or reseller |
The facts
Each one read from Amazon DCV's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Authorization
- Permissions files let administrators grant or deny specific users or groups access to DCV session features.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Clients
- Clients are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, and modern web browsers; the browser client is not supported on mobile operating systems.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Collaboration
- Dynamic sessions support multiple collaborative clients connecting and disconnecting during a session.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Developer tools
- AWS provides a Web Client SDK for building customized browser clients and Session Manager APIs for managing sessions.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Displays
- Sessions can span up to four monitors, and native Windows and macOS clients support high pixel density monitors.checked 12 Oct 2001
- File transfer
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2001
- Integrations
- The Amazon DCV streaming protocol is used by Amazon WorkSpaces Applications, AWS Nimble Studio, and AWS RoboMaker.checked 12 Oct 2001
- License limit
- Outside EC2, production licenses are floating licenses managed by a license server and limit the number of concurrent sessions.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Peripherals
- Features include audio, printing, clipboard, file transfer, touch and stylus input, gamepads, WebAuthn, smart cards, and USB remotization, with availability varying by server platform.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Purpose
- Amazon DCV is a high-performance remote display protocol for securely delivering remote desktops and application streaming from clouds or data centers.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Session management
- DCV Session Manager provides programmatic creation and lifecycle management for sessions across a fleet of servers.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Streaming
- The server compresses application visuals and streams them to clients as an encrypted pixel stream.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Use cases
- AWS describes DCV as serving high-performance computing visualization workloads, including oil and gas, life sciences, and design and engineering.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Video and bandwidth
- It supports H.264 encoding, lossless-quality compression when conditions allow, and adaptive compression based on bandwidth and latency.checked 12 Oct 2001
Where it runs
- Linux capabilities
- Linux servers support multiple virtual sessions and sharing physical GPUs between virtual sessions.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Mobile apps
- Nochecked 21 Sep 2001
- Server platforms
- The server software is available for Windows, Linux, and Amazon EC2 Mac instances, while macOS server support is limited to EC2 Apple silicon instances.checked 12 Oct 2001
- Supported platforms
- Windows,Linux,macOS,web browserchecked 21 Sep 2001
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