Deploy and configure custom software on workers

AWS Deadline Cloud provides multiple methods to deploy and configure custom software, plugins, and tools on your workers. The method you choose depends on your requirements, such as whether you need administrator privileges, how often the software changes, and whether the software should be available to all jobs or only specific jobs.

Choose a deployment method

Use the following table to choose the right deployment method for your use case.

Criteria	Queue environment	Host configuration script	Custom conda package
Administrator privileges required	No	Yes	No
When it runs	Session start	Worker startup	Session start
Scope	Per queue or job	All workers in fleet	Per queue or job
Can be controlled by job submission	Yes	No	Yes
Setup complexity	Low	Medium	High
Best for	Simple plugins, scripts, environment variables	System drivers, Docker, storage mounts	Complex applications with dependencies

Quick decision guide:

• Need administrator or root privileges? Use a host configuration script.

• Simple plugin or script without admin rights? Use a queue environment.

• Complex application with version control needs? Create a custom conda package.