Instance Store Lifetime You can specify instance store volumes for an instance only when you launch it. The data in aninstance store persists only during the lifetime of its associated instance. If an instance reboots(intentionally or unintentionally), data in the instance store persists. However, data in the instancestore is lost under the following circumstances: The underlying disk drive fails The instance stops The instance terminates http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/InstanceStorage.html