| Feature | AWS Config | SSM Compliance |
|---|
| Purpose | Tracks and evaluates configuration of AWS resources | Monitors compliance of managed instances with patch, association, and custom baselines |
| Scope | AWS resources (e.g., S3, EC2, IAM, etc.) | EC2 instances (managed by SSM) |
| Granularity | Resource-level compliance | OS-level (patches, configs) |
| Rules | Uses Config Rules (AWS-managed or custom Lambda) | Uses Patch Baselines, Associations, and Custom Inventory |
| Remediation | Supports automatic remediation | Can use SSM Automation for remediation |
| Data Source | AWS API (resource configuration snapshots) | SSM Agent (installed on instances) |
| Use Case | Cloud governance, audit, security compliance | Patch management, software configuration compliance |