renovatebot/renovate

feat(datasource/aws-machine-image): add `hostType` authentication

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#42987 opened on Apr 29, 2026

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help wanted

Description

In at least a few occasions, we've had folks looking to understand how to set authentication for the aws-machine-image datasource.

Right now, it's only possible to set this through i.e. via AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, which isn't ideal when using a widely shared deployment of Renovate, such as Mend-hosted Renovate.

We should surface this as something that can be set in the hostRules authentication.

This would then allow Mend-hosted users to specify this, as well as allowing opportunities for users within organisations to specify this i.e. across many accounts, or on a per-file basis.

[!WARNING] This should not override the default AWS credentials for initialising the client in other cases, only for the purpose of listing AWS Machine Image tags.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescriptnodejsaws
Domain
backendcloud
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Familiarity with Renovate datasourcesKnowledge of AWS SDK credential chainUnderstanding of hostRules in Renovate
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Investigate the aws machine image datasource code in lib/modules/datasource/aws machine image/. Look at how other datasources (e.g., docker or pypi) implement hostRules authentication for patterns. Ensure the implementation does not override the default AWS credential chain for other uses. Add test coverage for the new authentication path. Review linked discussions for specific user scenarios.