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AWS Elastic Beanstalk vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys?

Elastic Beanstalk takes your apps as they are and runs them on AWS machines, with an RDS database it creates for you. With while, your AI agent deploys the app, its database and its access in one request, over MCP, in France.

By Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap. Facts checked on November 2, 2026. How this comparison is made.

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What changes between AWS Elastic Beanstalk and while

What mattersAWS Elastic Beanstalkwhile
Who it’s forTeams that keep their Java, .NET, PHP, Python or Ruby apps as they are, on AWS machines1,7People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team
Your AI agentNo MCP server of its own: the general AWS MCP server, based on your IAM permissions2Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things
What protects productionYour agent’s AWS permissions, an optional read-only mode, and your approval in your AI tool8Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person
The databaseRDS for PostgreSQL, point-in-time recovery up to 35 days depending on your setting, 7 by default3PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery
Who opens your appNo built-in password, company SSO through the AWS load balancer4Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan
In FranceYes, one region in France5Yes, with Nextmap, a French company
To get startedBeanstalk is free: you pay by the hour for the machine, the database and the IPv4 address1,9A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database

Try while on your app, without an account. Copy the instructions

Elastic Beanstalk, your apps as they are on AWS

Elastic Beanstalk takes your Java, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, Go or Node.js apps as they are1,7, and updates your machines in batches, without downtime, with a quick rollback if the new version disappoints6. AWS updates your machines’ operating system for the whole life of the app7.

With while, your AI agent does the rest

  • No server to maintain. No system to update, no disk to watch, no certificate to renew: your agent deploys, and while takes care of the rest.
  • Your databases are backed up for you. Every day, with point-in-time recovery, and a production backup tested every day.
  • Nothing serious happens without you. Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log.
  • Your keys stay secret. Your app uses them, your agent never sees them.
  • Your colleagues sign in with the company account. Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code.

Moving from AWS Elastic Beanstalk to while

Take over your app

You, to your agent: Move our Beanstalk app to while.

Your agent takes over your code, writes while.yaml and deploys the app.

Copy your database

You, to your agent: Copy our database to while.

Your agent exports the database with pg_dump, then loads it into while.

Carry over your variables

You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables.

Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them.

Which one to choose

  • Choose AWS Elastic Beanstalk if your team already lives in AWS, with Java or .NET apps to keep as they are.
  • Choose while if your AI agent is the one deploying, and you want the app, the database and access in one go, in France, without breaking anything.

Next steps

Sources

  1. AWS Elastic Beanstalk, overview, accessed November 2, 2026
  2. AWS, the AWS MCP server is generally available, accessed November 2, 2026
  3. Amazon RDS, the backup retention period, accessed November 2, 2026
  4. Application Load Balancer, user authentication, accessed November 2, 2026
  5. AWS Elastic Beanstalk, regions, accessed November 2, 2026
  6. Elastic Beanstalk, deployment policies, accessed November 2, 2026
  7. AWS Elastic Beanstalk, product page, accessed November 2, 2026
  8. AWS, the Agent Toolkit (permissions, read-only), accessed November 2, 2026
  9. Amazon VPC, pricing (IPv4 addresses), accessed November 2, 2026

Questions

How much does a small app with its database cost on Beanstalk?

Beanstalk is free: you pay by the hour for the machine, its IPv4 address and the RDS database1,9. On while, €13.75 per month for a small app and its database, backups included.

Does Beanstalk host in France?

Yes, one region is in France5. So does while, with Nextmap, a French company.

Can my agent move from Beanstalk to while?

Yes. It takes your code or your Dockerfile, copies the RDS database with pg_dump and carries over your settings.

Connect your agent, it takes care of the rest

To paste into your agent

Read while.sh/agents, then deploy my app with while.

Copy the instructions

No account needed to try: your app is live right away. To keep it, sign in.

A project for your company? Talk to the team: hello@while.sh