Final answer:
An AMI contains boot volume, data volumes if included at creation, and block device mapping, but does not include instance settings, network settings, or AMI permissions.
Step-by-step explanation:
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) contains the information required to launch an instance on Amazon Web Services (AWS). However, not everything is stored in an AMI. Specifically, an AMI does not store instance settings such as the instance type, which determines the hardware of the host computer for your instance. It also does not store network settings like VPC configurations or security group details, as these are configured when you launch an instance from the AMI. Additionally, AMI Permissions which dictate who can access the AMI are not stored within the AMI itself but are managed separately in AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).
The components that are generally included in an AMI are the boot volume (which includes the operating system and its configuration), data volumes if included at the time the AMI is created, and block device mapping that dictates the volumes to attach to the instance upon launch.