Lightsail instance stuck at "starting..."

When a Lightsail instance gets stuck in a transitional state like "starting," it can indicate an issue with the underlying hardware hosting your instance. While the force stop option is specifically available for instances stuck in the "Stopping" state, you have a couple of options to address an instance stuck at "starting."

You can try using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) to stop the instance with the force parameter. First, install the AWS CLI if you haven't already, then use the stop-instance command with the --force flag:

aws lightsail stop-instance --instance-name [your-instance-name] --force

This command doesn't give the instance an opportunity to flush file system caches or metadata before stopping, so after forcing the stop, it's recommended to perform file system checks and repair procedures when you restart the instance.

If the CLI force stop doesn't resolve the issue, you may need to contact AWS Support for further assistance, as there could be an underlying hardware problem that requires intervention at the infrastructure level.
Sources
Force stop stuck Lightsail instances - Amazon Lightsail

Hello.

The "force" option in the AI's automated response is only available when the status is "stopping".
It's worth trying, but it may not resolve your case.
The stuck at "starting..." state is probably temporary, so it should start up after a while.
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lightsail/2016-11-28/api-reference/API_StopInstance.html

Only use the force parameter if your instance is stuck in the stopping state. In any other state, your instance should stop normally without adding this parameter to your API request.

If it still doesn't start after waiting for several hours, I think you should contact AWS support, as suggested in the AI's response.
Inquiries regarding "Account and billing" are free of charge.
https://console.aws.amazon.com/support