AWS Free Tier

AWS Free Tier is a gateway for individuals and businesses to explore cloud computing without upfront costs. It provides free access to many AWS services, allowing users to test, develop, and deploy applications. This guide by The Coding College covers everything you need to know about AWS Free Tier, including its offerings, benefits, and usage tips.

What is AWS Free Tier?

AWS Free Tier offers three categories of free access:

  1. Always Free: Services available for free indefinitely, with usage limits.
  2. 12-Month Free Trial: Services free for 12 months from the account creation date.
  3. Trials: Services with limited-time free trials, starting from the first use.

Key Features of AWS Free Tier

1. Always Free Services

These services remain free as long as you stay within the limits:

  • Amazon DynamoDB: 25 GB of storage and 25 read/write capacity units.
  • AWS Lambda: 1 million requests and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month.
  • Amazon CloudWatch: 1 million API requests, 5 GB log storage, and custom metrics.

2. 12-Month Free Trial Services

  • Amazon EC2: 750 hours per month of t2.micro or t3.micro instances.
  • Amazon S3: 5 GB of Standard storage with 20,000 GET and 2,000 PUT requests.
  • Amazon RDS: 750 hours of db.t2.micro or db.t3.micro instances and 20 GB of storage.

3. Limited-Time Trials

  • Amazon Redshift: Free for 2 months with 750 hours of dc2.large node usage.
  • AWS Shield Advanced: Free for 30 days.

Benefits of AWS Free Tier

  1. Cost-Efficient Learning
    • Experiment with AWS services without spending money.
  2. Prototyping and Development
    • Build and test applications in a real-world cloud environment.
  3. Hands-On Certification Prep
    • Ideal for preparing for AWS certifications like Cloud Practitioner or Solutions Architect.
  4. Startup-Friendly
    • Start small and scale as your business grows.

Best Practices for Using AWS Free Tier

  1. Monitor Usage
    • Use the AWS Billing and Cost Management Dashboard to track your usage and avoid unexpected charges.
  2. Automate Cost Alerts
    • Set up AWS Budgets to receive alerts when nearing free tier limits.
  3. Optimize Resources
    • Shut down unused resources like EC2 instances when not in use.
  4. Leverage Always Free Services
    • Focus on services like Lambda and DynamoDB for ongoing development.
  5. Understand Free Tier Limits
    • Each service has specific limits—ensure you stay within these to remain free.

Use Cases for AWS Free Tier

  1. Web Hosting
    • Host a small website using EC2, S3, and Route 53.
  2. Serverless Applications
    • Build scalable apps with AWS Lambda and API Gateway.
  3. Databases
    • Experiment with relational databases using RDS or DynamoDB.
  4. Analytics and Monitoring
    • Track performance with CloudWatch and process data with AWS Glue.

AWS Free Tier Limitations

  • Limited Resources: The free tier is ideal for small-scale projects and learning but may not suffice for production workloads.
  • Time Restrictions: 12-month services expire after one year.
  • Service-Specific Limits: Free tier limits vary by service and region.

How to Sign Up for AWS Free Tier

  1. Create an AWS Account
  2. Provide Payment Information
    • A valid credit card is required for verification. AWS charges $1 temporarily to validate your card.
  3. Start Exploring
    • Access free services via the AWS Management Console.

Conclusion

AWS Free Tier is an excellent way to explore cloud computing, build prototypes, and develop skills without incurring significant costs. By staying informed about usage limits and best practices, you can maximize the benefits of AWS Free Tier.

Leave a Comment