AWS Free Tier Introduction

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will:

1. Understand what the AWS Free Tier is and how it works.
2. Identify the key services included in the Free Tier and their limits.
3. Learn how to use the Free Tier effectively to explore AWS without incurring costs.
4. Gain insight into real-world scenarios where you can apply Free Tier services.

Introduction: A Cloud Playground for Beginners

Imagine you’ve just heard about AWS and want to explore its capabilities. You’re excited to launch a website, experiment with serverless applications, or maybe try your hand at setting up a virtual server. But you’re also cautious—you don’t want to spend a fortune on services while you’re still learning.

This is where the AWS Free Tier comes in. Think of it as a free trial that lets you explore AWS services without committing to costs upfront. Whether you’re a student, a developer, or a small business owner, the Free Tier is designed to help you get started with AWS at zero cost.

What is the AWS Free Tier?

The AWS Free Tier is a program that allows new AWS users to access certain services for free, up to specified usage limits. It’s like a test drive for AWS: you can explore and learn without worrying about overspending.

How the Free Tier Works

The Free Tier has three types of offerings:

1. Always Free: Services that remain free indefinitely within usage limits.
   Example: 1 million requests per month with AWS Lambda.
2. 12-Month Free Tier: Services that are free for the first 12 months after you create an account.
   Example: 750 hours per month of EC2 t2.micro instances.
3. Trials: Short-term free trials for specific services.
   Example: Amazon Redshift offers a 2-month trial with free data warehousing capacity.

Key Services in the AWS Free Tier

1. Amazon EC2

Virtual servers in the cloud to host applications or websites.

• Free Tier Offer: 750 hours/month of t2.micro or t3.micro instances (depending on the region).
• Scenario: Launch a basic web server to host a blog or portfolio site.

2. Amazon S3

Object storage for files, backups, and more.

• Free Tier Offer: 5 GB of standard storage, 20,000 GET requests, and 2,000 PUT requests.
• Scenario: Store and retrieve files, such as images for your website.

3. AWS Lambda

Run code without provisioning or managing servers.

• Free Tier Offer: 1 million requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time.
• Scenario: Build a serverless function to process form submissions on your website.

4. Amazon RDS

Managed relational databases for applications.

• Free Tier Offer: 750 hours/month of database usage for specific engines (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL).
• Scenario: Set up a database for an e-commerce site or inventory management system.

5. Amazon CloudFront

Content delivery network to accelerate web content delivery.

• Free Tier Offer: 50 GB of data transfer and 2 million HTTP/HTTPS requests per month.
• Scenario: Speed up the loading of a static website hosted on S3.

Using the Free Tier Effectively

1. Keep Track of Usage

AWS provides a Billing Dashboard where you can monitor your Free Tier usage. Set up alerts to avoid exceeding limits.

2. Explore Popular Use Cases

• Launch a basic website using EC2 and S3.
• Experiment with serverless functions using Lambda.
• Build a database-backed app with RDS and DynamoDB.

3. Combine Free Tier Services

Use multiple Free Tier services together for complete solutions.
Example:

• Use S3 to store static content.
• Deploy a Lambda function to process user data.
• Use CloudFront to deliver content with low latency.

Reflection: Why the Free Tier Matters

Think of the AWS Free Tier as your cloud sandbox—a place to learn, build, and test without financial risk. It’s perfect for beginners exploring cloud computing, developers testing new ideas, or small businesses launching pilot projects.

The Free Tier doesn’t just save money; it gives you the freedom to innovate.

What’s Next?

Now that you know how to explore AWS services without incurring costs, let’s dive into AWS’s Management Console in the next chapter. You’ll learn how to navigate the interface, find services, and customize your dashboard for efficient workflows.

Your cloud journey is just getting started—let’s keep building!