So You Want to Use the AWS Free Tier
Amazon Web Services’ pay-as-you-go billing model makes it incredibly easy for anyone to create an account and start deploying infrastructure in just a few minutes. The “Free Tier” that AWS provides makes it even easier for students, developers, and startups to get started without any upfront commitment. Unfortunately, this free tier also makes it far too easy for anyone to begin consuming resources that eventually shift to a paid billing model with little warning. Accidental usage overages and hacked accounts can quickly lead to bills in the tens of thousands of dollars — just take a look these Reddit posts for some examples.
This post is written for students, beginners, or anyone who is looking to use AWS for the first time and take advantage of the free tier. We’ll cover the initial account setup, some basic security precautions, and configuring a budget to help alert you if something goes wrong.
Note: This is not a comprehensive guide to AWS security; it’s a quick start guide to the basics of setting up a new account with budget and security precautions to avoid cost overage.
Initial Account Setup
Compromised accounts are a leading cause of unexpected bills. Configuring your account securely from the start is crucial.