1. On-Demand Pricing Model
Amazon Web Services offers an on-demand pricing model that allows web hosting developers to pay only for the resources they use. This means that you can scale your infrastructure up or down as needed, without having to worry about paying for unused capacity. The on-demand pricing model is ideal for applications with unpredictable traffic patterns or those that require rapid scaling.
The cost of AWS on-demand hosting depends on the type of instance, the number of instances, and the duration of use.
The different types of Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances include:
micro instance (m.xlarge): These instances are ideal for small workloads and have a low cost per hour. They are suitable for running lightweight applications or using them as cache servers.small instance (t2.micro): Small instances are suitable for running applications with moderate traffic loads. They offer more CPU power, memory, and storage than micro instances but have a higher cost per hour.medium instance (t2.small): Medium instances are designed for running more demanding applications with higher traffic loads. They offer even more processing power, memory, and storage than small instances but have a higher cost per hour.large instance (t2.large): Large instances are suitable for running very large-scale applications with extremely high traffic loads. They offer the highest level of computing resources available on Amazon EC2 instances and have a correspondingly high cost per hour.
The cost of on-demand AWS hosting can vary greatly depending on the specific instance type, number of instances, and duration of use. For example, running a small t2.micro instance for one hour will cost around $0.12 to $0.16, while running a large t2.large instance for one hour will cost around $3.94 to $4.88. To get a more accurate estimate of the cost of on-demand AWS hosting, you can use Amazon’s pricing calculator tool.
1. Reserved Instances Pricing Model
Amazon Web Services also offers reserved instances (RIs), which provide significant discounts for users who are willing to commit to using a certain number of EC2 instances over a specified period of time. This pricing model is ideal for applications that have consistent traffic patterns and can be planned in advance.
There are three types of reserved instances available on AWS:
On-Demand Reserved Instances (ODRIs): These RIs allow you to purchase a fixed number of hours of capacity upfront at a discounted rate, which you can use whenever needed within the specified time period.Partially Used Reserved Instances (PURIs): These RIs allow you to purchase a portion of an ODRI, which can be used immediately or reserved for future use.Spot Instances: These are the cheapest option available on AWS and are purchased at a discounted rate based on availability. They are ideal for applications that can tolerate intermittent access to the cloud.
The cost of reserved instances varies depending on the specific instance type, number of instances, and duration of use. To get a more accurate estimate of the cost of reserved instances, you can use Amazon’s pricing calculator tool.
1. Spot Instances Pricing Model
Amazon Web Services also offers spot instances, which are purchased at a discounted rate based on availability and can be terminated at any time. This pricing model is ideal for applications that have low resource requirements or can tolerate intermittent access to the cloud.
Spot instances are available in two types:
On-Demand Spot Instances: These instances can be purchased immediately and can be stopped or terminated at any time. They are suitable for applications with unpredictable workloads or those that require rapid scaling.Reserved Spot Instances (RSIs): These RIs allow you to purchase a fixed number of hours of capacity upfront at a discounted rate, which can be used immediately or reserved for future use.
The cost of spot instances varies depending on the specific instance type and availability. To get a more accurate estimate of the cost of spot instances, you can use Amazon’s pricing calculator tool.
1. Comparison of AWS Pricing Models
Now that we have looked at each of the different pricing models offered by AWS let’s compare them to see which one is best suited for web hosting developers.