Hey everyone! I've been digging into some networking topics, especially around cloud provider charges, and I have a couple of questions that I've struggled to find clear answers to. First off, why do cloud providers only charge for egress? Is it because users have already paid for ingress through their ISP? How exactly do ISPs like AT&T handle internet exchange routes, or do they have their own infrastructure nationwide? Secondly, how much data can you actually send out through your ISP before hitting a monthly cap? I've noticed that ISPs usually only mention speeds (like 100Mbps) without specifying anything about egress limits.
3 Answers
Exactly! They aim to encourage you to store data with them while charging for access. And they also charge for operations like writing data, which can add up quickly.
Providers typically charge for egress because they want to make it financially easier for you to push data into their cloud, but costly to retrieve it. This strategy can lead to higher overall cloud costs if you aren't careful!
For most ISPs, data usage isn’t a cost factor like egress fees. They’re more concerned about the infrastructure costs, which include maintaining and upgrading their networks. Once they invest in the infrastructure, the marginal cost of transporting data is pretty low.
True! The main issue is they need to budget for scaling up when traffic grows, which is why they have to charge for egress – it's part of their business model.
Definitely! It's kind of like the Hotel California – you can check in anytime, but you can never check out without paying!