I'm considering using a p4de instance and I'm a bit confused about the pricing options available. Specifically, I noticed there's a capacity reservation, but I'm not clear on how it differs from a Savings Plan. Can someone break this down for me?
2 Answers
Hey! So just to clarify, a capacity reservation makes sure you can access EC2 instances within a specific Availability Zone at on-demand pricing, whereas a Savings Plan gives you a reduced rate for committing to consistent usage over time, but it doesn’t guarantee availability. If you want more details, there's an AWS document that explains the different options out there. Also, if you have further questions afterward, reaching out to the Billing support team might be helpful!
Quick question! If we start the instance and keep it running continuously for a year, do we need a capacity reservation, or could we be booted off?
A capacity reservation ensures that you'll have access to an on-demand EC2 instance while you hold that reservation, and you'll pay a rate that’s about the same as the on-demand price. On the other hand, a Savings Plan is a commitment to use a certain amount of resources over a longer period of time (usually years) at a discounted rate. So, one focuses on guaranteeing availability while the other focuses on cost savings.
Thanks a lot for the info! That's pretty much what I was thinking but wanted to confirm.