Do I get charged for an EC2 instance when it's stopped?
Asked by
CuriousCat42
I'm working on setting up a t2.micro EC2 instance to use as a proxy server. My goal is to only power it on when I actually need to use the proxy to save on costs and hopefully keep it within the free tier limits. I need to know if I will only be charged for the time the instance is running, or if there are other costs involved when it's stopped. Thanks for any insights!
Answers
You'll only be charged for the time your instance is running, so when it’s stopped, there’s no hourly charge. However, you will still incur costs for storage like EBS volumes that are attached to it. Just a heads-up: check the pricing for any public IP addresses too, since you might pay for them even when your instance isn’t active. Also, avoid using NAT gateways as they can get pricey!
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Yeah, when you stop your instance, the hourly billing for the instance itself stops, but costs for anything like elastic IPs or EBS volumes will still keep coming. Just make sure whatever you have attached stays within the free tier limits!
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Be cautious with the t2 instances; while they’re economical, think about the potential for throttling if you plan on using it heavily. Also, keep in mind that some data transfer costs can add up, so you might want to look into that too.
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You can keep your instance off and still stay under the free tier, but remember that running costs can sneak in from EBS and elastic IPs. Also, awareness of AWS IP ranges is key since they could get blocked depending on your use case.
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SmartMoney123: Just to add, if you've got a public IP linked to your EC2, you'll get charged for that too, regardless of whether the instance is up or down.