I'm keen to explore Bedrock's knowledge base and AgentCore but my company's strict policies make it tough to dive in. I want to experiment on my own without breaking the bank. I've heard that costs can add up quickly, so I'm looking for advice on affordable ways to try things out. A basic model is enough for my needs.
5 Answers
AWS actually offers free workshops that you should check out to get started without spending anything!
I tried using it for some code generation and ended up spending around $20 in just a few hours. As a solo user, that seemed pretty steep, especially when scaling up would probably be much worse.
For learning purposes, stick with models like Nova, Mistral, and Llama. Definitely steer clear of the Claude models if cost is a concern. Also, for the knowledge base, using S3 vectors is a better option than OpenSearch!
AgentCore handles scaling and memory management for you, but if you want to go a different route, you can run your agents on AWS Lambda. Just remember to set usage limits so you don’t overspend—maybe look into LiteLLM for setting a virtual API key with a spending cap!
If you keep your usage to a few million tokens a day, it shouldn't be too pricey—just avoid using Opus. Models like Nova Lite, Haiku, and Llama are great starters. If you're using AgentCore, I doubt you'll go over $5 a day unless you're doing something heavy-duty.
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