I'm a forestry researcher trying to run an open-source software for 3D photogrammetry, but my computer keeps crashing when I try to use it. I'm considering using a cloud machine to get around this issue, but I need to know how EC2 billing works before I proceed. Specifically, do I get charged for every hour that the EC2 instance is running, or only when I'm actually using it? I need a setup with 16GB RAM and 100GB storage, and I anticipate that my processing will take around 2-3 days. Any insights or estimates would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
Honestly, if your goal is just to have a machine hosted elsewhere, AWS might be overkill. If you're not ready to dive deep into managing public cloud services, consider looking for a hosted VM with a straightforward cost structure. For instance, companies like Leaseweb or DigitalOcean offer tailored solutions depending on what you need and often provide reliable support too.
AWS bills by the second, so you pay for what you provision, not just what you actively use. Your charges will include the EC2 instance cost, storage fees (for both the instance and any attached EBS volumes), and an upgraded public IP address fee. Don’t forget about costs for snapshots and backups too! You can use various cost calculators, like the one at instances.vantage.sh, for better insight into prices. Just remember to secure your account and set up alerts to avoid unexpected charges!
Absolutely, and it's crucial to secure your root user account with MFA and avoid using the root credentials to create resources. Setting up billing alerts can save you a lot of trouble.
Estimating EC2 costs precisely is tricky. It’s like trying to get the secret formula for Krabby Patties. You can never really know until you're in the thick of it, so definitely plan your usage carefully!
You might actually benefit more from a dedicated GPU for your processing tasks. This could help significantly with rendering your drone imagery. Finding GPU resources can be tougher these days, so explore those options if you can!
Before diving into the cloud, consider if 16GB RAM and 100GB of storage is really an upgrade from your local PC. If it’s not, you might find yourself needing a bigger instance, which ultimately means more expenses. Just a thought!
That’s an interesting point! I hadn’t really considered managed services, so that might save me some headaches.