AWS Static Site Hosting Cost: A Simple Guide
If you’re looking to host a static website on AWS, understanding the costs can help you make an informed decision. AWS offers flexible pricing for its services, which means you can scale your site as needed. Here’s a breakdown of the costs involved in hosting a static site on AWS.
Key AWS Services for Hosting a Static Site
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Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
Amazon S3 is the primary service used to host static websites on AWS. You upload your HTML, CSS, JavaScript files, and images to S3 buckets. AWS charges you for the storage used and the data transferred.-
Storage costs: Based on the amount of data you store in S3.
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Data transfer: Costs are incurred when visitors access your site, depending on the amount of data transferred out of AWS.
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Amazon CloudFront (CDN)
CloudFront is a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that speeds up the delivery of your website by caching it at locations closer to your users.-
Data transfer: You pay for data transferred from CloudFront to your users.
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Requests: There are also charges for the number of requests made to the CDN.
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Route 53 (DNS service)
AWS Route 53 is used to manage the domain name system (DNS) records for your static site.-
DNS queries: You pay for the number of DNS queries made to Route 53.
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SSL Certificate
For securing your website, AWS offers free SSL certificates through AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). However, if you want a paid SSL certificate, there are additional costs.
Pricing Breakdown
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Amazon S3 storage costs:
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First 50 TB per month: $0.023 per GB
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Next 450 TB per month: $0.022 per GB
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Beyond 500 TB per month: Custom pricing
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CloudFront data transfer costs:
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First 10 TB per month: $0.085 per GB
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Next 40 TB per month: $0.080 per GB
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Route 53 DNS query costs:
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First 1 billion queries per month: $0.40 per million queries
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Cost Example
For a small website with about 10GB of storage on S3, 1TB of data transfer per month, and basic DNS queries through Route 53, here’s a rough estimate:
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S3 Storage: 10GB × $0.023 = $0.23/month
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Data Transfer (CloudFront): 1TB (1,024 GB) × $0.085 = $87.04/month
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Route 53 DNS: 1 million queries = $0.40/month
Total: Around $87.67 per month.
Of course, prices will vary depending on your usage and region.
How to Save on AWS Static Site Hosting
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Use AWS Free Tier: If your website is small or in the testing phase, AWS offers a free tier that includes 5GB of S3 storage, 20,000 GET requests, 2,000 PUT requests, and 15GB of data transfer per month for the first 12 months.
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Optimize Your Site: Minimize the size of your files to reduce storage and data transfer costs. Compress images and minify CSS and JavaScript files.
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Use CloudFront Efficiently: By caching content closer to your users, CloudFront can help reduce data transfer costs while improving website performance.
How to Get AWS Hosting Discounts
To make your AWS static site hosting even more affordable, check out host discount codes and offers. Special promotions or coupon codes can reduce your AWS hosting expenses, helping you maximize your budget. For example, using a host discount code could provide you with a significant discount on data transfer or storage costs, so always look out for current deals.
For more information on hosting offers, you can explore:
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the cheapest way to host a static website on AWS?
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The most cost-effective method is to use Amazon S3 combined with CloudFront for better performance and savings on data transfer. Using AWS’s free tier can further reduce costs for smaller websites.
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Do I need to pay for SSL certificates on AWS?
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No, AWS offers free SSL certificates through AWS Certificate Manager for securing your static website.
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Is AWS good for hosting a small static website?
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Yes, AWS is a great option for small websites. It is scalable, flexible, and cost-efficient, especially if you’re mindful of your usage.
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Can I use my own domain with AWS?
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Yes, you can manage custom domains through AWS Route 53 or connect external domain registrars to your AWS services.
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How can I reduce AWS hosting costs?
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Use the AWS Free Tier, optimize file sizes, enable CloudFront for faster content delivery, and monitor your usage regularly to avoid unnecessary charges.
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