Cloud Hosting

By Ilan Shamir, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Resilio

Picture this. You use Amazon Web Services (AWS), harnessing its vast capabilities to store and transfer data across the digital landscape. Everything seems smooth until one day, an AWS bill arrivesa bill that leaves you scratching your head in disbelief. The data transfer costs are significantly higher than you expected.

Welcome to the labyrinthine world of Amazons data transfer pricing. Its a world where complexity reigns, costs vary based on region, and surprises in your bill are common.

AWS does offer a free tier, covering up to 1GB of data transfer per month. But for many, this is not enough. And when it comes time to settle the bill, the shock can be substantial.

Adding to the confusion, Amazon charges a premium for data egressa hefty markup based on location. A study by Cloudflare shows:

In this article, well explain Amazons data egress fees for different data transfer scenarios. Well also share six valuable strategies to help you optimize AWS data transfer costs and keep your cloud storage expenses in check.

Unraveling AWS Data Egress Fees

The AWS cloud includes numerous regions worldwide, private Direct Connect links (i.e., private connections from on-premises sites to AWS), and AWS Edge locations (i.e., data centers connected to Amazon CloudFront).

Data transfers into AWS from outside are free. AWS wants to entice users to its platform, so it makes onboarding as frictionless as possible.

But when you start moving data aroundeither outbound to the internet or within the AWS cloud (from one region to another)costs come into play.

Outbound Data Over the Internet

Sending data from AWS to the broader Internet incurs charges, and these costs vary depending on the region. Its a tiered system where the more data you send, the more you pay. The numbers can add up quickly.

For example, the chart below shows data transfer costs at each tier in the US East (Ohio) region.

You can also visit Amazons On-Demand Instance Pricing page for more information.

Data Movement Within AWS

Organizations can incur data ingress and egress costs in various ways. A few possible scenarios are listed below:

The Intricacies of Moving Data Within the Same AWS Region

Transferring data within the same AWS region seems straightforward, but dont be fooled; there are intricate rules governing these intra-regional transfers. The table below shows a list of rules and their associated costs to keep you on the right path.

How to Tame AWS Data Egress Fees

With the complexities of AWS data transfer costs, it quickly becomes apparent that keeping a tight rein on expenses is vital. Here are six ways to help you chart a course to reduce AWS data transfer expenses:

As you see, there are many intricacies of AWS data transfer costs. As you navigate these digital waters armed with newfound knowledge and strategic tools, youll be better equipped to master the art of controlling AWS data egress fees, ensuring your cloud storage expenses stay on course without surprises.

Ilan Shamir

Ilan is co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Resilio, where he leads the Product and Engineering teams. Before Resilio, he served in leadership roles for many leading technology companies, including BitTorrent, Check Point Technologies, and Decru. Ilan has also served as a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, focusing on peer-to-peer software research.

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Navigating the Complexity of AWS Data Transfer Costs - Enterprise Apps Today