What are the main factors that affect EC2 pricing?
The main factors affecting EC2 pricing are;
- Compute Type & OS: The server size (vCPU/RAM) and operating system (Windows includes license fees, making it pricier than Linux) [amazon.com].
- Purchase Model: Your choice of plan—On-Demand (full price, highly flexible), Reserved (discounted for long contracts), or Spot (steep discount for excess capacity) [amazon.com].
- EBS Storage: Persistent virtual disk space provisioned for the server, which bills a flat monthly fee even when shut down.
- Data Transfer: Network fees charged exclusively for outbound traffic exiting the server to the internet or other AWS regions.