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I'd like to setup a website on the Amazon AWS free tier but I'd like to be sure I won't lose any money if I see a sudden spike in traffic. Is there any way to set a cap on traffic or stop the server after a certain level of cost is reached?

Thanks.

usertest
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2 Answers2

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Simple answer: No way to do this via the AWS control panel.

The only "solution" I know is to check your account regularly or to implement a check directly on your EC2 instance (see How to cap bandwidth usage on AWS EC2? )

Community
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Jerry33
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  • Thanks for the links but they seem overly complicated for my simple site. Isn't there some way on a server to track the amount (even if its not through the AWS Control panel) of bandwidth and trigger a script to shutoff the server? – usertest Dec 16 '10 at 11:26
  • Or perhaps just track the number of times files are accessed and react when they reach a certain number? – usertest Dec 16 '10 at 11:28
  • @usertest: I think that's the gist of it; its not something that's simple or easy to implement. You can try implementing the suggested solutions, but overall, the first part of Jerry33's answer is spot on. If you're not willing to pay for a potential spike, you might want to hold off on using AWS at all. – Andrew M. Dec 16 '10 at 13:18
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I talked to someone from Amazon last night and they said that they definitely get requests for this kind of thing and they are planning to open an API soon that will allow you to write a script to check the amount of money you have spent.

Also, there is a company in Portland ( I forget the name) that offers a interface similar to Mint.com that will report your $$$ usage.

djangofan
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