aws-free-tier

How to Create an AWS Free Tier Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

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For a restricted period, you can test out and utilize AWS’s (Amazon Web Services) services for free using its Free Tier. For novices who wish to experiment and learn about cloud computing, it’s ideal. We’ll guide you through the steps of setting up your Free Tier account in this tutorial.

What Is AWS Free Tier?

AWS Free Tier provides access to AWS services for free for the first 12 months after you sign up. It includes:

  1. Always Free Services: Services available for free all the time (e.g., AWS Lambda, DynamoDB).
  2. 12-Month Free Tier: Access to services like EC2, S3, and RDS for 12 months.
  3. Trial Offers: Limited-time free trials for specific services.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

  1. A valid email address.
  2. A credit or debit card (for identity verification).
  3. A phone number for account verification.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an AWS Free Tier Account

Step 1: Visit the Sign-Up Page

  1. Open your browser and navigate to the AWS Free Tier page.
  2. Click the “Create an AWS Account” button.

Step 2: Enter Your Account Detail

  1. Email Address: Enter your email address.
  2. AWS Account Name: Choose a unique name for your AWS account.
  3. Password: Create a strong password and confirm it.
  4. Click Continue to move to the next step.

Step 3: Select Your Account Type

  1. Choose Personal Account or Professional Account, depending on your purpose.
    • Most users will select Personal.
  2. Enter your name, phone number, and address.
  3. Click Next.

Step 4: Add Payment Information

  1. Enter your credit or debit card details.
  2. It will charge a small, refundable amount (typically $1) to verify your card.
  3. Click Next to continue.

Step 5: Verify Your Identity

  1. Enter your phone number.
  2. They will send you a verification code via call or SMS.
  3. Enter the code on the website and click Verify Code.

Step 6: Choose a Support Plan

  1. Select a support plan:
    • Basic Plan: Free and ideal for personal use.
    • Paid plans like Developer or Business offer additional support but aren’t needed for the Free Tier.
  2. Click Complete Sign Up.

Step 7: Access the Management Console

  1. Once your account is set up, log in to the AWS Management Console.
  2. Explore services and start using the Free Tier!

What’s Included in the Free Tier?

Here are some popular services available under the Free Tier:

  • Compute:
    • 750 hours/month of EC2 instances (t2.micro or t3.micro).
    • 1 million requests/month with AWS Lambda.
  • Storage:
    • 5GB of Amazon S3 standard storage.
    • 30GB of Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS).
  • Databases:
    • 750 hours/month of Amazon RDS (Single-AZ db.t2.micro instance).
  • Other Services:
    • 50GB of Outbound Data Transfer.

For a full list of Free Tier services, visit the AWS Free Tier page.

Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges

  1. Set Budgets and Alerts: Use Budgets to monitor your spending.
  2. Track Usage: Regularly check the Billing Dashboard.
  3. Stop Unused Resources: Shut down EC2 instances or other resources when not in use.

Conclusion

Creating an Free Tier account is the perfect way to dive into the world of cloud computing without any upfront investment. With 12 months of free access to popular services like EC2, S3, and RDS, and always-free options like Lambda, it’s an excellent opportunity for beginners to explore capabilities, experiment with real-world projects, or even prototype business solutions.

Whether you’re a student eager to learn, a developer experimenting with new tools, or an entrepreneur exploring cloud solutions for your startup, the Tier offers a risk-free environment to unleash your creativity.

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