Today, I saw some friends discussing whether there are free cloud service providers that can be used for testing their online projects. Many friends offered suggestions, such as the $90 new user trial credit provided by Google Cloud to apply for a cloud server. Additionally, we can also see that Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers one year of free cloud servers or light servers.
Among the numerous cloud server providers, if we truly need to choose a free or cheap cloud server, it is essential to select a reliable and stable cloud service provider.
For a longer free period, it is recommended to choose Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) servers. They offer various types of servers like EC2, S3, RDS, and have dozens of data centers to choose from.
Amazon EC2 servers, backed by Amazon’s cloud computing products, are indeed reputable and stable. We don’t have to worry about the service provider going out of business or experiencing server instability.
Furthermore, we can see that Amazon cloud service providers offer 100+ free cloud services, and the EC2 servers have a 12-month free trial eligibility.
We can see that the t2.micro (1G 1VCPU) and t3.micro (1G 2VCPU) EC2 cloud servers have a 12-month free eligibility.
As long as we are new users, we can apply for them after registration. The requirements are relatively simple, only requiring mobile phone verification and credit card activation.
Compared to Google Cloud, the free period is longer, and it is relatively easy to get approved.
5 points to consider When selecting a free cloud server
Performance and Configuration
Free cloud servers often come with limitations on performance and configuration, such as CPU limits, memory limits, and storage limits. These restrictions may affect the server’s speed and processing capabilities. Therefore, when using a free cloud server, it is important to configure and use it within the limits to avoid service unavailability.
Security
The security of free cloud servers may not be as robust as that of paid cloud servers. Some free cloud servers may have security vulnerabilities, making them more susceptible to attacks and hacking. Thus, when using a free cloud server, it is necessary to strengthen security configurations such as setting strong passwords, configuring firewalls, and keeping the system and software up to date to reduce potential security risks.
Data Backup
Free cloud servers usually do not provide data backup services, so if data is lost or damaged, it may not be recoverable. Therefore, when using a free cloud server, it is important to regularly back up important data and ensure the security and integrity of the backups.
Service Support
Free cloud servers typically do not offer 24/7 service support. If any issues arise during usage, they may not be resolved promptly. Therefore, when using a free cloud server, it is important to understand the service provider’s support policies and possess some self-help problem-solving abilities. However, mainstream cloud servers do offer customer support.
Usage Restrictions
Free cloud servers may have limitations on usage time, traffic, storage space, and more. During usage, it is necessary to understand and adhere to the provider’s usage rules to avoid service interruptions or increased costs.
It is important to note that if higher-performance cloud servers or comprehensive support and services are needed, upgrading to a paid cloud server or choosing another reputable cloud server provider should be considered. Free servers may have certain limitations, and ultimately, paid services may be required.
AWS t2.micro VS t3.micro
From an economical perspective within Amazon’s Free Cloud Server (EC2), we will focus on two of the cheapest instance types: t2.micro and t3.micro.
t2.micro Instance
The t2.micro instance type is one of the most affordable servers within Amazon Web Services. It offers 1 virtual CPU and 1GB of memory, suitable for small-scale or low-load applications. Although its computational performance is relatively low, the t2.micro instance provides an economical choice for startups or individual developers.
t2.micro Advantages:
- Cost-effective: t2.micro is one of the cheapest instance types in Amazon Web Services, suitable for users with limited budgets.
- High flexibility: Users can adjust the instance’s scale as needed, saving costs.
- Suitable for low-load applications: For small-scale or low-load applications, t2.micro provides sufficient computational resources.
t2.micro Disadvantages:
- Relatively low performance: Due to limited resources, the t2.micro instance may experience performance bottlenecks when handling large computational tasks or high loads.
- Limited storage capacity: The t2.micro instance has limited storage capacity, and if large storage capacity is required, additional Amazon Web Services storage services may be needed.
t2.micro Use Cases
- Individual developers or small businesses: For individual developers or small businesses with limited budgets, the t2.micro instance offers an economical choice suitable for development, testing, and lightweight applications.
- Low-load applications: If the application has a low load and does not require high-performance computational resources, the t2.micro instance can meet the requirements.
t2.micro USE Recommendations
- Plan resources flexibly: Plan the instance’s scale based on actual needs to fully utilize resources, and shut down or stop unnecessary instances when not in use to save costs.
- Combine with other services: Consider using other Amazon Web Services such as storage services (e.g., S3) or managed database services (e.g., RDS) to expand storage capacity or database functionality.
t3.micro Instance
The t3.micro instance type is a newer type compared to the t2 series. It offers higher computational performance while still maintaining a relatively low price. The t3.micro instance comes with 2 virtual CPUs and 1GB of memory, suitable for applications that require moderate computational performance.
t3.micro Advantages
- Stronger performance: Compared to t2.micro, the t3.micro instance offers higher computational performance, suitable for handling moderate-load applications.
- Fast start-up: The t3 series instances have significantly improved start-up speeds compared to the t2 series, enhancing server availability.
- Elastic resource management: The t3.micro instance type supports adjusting the instance’s scale without downtime, allowing users to horizontally scale the instance based on actual needs.
t3.micro Disadvantages
- Relatively higher price: Compared to the t2.micro instance, the t3.micro instance has a slightly higher price.
- Still subject to resource limitations: Although t3.micro provides higher computational performance compared to t2.micro, it is still a low-cost instance type and may encounter resource limitations when handling heavy-load tasks.
t3.micro Use Cases
- Moderate-load applications: Compared to t2.micro, the t3.micro instance provides higher computational performance and is suitable for handling moderate-load application scenarios, such as website backends or small databases.
- Elastic scalability: The t3.micro instance type supports dynamically adjusting the instance’s scale based on application load changes, suitable for applications that require elastic scalability.
t3.micro Recommendations
- Use Elastic Load Balancing: Consider combining t3.micro instances with Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) service to achieve high availability and load balancing for the application.
- Combine with managed databases: For applications that require database support, combining t3.micro instances with Amazon Web Services’ managed database services (e.g., AWS RDS) can further enhance application performance and scalability.
AWS t2.micro VS t3.micro Conclusion
Amazon Web Services is one of the top choices for cloud computing service providers.
Amazon EC2 is one of its core compute services. From an economical perspective, t2.micro and t3.micro are the cheapest instance type options within Amazon Web Services.
For individual developers or small businesses with limited budgets, the t2.micro instance provides an economical choice.
For applications that require a certain level of computational performance and elastic scalability, the t3.micro instance is a better option.
However, users should still consider their actual requirements and budget when selecting the cheapest server option, balancing performance and scalability accordingly.
