Free IPv4 on AWS: End of free tier

Introduction

Free IPv4 on AWS is no longer free. Yes, you heard it right. AWS has officially announced that starting from February 1, 2024, there will be charges for using IPv4 addresses on the AWS cloud. The charges are $0.005 per IP per hour for all public IPv4 addresses. It is no longer necessary for the IPv4 address to be attached to any services. Whether in use or not, AWS will charge you for the use of any IPv4 address.

What is an IPv4 address?

The IPv4 address serves as a unique identifier for devices connected to the extensive internet network. It facilitates smooth communication between devices by exchanging data packets. For example, a standard IPv4 address could be 192.168.1.1. Each time you communicate on the internet, such an address is assigned to every device.

Reason Behind the Change

To understand why AWS made this change, let's look at the problem they're dealing with. Back in the 1980s, when IPv4 addresses were first created, they didn't anticipate the internet's massive growth. Now, with so many devices online, there aren't enough IPv4 addresses to go around. This has led to the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses.

Charges defined by AWS

How to monitor IP use on AWS?

It's difficult to track every IP address on the AWS cloud but due to the end of the IPv4 free tier, it has become a necessity. To overcome this problem AWS has launched Public IP Insights. It's a new feature addon for the Amazon VPC IP Address Manager service. This add-on helps the AWS users to manage and track all the IP addresses they have been using on AWS. Right now this addon/feature is completely free and includes no additional costs.

Summary

As AWS transitions away from free IPv4 usage, it's essential to adapt to the new landscape. Embrace this change as an opportunity to optimize resource allocation and streamline your AWS operations. With a clearer understanding of IPv4 addresses and the reasons behind AWS's decision, you're better equipped to navigate this shift in the cloud computing landscape.

Resources

Official AWS announcement blog - Article