AWS Lambda Cost Calculator
Estimate your AWS Lambda costs based on execution requests, duration, memory allocation, and data transfer. Optimize your serverless spending with accurate projections.
Total number of function invocations per month.
Average execution time of your Lambda function in milliseconds.
128 MB
256 MB
512 MB
1024 MB
2048 MB
3008 MB
4096 MB
6144 MB
7168 MB
Amount of memory allocated to your Lambda function.
Estimated data transferred out from Lambda to the internet per month.
Estimated Monthly AWS Lambda Costs
$0.00
Compute Cost: $0.00
Free Tier Used: $0.00
Data Transfer Cost: $0.00
Costs are calculated based on requests, compute time (GB-seconds), and data transfer. AWS Lambda offers a generous free tier for compute.
Cost Breakdown by Component
Requests
Compute (GB-Seconds)
Data Transfer
| Component | Unit Price (Approx.) | Free Tier | Effective Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requests | $0.20 per 1M requests | 1M requests/month | $0.20 per 1M requests (after free tier) |
| Compute (GB-seconds) | $0.0000166667 per GB-second | 400,000 GB-seconds/month | $0.0000166667 per GB-second (after free tier) |
| Data Transfer Out | $0.09 per GB | N/A | $0.09 per GB |
Understanding and Optimizing Your AWS Lambda Costs
What is AWS Lambda Cost?
AWS Lambda cost refers to the expenses incurred when running your code on the AWS Lambda serverless compute service. Unlike traditional servers where you pay for idle time, Lambda's pricing model is designed around actual execution. You are charged based on the number of requests for your functions and the duration, in milliseconds, that your code executes. This pay-per-use model can be highly cost-effective for applications with variable workloads, but understanding its nuances is crucial for effective budget management. The primary components of AWS Lambda cost are compute time (measured in GB-seconds), the number of function requests, and data transfer out to the internet. AWS also provides a free tier, which significantly reduces costs for low-usage applications.
AWS Lambda Cost Formula and Mathematical Explanation
The AWS Lambda cost calculation involves several factors, primarily focusing on compute usage and requests. The core formula for compute cost is:
Compute Cost = (Total GB-seconds Used - Free Tier GB-seconds) * Price per GB-second
Where:
- GB-seconds Used = (Memory Allocated in GB) * (Average Duration in Seconds) * (Number of Requests)
- Memory Allocated in GB = Memory Allocated (MB) / 1024
- Average Duration in Seconds = Average Duration (ms) / 1000
The cost for requests is calculated as:
Request Cost = (Total Requests - Free Tier Requests) * Price per Request
Data transfer costs are typically charged per GB transferred out to the internet:
Data Transfer Cost = Total Data Transfer Out (GB) * Price per GB
The total monthly AWS Lambda cost is the sum of these components, after applying the respective free tiers. For example, the free tier includes 1 million free requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month. Our AWS Lambda Cost Calculator simplifies these calculations, allowing you to input your specific usage metrics and get an immediate cost estimate.
Practical Examples (Real-World Use Cases)
Let's consider a few scenarios to illustrate AWS Lambda cost:
Scenario 1: Low-Traffic API Backend
A small e-commerce site uses Lambda for its product catalog API. It receives 500,000 requests per month, with an average duration of 50ms and 128MB memory allocation. Data transfer is minimal at 1GB/month.
- GB-seconds: (0.128 GB * 0.050 s * 500,000 requests) = 3,200 GB-seconds
- Requests: 500,000 requests (within free tier)
- Compute Cost: 3,200 GB-seconds is well within the 400,000 GB-seconds free tier. Cost = $0.00
- Request Cost: 500,000 requests is within the 1M free tier. Cost = $0.00
- Data Transfer Cost: 1 GB * $0.09/GB = $0.09
- Total Estimated Cost: ~$0.09
Scenario 2: Image Processing Microservice
An application resizes images using Lambda. It handles 2 million requests per month, with an average duration of 200ms and 512MB memory allocation. It transfers 50GB of data out monthly.
- GB-seconds: (0.512 GB * 0.200 s * 2,000,000 requests) = 204,800 GB-seconds
- Requests: 2,000,000 requests. Free tier covers 1M, so 1M are billable.
- Compute Cost: 204,800 GB-seconds is within the 400,000 GB-seconds free tier. Cost = $0.00
- Request Cost: (2,000,000 – 1,000,000) requests * $0.20/1M requests = 1,000,000 requests * $0.20/1M = $0.20
- Data Transfer Cost: 50 GB * $0.09/GB = $4.50
- Total Estimated Cost: ~$4.70
These examples highlight how usage patterns directly impact your AWS Lambda cost. Our serverless cost calculator can help you model these scenarios.
How to Use This AWS Lambda Cost Calculator
Using our AWS Lambda Cost Calculator is straightforward:
- Requests per Month: Enter the total number of times your Lambda function is invoked in a typical month.
- Average Duration (ms): Input the average execution time of your function in milliseconds. You can find this in your Lambda function's monitoring logs.
- Memory Allocated (MB): Select the amount of memory configured for your Lambda function from the dropdown. Higher memory also means higher CPU power.
- Data Transfer Out (GB per month): Estimate the total gigabytes of data your function sends out to the internet each month. Data transfer within AWS or to other AWS services is often free or much cheaper.
- Calculate Costs: Click the "Calculate Costs" button. The calculator will instantly display your estimated total monthly cost, along with the breakdown for compute, requests, and data transfer, factoring in the AWS free tier.
- Reset: Use the "Reset" button to clear all fields and start over with default values.
- Copy Results: Click "Copy Results" to copy the main and intermediate cost figures to your clipboard for easy sharing or documentation.
This tool is invaluable for budgeting and optimizing your serverless architecture costs.
Key Factors That Affect AWS Lambda Cost Results
Several factors significantly influence your AWS Lambda cost:
- Function Duration: Longer execution times directly increase GB-seconds, leading to higher compute costs, especially after the free tier. Optimizing code to run faster is a primary cost-saving measure.
- Memory Allocation: While more memory increases the price per GB-second, it also proportionally increases CPU power. Finding the right balance is key. Sometimes, increasing memory can decrease duration enough to lower overall cost. Our Lambda memory calculator can help explore this.
- Number of Requests: High-volume applications will incur higher request costs once they exceed the free tier. Efficient design to minimize unnecessary invocations is important.
- Data Transfer Out: Transferring large amounts of data from Lambda to the internet can become a significant cost driver. Consider strategies like caching or using AWS services within the same region to minimize egress charges.
- Concurrency and Provisioned Concurrency: While not directly part of the basic calculation, using Provisioned Concurrency incurs additional charges for keeping instances warm, which needs to be factored into total AWS Lambda cost.
- AWS Region: Pricing can vary slightly between different AWS regions.
Understanding these factors allows for more strategic optimization of your serverless applications.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is AWS Lambda free?
AWS Lambda offers a substantial free tier: 1 million free requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month. For many small applications or low-traffic services, this free tier is sufficient, making Lambda effectively free. However, usage beyond these limits incurs charges based on the pricing model.
How is GB-second calculated?
A GB-second is a unit of measurement for compute usage. It's calculated by multiplying the memory allocated to your Lambda function (in GB) by the duration the function runs (in seconds). For example, a function allocated 1GB of memory running for 1 second consumes 1 GB-second. If it runs for 0.5 seconds, it consumes 0.5 GB-seconds.
What is included in the AWS Lambda free tier?
The AWS Lambda free tier includes 1 million free requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month. This applies to all Lambda usage across all regions. Data transfer out to the internet is not included in the free tier, though standard AWS data transfer rates apply.
How can I reduce my AWS Lambda costs?
To reduce AWS Lambda costs, focus on optimizing function duration, choosing the right memory allocation (balancing cost and performance), minimizing unnecessary invocations, reducing data transfer out, and leveraging the free tier effectively. Architecting your application efficiently is key.
Does AWS Lambda cost include API Gateway?
No, AWS Lambda cost does not include the cost of other services like API Gateway. API Gateway has its own pricing structure based on requests and data transfer. When Lambda is triggered via API Gateway, you pay for both services separately.
Related Tools and Internal Resources
- AWS Cost Explorer Guide: Learn how to analyze and manage your overall AWS spending.
- Serverless Architecture Best Practices: Discover tips for building efficient and cost-effective serverless applications.
- EC2 vs Lambda Cost Comparison: Understand the cost differences between Lambda and traditional virtual machines.
- CloudWatch Monitoring for Lambda: Essential for tracking performance and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
- AWS Free Tier Explained: Get a comprehensive overview of what's included in AWS free tiers.
- Data Transfer Costs in AWS: Understand how data movement impacts your cloud bill.