AWS Lambda Pricing Calculator
Estimate your AWS Lambda costs based on execution time, memory, and requests.
AWS Lambda Cost Estimator
Estimated Monthly Cost
- Compute Duration (GB-seconds) = (Memory Allocated (GB) * Average Duration (seconds) * Requests Billed)
- Cost Before Free Tier = (Compute Duration (GB-seconds) * Price per GB-second) + (Requests Billed * Price per Request)
- Final Cost = Cost Before Free Tier – Free Tier Credits
| Metric | Price (per million requests) | Price (per GB-second) |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 1,000,000 requests | 400,000 GB-seconds |
| Standard Tier (after Free Tier) | $0.20 | $0.0000166667 |
Understanding AWS Lambda Pricing
What is AWS Lambda Pricing?
AWS Lambda pricing is a model where you pay only for the compute time you consume. Unlike traditional servers where you pay for idle capacity, Lambda operates on a pay-per-execution basis. You are charged based on the number of requests for your functions and the duration (in milliseconds) that your code executes, measured in GB-seconds. This serverless pricing structure is designed to be cost-effective, especially for applications with variable or infrequent workloads. Understanding the nuances of AWS Lambda pricing is crucial for managing cloud expenditure and optimizing your serverless architecture. This AWS Lambda pricing calculator helps demystify these costs.
AWS Lambda Pricing Formula and Mathematical Explanation
The core of AWS Lambda pricing revolves around two main components: requests and compute duration. The formula can be broken down as follows:
1. Compute Duration (GB-seconds): This is calculated by multiplying the memory allocated to your function (in GB) by the execution time (in seconds). For example, a function using 512 MB (0.5 GB) of memory that runs for 200 milliseconds (0.2 seconds) consumes 0.5 GB * 0.2 s = 0.1 GB-seconds of compute duration.
2. Total Compute Cost (before free tier): This is the sum of the cost for requests and the cost for compute duration.
- Cost for Requests: (Number of Requests) * (Price per Request)
- Cost for Compute Duration: (Total Compute Duration in GB-seconds) * (Price per GB-second)
3. Free Tier Application: AWS Lambda offers a generous free tier. The first 1 million requests per month are free, and the first 400,000 GB-seconds of compute duration are also free. The free tier is applied automatically, reducing your overall bill. Typically, the free tier is applied first to the compute duration, and any remaining free tier allowance can be applied to requests.
4. Final Monthly Cost: (Total Compute Cost before free tier) – (Value of Free Tier Credits)
The AWS Lambda pricing calculator simplifies this by taking your inputs (requests, duration, memory) and applying the current pricing tiers and free tier allowances to provide an estimated monthly cost. The formula used in this AWS Lambda pricing calculator is:
billedRequests = max(0, requestsPerMonth - freeTierRequests);
memoryGb = memorySizeMb / 1024;
durationSeconds = durationMs / 1000;
computeDurationGbSeconds = billedRequests * memoryGb * durationSeconds;
freeTierDurationGbSeconds = freeTierDurationGb; // Assuming free tier is primarily for duration
durationCost = max(0, computeDurationGbSeconds - freeTierDurationGbSeconds) * pricePerGbSecond;
requestCost = billedRequests * pricePerRequest;
totalCostBeforeFreeTier = durationCost + requestCost;
// Simplified free tier application for demonstration
// In reality, AWS applies free tier more granularly.
// This calculator applies free tier to duration first, then requests if duration is fully covered.
// For simplicity, we'll show cost before and after a simplified free tier application.
// A more accurate calculation would involve prorating free tier benefits.
// For this calculator, we'll calculate total cost and then subtract the value of the free tier.
// Let's recalculate based on the common understanding: free tier applies to duration first.
billedDurationGbSeconds = max(0, computeDurationGbSeconds - freeTierDurationGb);
billedRequestsAfterDurationFreeTier = max(0, billedRequests - (freeTierDurationGb > 0 ? (freeTierDurationGb / (memoryGb > 0 ? memoryGb : 1)) : 0) * 1000); // Rough estimate of requests covered by duration free tier
costFromDuration = billedDurationGbSeconds * pricePerGbSecond;
costFromRequests = billedRequests * pricePerRequest; // Using original billed requests for simplicity in this example
// A more accurate approach:
// 1. Calculate total GB-seconds: totalGbSeconds = (memorySizeMb / 1024) * (durationMs / 1000) * requestsPerMonth
// 2. Calculate total requests: totalRequests = requestsPerMonth
// 3. Apply free tier:
// - Free duration = 400,000 GB-seconds
// - Free requests = 1,000,000 requests
// - If totalGbSeconds <= freeDuration, duration cost = 0.
// - Else, duration cost = (totalGbSeconds - freeDuration) * pricePerGbSecond
// - If totalRequests <= freeRequests, request cost = 0.
// - Else, request cost = (totalRequests - freeRequests) * pricePerRequest
// This simplified calculator uses a direct calculation and then subtracts free tier value.
// Let's use the direct calculation approach for clarity in the calculator logic:
var totalRequests = parseFloat(document.getElementById('requestsPerMonth').value);
var avgDurationMs = parseFloat(document.getElementById('durationMs').value);
var memoryMb = parseFloat(document.getElementById('memorySizeMb').value);
var freeRequests = parseFloat(document.getElementById('freeTierRequests').value);
var freeDurationGbSec = parseFloat(document.getElementById('freeTierDurationGb').value);
var pricePerRequest = 0.00000020; // $0.20 per 1M requests
var pricePerGbSecond = 0.0000166667; // $0.0000166667 per GB-second
var billedRequestsCount = Math.max(0, totalRequests - freeRequests);
var memoryGb = memoryMb / 1024;
var durationSeconds = avgDurationMs / 1000;
var computeDurationGbSeconds = memoryGb * durationSeconds * totalRequests; // Total compute duration for all requests
var costFromRequests = billedRequestsCount * pricePerRequest;
var costFromDuration = Math.max(0, computeDurationGbSeconds - freeDurationGbSec) * pricePerGbSecond;
var totalEstimatedCost = costFromRequests + costFromDuration;
// Intermediate values for display
var intermediateBilledRequests = billedRequestsCount;
var intermediateComputeDurationGbSeconds = computeDurationGbSeconds;
var intermediateCostBeforeFreeTier = (totalRequests * pricePerRequest) + (computeDurationGbSeconds * pricePerGbSecond); // Cost without considering free tier reduction
// Final result
var finalCost = totalEstimatedCost;
This detailed breakdown ensures transparency in how the AWS Lambda pricing calculator arrives at its figures.
Practical Examples (Real-World Use Cases)
Understanding AWS Lambda pricing becomes clearer with practical examples. Consider these scenarios:
- Image Resizing Service: An application that resizes uploaded images might trigger a Lambda function. If it handles 500,000 requests per month, each taking 150ms with 256MB memory, the AWS Lambda pricing calculator can estimate costs. After the free tier, the remaining requests and compute duration contribute to the bill.
- API Backend: A web API powered by Lambda might receive 2 million requests monthly. If the average duration is 50ms and memory is 128MB, the calculator can project the cost. The first million requests are free, and the compute duration is also subject to the free tier.
- Data Processing Trigger: A Lambda function triggered by S3 events to process data could run infrequently but with higher memory/duration. For instance, 10,000 requests per month, 1 second duration, and 1024MB memory. The AWS Lambda pricing calculator would show how the GB-second metric impacts the cost significantly here.
- Scheduled Tasks: A nightly batch job running via Lambda might execute 30 times a month, each taking 5 seconds with 512MB memory. While the request count is low, the duration and memory usage will be reflected in the GB-second calculation.
These examples highlight how different usage patterns affect the final AWS Lambda pricing, making the calculator an invaluable tool for developers and architects.
How to Use This AWS Lambda Pricing Calculator
Using this AWS Lambda pricing calculator is straightforward. Follow these steps:
- Enter Requests per Month: Input the total number of times you expect your Lambda function to be invoked in a month.
- Specify Average Duration (ms): Provide the average execution time of your function in milliseconds. You can find this in your Lambda function's monitoring logs.
- Select Memory Allocated (MB): Choose the amount of memory configured for your Lambda function from the dropdown. Remember, higher memory also means more vCPU power.
- Adjust Free Tier Inputs (Optional): The calculator defaults to the standard AWS Lambda free tier (1 million requests, 400,000 GB-seconds). You can adjust these if you have specific promotional credits or different tiers in mind, though typically you'd leave these as default.
- Calculate Costs: Click the "Calculate Costs" button.
The calculator will instantly display your estimated monthly cost, along with key intermediate values like billed requests, total compute duration in GB-seconds, and the cost before applying the free tier. You can also use the "Copy Results" button for easy sharing or documentation. The table provides a quick reference for the pricing tiers, and the chart visually breaks down the cost contribution from requests versus compute duration.
Key Factors That Affect AWS Lambda Pricing Results
Several factors significantly influence your AWS Lambda pricing. Understanding these can help you optimize your serverless applications for cost-efficiency:
- Function Duration: Longer execution times directly increase the compute duration (GB-seconds), which is a primary cost driver. Optimizing your code to run faster is crucial.
- Memory Allocation: While more memory provides more CPU power, it also increases the cost per GB-second. Finding the right balance between performance and cost is key. The AWS Lambda pricing calculator helps visualize this trade-off.
- Number of Requests: Each invocation incurs a cost (after the free tier). High-traffic applications will see request costs become more prominent.
- Concurrency: While Lambda itself doesn't charge directly for concurrency, high concurrency can lead to more simultaneous executions, increasing the overall compute duration and potentially hitting concurrency limits if not managed.
- Provisioned Concurrency: If you use Provisioned Concurrency to keep functions warm, you pay for the duration that concurrency is enabled, even if the function isn't actively running.
- Data Transfer: While not directly part of the Lambda execution cost, data transferred in and out of Lambda functions to other AWS services or the internet can incur separate charges.
- AWS Region: Pricing can vary slightly between different AWS regions. Ensure you are using the correct pricing for your deployment region.
Optimizing these factors, guided by the insights from an AWS Lambda pricing calculator, can lead to substantial savings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q1: Is AWS Lambda free?
- A: AWS Lambda has a very generous free tier. The first 1 million requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time are free. Beyond that, you pay based on usage. This makes it free for many small-scale applications.
- Q2: How is GB-second calculated?
- A: It's calculated as: (Memory Allocated in GB) x (Execution Time in Seconds). For example, 1024 MB (1 GB) of memory running for 500 milliseconds (0.5 seconds) equals 1 GB * 0.5 s = 0.5 GB-seconds.
- Q3: Does the free tier apply automatically?
- A: Yes, the AWS Lambda free tier is applied automatically to your account each month. You don't need to do anything to activate it.
- Q4: How does memory size affect cost?
- A: Increasing memory allocation increases the cost per GB-second because you're paying for more resources. However, it also proportionally increases the allocated CPU power, which can sometimes reduce execution time, potentially leading to a net cost saving if the time reduction outweighs the increased memory cost. Our AWS Lambda pricing calculator helps explore this.
- Q5: What if my function runs longer than the free tier duration?
- A: Once you exceed the 400,000 GB-seconds free tier, you will be charged the standard rate per GB-second for the additional duration. The AWS Lambda pricing calculator shows this transition.
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