If you have decided to start with AWS and want to avoid charges or even worst you were bitten already by some this guide should help.
It's very important you review all the information available in AWS because this guide might go out of date. Your first place should be here: docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/checklistforunwantedcharges.html
Look through it specially paying attention to the following points:
Once you're familiar with this, you should be able to predict whether something might cost money by using AWS calculator. However, remember that this guy doesn't know what else is there in your account eating up your free storage, computing, etc!
Last time I check the calculator was here: calculator.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html
It's very important you review all the information available in AWS because this guide might go out of date. Your first place should be here: docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/checklistforunwantedcharges.html
Look through it specially paying attention to the following points:
- Make sure you setup the billing alarm as described. Absolutely the golden rule to react on time. You get an email and run to turn off whatever its causing it.
- Be aware of the free tier limits
- Be aware of when your free tier ends (it will start charging you after that)
- Be aware of understand what you're doing before you do. AWS is not so much a trial an error service because the wrong try might end up in some charges. This is very well exemplified by the Beanstalk section in that page.
- After using AWS for a while you start to understand how it works but when you start some aspects might not be so obvious (they weren't for me at least). Take this bit for example "Stopping an instance allows you to start it again later, but you might be charged for storage". It make sense but then you could think something isn't running can't cost money...
Once you're familiar with this, you should be able to predict whether something might cost money by using AWS calculator. However, remember that this guy doesn't know what else is there in your account eating up your free storage, computing, etc!
Last time I check the calculator was here: calculator.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html