Understand AWS Public IPv4 Address Usage and Pricing

Introduction to Public IPv4 Addresses on AWS

Public IPv4 addresses on Amazon Web Services (AWS) are globally unique IP addresses assigned to AWS resources that enable them to be directly reachable and accessible from the internet via IPv4. These addresses are required for external connectivity to AWS services such as web servers, databases, or any application that requires direct interaction with clients or users via the Internet. AWS has started charging for public IP addresses. AWS charges for all public IPv4 addresses, including those associated with running instances and elastic IP addresses.

Since February 2024, AWS has started charging $0.005 per hour per IP for all resources with a public IP address. However, if you are in the AWS free tier, you can attach a public IP address to your EC2 instance for 750 hours per month for the first 12 months. In this article I will explain to you about AWS public IPV4 Address usage and its pricing.

How AWS Utilizes Public IPv4 Addresses

AWS assigns public IPv4 addresses to resources in your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to enable internet access. The majority of resources within a VPC use private IPv4 addresses, but some services, such as Amazon EC2, Elastic Load Balancers, and Amazon RDS and Amazon ECS, may be configured with public IPv4 addresses to serve web traffic directly from the internet.

Usage Scenarios

Public IPv4 addresses are typically used for:

Web Servers: Hosting websites that need to be accessible from the internet.

Remote Access: Enabling SSH or RDP access to instances directly from the internet.

Gaming Servers: Hosting multiplayer gaming servers that players can connect to over the internet.

Direct Application Access: Applications that interact directly with users or other systems over the internet.

Billing for Public IPv4 Addresses

AWS divides public IPv4 addresses into two billing categories:

1. In-use addresses: In-use addresses are those associated with active AWS resources
2. Idle addresses: Idle addresses are those that are not currently associated with any active resources.

Both types are charged when they are provisioned in your account, emphasizing the importance of effective IP management.

Pricing Structure

AWS charges a uniform hourly rate for public IPv4 addresses, whether they are in use or idle:

• Hourly charge for In-use Public IPv4 Address $0.005
• Hourly charge for Idle Public IPv4 Address $0.005

Real-World Pricing Examples

Here are a few examples of how AWS charges for public IPV4 IP addresses. These are the approximate charges taken from AWS documentation. For more information you can visit this LINK

Example 1

Imagine you have:

• Three Amazon EC2 instances, each with one in-use public IPv4 address.
• An Elastic Load Balancer with two in-use public IPv4 addresses.
• An Amazon RDS instance with one in-use public IPv4 address.
• Four idle Elastic IP addresses.

For 30 continuous days, your charges would be:

In-use addresses: 6 addresses x 30 days x 24 hours x $0.005 = $21.60

Idle addresses: 4 addresses x 30 days x 24 hours x $0.005 = $14.40

Total: $36.00 for the month.

Example 2

Consider you have:

• An AWS Global Accelerator with two static public IPv4 addresses.
• Five Elastic IP addresses linked to EC2 instances.

The total for 30 days would be:

In-use addresses: 7 addresses x 30 days x 24 hours x $0.005 = $25.20

Total: $25.20 for the month.

Geographical Applicability of Pricing

Pricing for in-use and idle public IPv4 addresses is consistent across all AWS commercial regions, including US GovCloud, AWS China, and AWS Local Zones.

Cost-Free Public IPv4 Options

At AWS Outposts, users can use their own IPv4 addresses without incurring additional charges from AWS. These options include Bring Your Own IP (BYOIP) and Customer-owned IP (COIP).

Monitoring and Managing Public IPv4 Usage

AWS offers tools like Public IP Insights through the Amazon VPC IP Address Manager. This feature aids in the efficient tracking and management of public IPv4 usage, allowing organizations to optimize their IP address usage and reduce unnecessary costs. AWS Cost and Usage Reports also provide detailed insights that assist in tracking and estimating charges associated with public IPv4 usage.

Conclusion

Effective management of public IPv4 addresses on AWS ensures not only reliable connectivity for internet-facing services, but also aids in cost control. Users can maintain an efficient and cost-effective network infrastructure if they understand and use the tools provided by AWS.