How to Create an AWS Free Tier Account

How to Create an AWS Free Tier Account

Introduction

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a Free Tier that allows users to explore and use various cloud services without any cost for a limited time. It is ideal for beginners, developers, and businesses wanting to test AWS features before committing to paid plans. This guide walks you through the step-by-step process of creating an AWS Free Tier account.

Step 1: Visit the AWS Free Tier Page

  1. Open your web browser and go to the AWS Free Tier website.
  2. Click on the “Create a Free Account” button.

Step 2: Sign Up for an AWS Account

  1. Enter your email address and choose a password.
  2. Provide a unique AWS account name.
  3. Click “Continue”.

Step 3: Provide Contact Information

  1. Select “Personal” or “Business” account type.
  2. Enter your full name, phone number, country, and address.
  3. Click “Continue”.

Step 4: Payment Information

Although AWS Free Tier is free, you need to enter valid credit or debit card details for verification.

  1. Provide your credit/debit card information.
  2. AWS will place a small temporary charge (typically $1) for verification.
  3. Click “Secure Submit”.

Step 5: Identity Verification

  1. Enter your phone number.
  2. Choose to receive a verification code via SMS or voice call.
  3. Enter the received code and click “Verify Code”.

Step 6: Select a Support Plan

AWS offers different support plans. For the Free Tier, select “Basic Support - Free”.

Step 7: Access the AWS Management Console

  1. Click “Sign in to the Console”.
  2. Enter your credentials (email and password).
  3. You are now in the AWS Management Console!

What’s Included in AWS Free Tier?

AWS Free Tier provides three types of offers:

  • Always Free: Services available without cost restrictions (e.g., 1 million AWS Lambda requests per month).
  • 12-Months Free: Services free for the first year (e.g., 750 hours/month of EC2 t2.micro instance).
  • Trials: Short-term free trials for premium services.
  • Amazon EC2: 750 hours/month of compute capacity.
  • Amazon S3: 5GB of object storage.
  • Amazon RDS: 750 hours/month for managed databases.
  • AWS Lambda: 1 million free requests per month.
  • CloudFront: 50GB of outbound data transfer.

Conclusion

Setting up an AWS Free Tier account is straightforward and allows you to explore powerful cloud services at no cost. Whether you’re a developer testing applications or a beginner learning cloud computing, AWS Free Tier is a great starting point.

Now that your account is ready, start exploring AWS and experiment with various cloud services!

Have questions? Drop them in the comments!