Understanding AWS IPv4 Charges: Key Updates & Cost Management
AWS Public IPv4 Pricing Changes (Effective February 1, 2024)
As of February 1, 2024, AWS now charges for all Public IPv4 addresses, whether they are actively in use or not. The cost is $0.005 per hour per Public IPv4, which adds up to approximately $3.60 per month per address.
Free Tier & Billing for IPv4 in AWS
- EC2 Free Tier:
- New AWS accounts receive 750 hours per month of Public IPv4 usage for EC2 instances during their first 12 months.
- This means you can use one instance with a public IP continuously or multiple instances as long as their combined usage does not exceed 750 hours per month.
- If you exceed the free tier limit, AWS will start charging you.
- Other AWS Services:
- No Free Tier for IPv4 usage outside EC2 (e.g., RDS, Load Balancers, etc.).
- Every Public IPv4 assigned to a non-EC2 resource will incur immediate charges.
IPv4 Usage in AWS Services & Cost Implications
| Service |
Public IPv4 Charges? |
Free Tier? |
| EC2 Instances |
Charged after exceeding 750 hours/month (first 12 months only) |
✅ (First 12 months) |
| Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) |
Charged per AZ (Availability Zone) |
❌ |
| Amazon RDS |
Charged when used with Public IPv4 |
❌ |
| Any other service using Public IPv4 |
Charged |
❌ |
Example Scenarios:
- Single EC2 instance running with a Public IPv4:
- Free if within 750 hours/month free tier (first 12 months).
- Charged $0.005/hour if exceeding this limit.
- Multiple EC2 instances with Public IPv4s:
- All instances share the 750-hour limit.
- If four instances run simultaneously with public IPs for a month, charges apply after 750 hours are exceeded.
- Load Balancer (LB) deployed across 3 AZs:
- Will always incur charges because each AZ gets its own Public IPv4.
Managing IPv4 Costs & Alternatives
- Monitor & Minimize Unused Public IPv4s
- Regularly check for any unused public IPs and release them when not needed.
- Use Private IPs & VPNs
- Where possible, use private IPs within your VPC and connect using AWS VPN, AWS PrivateLink, or other secure networking options.
- Switch to IPv6 (if supported by your ISP)
- AWS is promoting IPv6 adoption to avoid IPv4 scarcity issues.
- Test if your ISP supports IPv6 via test-ipv6.com.
- If supported, you can configure IPv6-based networking to bypass IPv4 charges.
How to Check IPv4 Charges & Usage in AWS
1. AWS Billing & Cost Management Console
- Navigate to Billing & Cost Management → Bills.
- Expand the service details to see IPv4-related charges.