I Followed the Official AWS Amplify Guide and Was Charged $1,100 (elliott-king.github.io)

Article summary

The author followed the official AWS Amplify guide and was unexpectedly charged $1,100 due to unforeseen behavior with OpenSearch. The guide created multiple OpenSearch domains, which were not deleted even after the author stopped the sandbox, resulting in significant costs. The author raised the issue with AWS, and the charges were waived as a one-time courtesy. The author cautions others about using AWS Amplify, especially with OpenSearch, and recommends getting familiar with AWS budgets.

Main themes

• AWS Amplify
• OpenSearch
• Unexpected costs
• Cloud billing
• AWS documentation
• Self-hosting

What commenters say

• The author's experience highlights the need for developers to be paranoid about every single technology they use, especially when it comes to cloud services.
• The AWS billing model shifts responsibility to users under the guise of flexibility and customization, which can lead to unexpected costs.
• Some commenters argue that self-hosting is a more cost-effective and liberating option, allowing for full control over resources and costs.
• Others believe that cloud services like AWS can be cost-effective for certain use cases, such as large-scale computations, but require careful management and monitoring.
• There is a need for a simple and comprehensive way to list all existing resources in an AWS account to avoid unexpected costs.
• The AWS documentation and guides can be misleading or incomplete, leading to unexpected behavior and costs.
• Some commenters have had similar experiences with unexpected costs from cloud services, including Google, and emphasize the importance of careful monitoring and management.
• The lack of transparency and control in cloud billing can lead to frustration and mistrust among developers and users.