AWS free tier overview - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding AWS Free Tier Limits

Which of the following AWS Free Tier offerings provides 750 hours per month for the first 12 months?

A Amazon RDS Multi-AZ deployments

B Amazon S3 storage space

C Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage

D Amazon Lambda concurrent executions

💡 Hint

Think about which service offers a monthly usage limit measured in hours.

The AWS Free Tier includes 750 hours per month of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage for the first 12 months. Other services have different limits or are not measured in hours.

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

AWS Free Tier Storage Limits

What is the maximum amount of Amazon S3 storage included in the AWS Free Tier per month?

A 15 GB

B 5 GB

C 50 GB

D 100 GB

💡 Hint

Consider the typical free storage size offered by AWS S3 in the Free Tier.

The AWS Free Tier includes 5 GB of standard Amazon S3 storage per month for the first 12 months.

❓ Architecture

advanced

Designing a Free Tier Compliant Web Application

You want to build a simple web application using AWS Free Tier resources. Which combination of services will keep you within the Free Tier limits for the first year?

A Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance, Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t2.micro, Amazon S3 5 GB

B Amazon EC2 m5.large instance, Amazon RDS Multi-AZ db.m5.large, Amazon S3 50 GB

C AWS Lambda with 1 million free requests, Amazon DynamoDB 25 GB storage, Amazon S3 100 GB

D Amazon Lightsail 750 hours, Amazon RDS Multi-AZ db.t3.medium, Amazon S3 5 GB

💡 Hint

Focus on instance types and storage sizes that match Free Tier limits.

Option A uses instance types and storage sizes that are included in the AWS Free Tier. Other options exceed Free Tier limits or use services not fully covered.

❓ security

advanced

Security Best Practices Within AWS Free Tier

Which AWS Free Tier feature helps you monitor and secure your account usage to avoid unexpected charges?

A AWS Budgets with alerts

B AWS Config rules enforcement

C AWS Shield Advanced protection

D Amazon Inspector scans

💡 Hint

Think about tools that notify you about spending limits.

AWS Budgets allows you to set custom cost and usage budgets and receive alerts, helping you stay within Free Tier limits. Other options are security tools but do not provide cost alerts.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Optimizing AWS Free Tier Usage for Cost Efficiency

You have a workload that occasionally spikes above Free Tier limits. Which strategy best minimizes unexpected charges while using AWS Free Tier?

A Disable all monitoring to reduce overhead costs

B Manually check usage once a month and adjust resources

C Use only on-demand m5.large instances without monitoring

D Set up AWS Budgets with alerts and use Auto Scaling with t2.micro instances

💡 Hint

Consider automation and proactive alerts to control costs.

Setting AWS Budgets with alerts and using Auto Scaling with Free Tier eligible instances helps manage usage dynamically and avoid unexpected charges. Other options either ignore monitoring or use costly resources.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the AWS Free Tier?

easy

A. To replace paid AWS accounts with free ones permanently

B. To provide unlimited free usage of all AWS services

C. To offer discounts on AWS services for large companies

D. To let users try AWS services without paying initially

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand AWS Free Tier purpose

   The AWS Free Tier is designed to help new users explore AWS services without immediate cost.

2. Step 2: Compare options with this purpose

   Only To let users try AWS services without paying initially correctly states this purpose; others describe incorrect or exaggerated features.

3. Final Answer:

   To let users try AWS services without paying initially -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   AWS Free Tier = Try services free initially [OK]

Hint: Free Tier means free trial, not unlimited or permanent free [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Free Tier offers unlimited free usage
• Believing Free Tier is only for big companies
• Confusing Free Tier with permanent free accounts

2. Which of the following is a correct example of an AWS Free Tier offer?

easy

A. Unlimited storage on Amazon S3 for 6 months

B. 750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage per month for 12 months

C. 1000 free Lambda invocations per day forever

D. Free Amazon RDS usage with no time limit

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall AWS Free Tier typical offers

   A common Free Tier offer is 750 hours per month of EC2 t2.micro instance for 12 months.

2. Step 2: Check each option against known offers

   750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage per month for 12 months matches this. Options B, C, and D incorrectly state unlimited or forever free usage which is not true.

3. Final Answer:

   750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage per month for 12 months -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   EC2 Free Tier = 750 hours/month for 12 months [OK]

Hint: Free Tier usually limits usage by time or quantity, not unlimited [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Free Tier offers unlimited or forever free usage
• Confusing daily limits with monthly limits
• Ignoring the 12-month time limit on some offers

3. If you use 800 hours of an Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance in one month under the AWS Free Tier, what happens?

medium

A. You get a warning but no charges

B. Your instance stops automatically

C. You are charged for 50 hours of usage

D. You get unlimited free usage

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Free Tier usage limits

   The Free Tier allows 750 hours per month of EC2 t2.micro usage free.

2. Step 2: Calculate excess usage charges

   Using 800 hours means 50 hours exceed the free limit, so you pay for those 50 hours.

3. Final Answer:

   You are charged for 50 hours of usage -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Usage > 750 hours = pay excess hours [OK]

Hint: Free Tier covers up to limit; extra usage costs money [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Free Tier stops instances automatically
• Believing no charges occur after limit
• Assuming unlimited free usage

4. You signed up for AWS Free Tier 13 months ago. Which statement is true about your Free Tier benefits now?

medium

A. You no longer get the 12-month Free Tier benefits

B. Your account is automatically closed

C. You get unlimited free usage on all services

D. You still get 12 months of free EC2 usage

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Free Tier time limits

   Most Free Tier offers last for 12 months after account creation.

2. Step 2: Determine status after 13 months

   After 13 months, the 12-month Free Tier benefits expire, so you no longer get those free offers.

3. Final Answer:

   You no longer get the 12-month Free Tier benefits -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Free Tier 12 months expired = no more free benefits [OK]

Hint: Free Tier 12-month offers expire after 1 year [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Free Tier lasts forever
• Assuming account closes automatically
• Believing unlimited free usage continues

5. You want to use AWS Free Tier to learn about serverless computing. Which service and usage limit fits this goal best?

hard

A. Amazon Lambda with 1 million free requests per month

B. Amazon EC2 with 750 hours free per month

C. Amazon S3 with unlimited free storage

D. Amazon RDS with free multi-AZ deployments

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify serverless computing service

   Amazon Lambda is AWS's serverless compute service.

2. Step 2: Check Free Tier limits for Lambda

   Lambda offers 1 million free requests per month under Free Tier, ideal for learning serverless.

3. Step 3: Compare other options

   EC2 is not serverless, S3 storage is not unlimited, and RDS multi-AZ is not free.

4. Final Answer:

   Amazon Lambda with 1 million free requests per month -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Serverless = Lambda 1M free requests [OK]

Hint: Serverless means Lambda; check its Free Tier limits [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing EC2 with serverless
• Assuming unlimited free storage on S3
• Thinking RDS multi-AZ is free