Data egress price comparison

An often overlooked cost of using cloud services is data egress. This is the cost of sending data out of the cloud provider's network to the public internet.

If you're a developer, chances are you've used cloud services for tasks like storing files, running your apps, or hosting websites.

These services are typically charged based on usage, but one of the costs you might not be aware of until you get your cloud bill is data egress.

It's important to understand how it works because data egress fees can quickly add up, especially when you plan on moving a lot of data around.

Let's break down what data egress is, how much it costs, and what you can do to keep your data egress costs down.

Data egress is the term used to describe data leaving a network, more specifically, data leaving your cloud provider's network out to the public internet. This can be data sent from a cloud provider to a user, or data sent from one cloud provider to another.

Cloud providers typically charge for egress based on the amount of data sent out of their network, and it's usually measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB) of data transfer per month.

From the cloud provider's perspective, there are two types of data transfer:

Cloud providers charge for egress because it costs them money to send data out of their network. They have to pay for the infrastructure and bandwidth required to send data to users.

It's also important to note that not all networks are created equal. Some cloud providers may have better peering agreements with ISPs or more reliable network infrastructure, which can affect the cost of egress too.

However, egress fees may also be used to discourage certain types of usage that may saturate the network, or constantly moving large amounts of data between cloud providers.

Most cloud providers do offer a certain amount of free egress each month. For example, as an account-wide allowance (eg. 100 GB / mo), or pooled across the number of servers you have with them (eg. 1 TB / mo per server).

So depending on your usage and the cloud provider you choose, you may be able to avoid egress fees altogether or keep them to a minimum.

Here are some additional factors to consider when trying to keep egress costs down:

Data egress is the cost of sending data out of a cloud provider's network to the public internet. It's important to understand how it works because data egress fees can quickly add up, especially if you're moving a lot of data out of the cloud.

Not sure yet? Compare cloud providers to find the right fit for your project.