AWS for startups: where to start

Get started on AWS without breaking the bank

AWS is the natural choice for startups that want scalable infrastructure without an upfront investment. The free tier, the Activate program credits and the pay-as-you-go model let you start with a near-zero budget and scale gradually as you grow. This guide covers the essential steps to get off to a good start.

Create and secure your account

The first step is creating an AWS account. Use a dedicated email address (aws@yourdomain.com) rather than a personal address. Immediately enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the root account and create an IAM user for daily operations. Never reuse the root credentials after the initial setup.

Configure AWS Organizations if you plan for several environments (development, staging, production). Each environment in a separate account isolates resources and simplifies cost management.

The AWS Activate program

AWS Activate offers cloud credits to eligible startups. The Founders program offers up to $1,000 in credits with no conditions. The Portfolio program, accessible through partner accelerators and incubators, offers up to $100,000 in credits. These credits cover the majority of AWS services and are valid for 1 to 2 years.

In addition to credits, Activate gives access to technical support, training and architecture resources. This is a significant advantage for startups that lack in-house cloud expertise.

Essential services to get started

Compute

For a web application, start with an EC2 t3.micro instance (Free Tier eligible) or go straight to serverless with Lambda if your architecture allows it. Lambda is ideal for APIs and event-driven processing, with a near-zero cost for low volumes.

Storage

Amazon S3 stores your static files, your backups and your assets. The Free Tier includes 5 GB of S3 Standard storage. For databases, RDS (PostgreSQL or MySQL) offers 12 free months on a db.t3.micro instance. DynamoDB is a NoSQL alternative with 25 GB of permanent free storage.

Network and distribution

CloudFront distributes your content from servers close to your users. Route 53 manages your DNS. Both services are billed on usage with very low costs for startups in the early stage.

Monitoring

Configure CloudWatch from day one. The basic metrics are free. Create alarms on CPU usage, memory and errors to detect problems before they affect your users.

Control costs from the start

The AWS bill can surprise you if you do not monitor it. Configure AWS Budgets with alerts at 50%, 80% and 100% of your monthly budget. Enable AWS Cost Anomaly Detection to be alerted automatically about unusual spending.

Tag all your resources with the project and the environment. Tags let you break down costs by project and quickly identify the resources that cost the most.

LCMH supports startups in Alsace in getting started on AWS, from initial setup to architecture optimization.

To control your cloud budget from the start, read our article on the 7 levers for optimizing AWS costs.

Sources

1. AWS, AWS Free Tier. aws.amazon.com/free
2. AWS, AWS Activate for Startups. aws.amazon.com/activate
3. AWS, AWS Budgets. aws.amazon.com/aws-cost-management/aws-budgets