AWS Knowledge
Understand Amazon ElastiCache Pricing and Costs
Piyush Kalra
Nov 2, 2024
A developer, tech entrepreneur, or AWS user who aims to reduce the costs associated with the cloud-first has to understand Amazon ElastiCache pricing. In this blog, more specifically, we look at Amazon ElastiCache, a cloud-hosted caching technology that goes a long way when dealing with various applications, such as social media or streaming technologies. Caching minimizes the chances of more significant delays by storing frequently used data in faster memory, such as RAM or in-memory cubes, instead of a harsh disk. We will provide the cloud pricing framework, its advantages, and hints that could be essential when utilizing ElastiCache. When beginning to work with a cloud or configuring an already available one, those mentioned above will ease your AWS handling.
What is Amazon ElastiCache?
Amazon ElastiCache provides high performance with a very quick response rate by caching data in the memory of the system or application, eliminating the use of slower disk-based databases. ElastiCache has both the Redis and the Memcached Engines and can cache almost hundreds of millions of details, enabling the user to access data in microseconds rather than minutes.
ElastiCache is an excellent choice for various tasks, such as web applications, gaming, and real-time data shines. Redis performs great on real-time analytics and session data, but Memcached works excellently with the lightning-fast cache of database queries. Providing data that matters close to the application, ElastiCache caches data, which results in reduced latency and response times while reducing workloads for primary data sources, providing an exceptional user experience.
How Does Amazon ElastiCache Work?
ElastiCache is an Amazon service that conforms to client demands. Customers want to use it in their data centers, and the architecture consists of nodes, clusters, and an optimal data architecture composed of Amazon EC2 instances using its caching engine. The nodes are grouped into clusters that provide independent service or back up data to each other for better performance.
Application performance is also enhanced through the use of cache because ElastiCache empowers systems to grab application data from highly accessible storage to alleviate the traditional database use, which assists in a greater return on investment by reducing application latency.
ElastiCache's value mainly stems from its scalability and resourcefulness. In response to an application’s growing demand, users can simply change their cluster size or expand the number of nodes, making it easier for the server to be used, which also saves costs when used for multiple tasks.
ElastiCache nodes are practically instances of EC2s equipped with a uniquely modified operating system that has a 'cache’ in the name. The number of nodes, the type of nodes, and the pricing model selected determine the use of ElastiCache.
Nodes can be used either stand-alone or in clusters, linking each primary node with a cache node. Generally, the more replicated nodes you have, the more expensive the system will be.
ElastiCache provides two pricing options:
On-Demand Pricing
Reserved Pricing
Furthermore, the currently supported generation of ElastiCache nodes has more memory and processing power than the older generations, resulting in a higher price. The kind of node you want has a rather apparent impact on your ElastiCache costs, and therefore, this matter should be dealt with in accordance with your needs.
Deep Dive into ElastiCache Pricing Structure
Amazon ElastiCache has provided several pricing models, including regular usage and financial models. Understanding these models can help you make decisions that will save AWS resources.
Pricing Models
On-Demand Pricing: In the case of ElastiCache, if you want a specific amount of usage and a specific amount of resources without any long-term contracts, you can choose the on-demand option. In the case of ElastiCache, you can customize On Demand Nodes to only utilize a specific amount of resources hourly. With those resources allocated, you don’t specifically have to allocate a certain amount of resources for a long period of time. This type of pricing plan is great for ElastiCache as it allows, for instance, types such as r6gd.16xlarge, but on the downside, it isn't the most cost-efficient plan. Furthermore, this pricing model would be ideal for organizations that are looking to test applications as it allows for maximum flexibility.
Reserved Instances: A one-time payment can be made at the start of the contract, allowing the user to cut costs by excluding the monthly fees. This type of payment options comes at the cost of a long commitment of at least 1 to 3 years; however, you are rewarded on your long-term usage provisioned through discounts on a case-to-case basis. One-time payments can help in application deployment as they are not supposed to change in the short run, making this option ideal for design projects. The following are the possible methods of payment:
All Upfront: A customer can pay the entire amount in a single transaction for the duration of the project.
Partial Upfront: Customers are then allowed to make the payment in installments over the duration of the set project.
No Upfront: If you can’t make any payments while you are starting, the payment will be rendered, and this will be considered a monthly payable towards an agreement.
Pro tip: The more you pay upfront and the longer you stay in the contract, the bigger the discount you earn.
Data Transfer Costs: What is vital in ensuring the success of this task is the impression that data transfer charges are a factor that could determine a cause for the users to fail the task. Users, precisely ElastiCache consumers, are charged based on the amount of data transferred in or out of ElastiCache Nodes or Clusters through a public internet network. However, data transfer is where the nodes or clusters are located within the same AWS region or availability zone. This makes it advantageous for designs that ensure data transfer is kept local.
Backup and Recovery Costs: One more area needs sufficient attention – backup and recovery costs. This is critical to the longevity of the data – backups of your ElastiCache clusters. You are entitled to a free backup equal to that of your active ElastiCache cluster, but is also confined to 100% of your provisioned storage for a particular region. And if you go over that figure or keep copies of backups after your cluster has been deleted, that will also cost.
One free snapshot is provided for each active cluster of ElastiCache for Redis. Every GB of additional backup storage will cost $0.085 per month. Data transfer related to cutting and restoring snapshots is complimentary.
Factors Affecting Pricing
Node Types: ElastiCache nodes come in various prices depending on how much memory, how many CPUs, and the amount of data transfer required. The higher the instance that is needed, the higher the costs would be, but at the same time, larger instances can handle more workloads. For example, you may require a cache.t3.micro node, which only has 1 vCPU and 1 GiB of RAM, when your application is small and doesn't require much caching. Cache.r6g.large, which has 2 vCPUs and 13 GiB of memory, is required when the application has high traffic and requires caching.
Region-Based Pricing: ElastiCache is overpriced by region, and Amazon does not offer a flat rate. For instance, launching your ElastiCache instances in North Virginia could be less expensive than launching them in Tokyo. Such a decision easily influences performance as well as total cost. If many of your users are located in Europe, although the price could be higher than other locations, opting for the EU region would reduce latency. It is vital to consider performance and cost considerations, especially when handling an AWS region for your ElastiCache instances. For contemplation, AWS fully supports an extensive pricing breakdown by region.
Additional Pricing Benefits
Amazon ElastiCache has various features that assist in keeping track of the costs without compromising performance.
AWS Free Tier
The Free Tier gives new AWS customers a chance to try out Amazon ElastiCache without any financial commitment beyond the usual registration fees. It provides the first 750 hours of monthly usage of a cache.t2.micro or a cache.t3.micro node for 12 months at no cost. This is a wonderful method for testing ElastiCache.
ElastiCache Serverless Pricing Model
ElastiCache Serverless pricing revolves around two major components:
Data Stored: The amount of data that stays in your cache during a period is charged on a gigabyte hour (GB-hrs) basis for the duration of time they remain in the cache.
ElastiCache Processing Units (ECPUs): Billing is also based on the number of requests an application made irrespective of the Ecpu's single instruction. In computing context a single Ecu is equivalent to one virtual computing unit (vCPU).
Cost-Saving Features
Auto-Scaling: Dynamically resize computing resources to provide optimal services and maximize cost reduction.
Data Tiering: Use low-cost SSDs in combination with memory to lower data storage costs while enhancing performance. This feature is available from Redis version 6.2 and later.
Case Study: Beat's Journey to Cost Optimization with ElastiCache
Consider the case of Beat, a leading ride-hailing app in Latin America that faced significant challenges during its rapid growth. In 2019, as it scaled, the company experienced outages due to system bottlenecks despite already using Amazon ElastiCache. The need for a more efficient cache solution became urgent when Colombia banned Beat's primary competitor in early 2020, presenting an opportunity for a surge in new users.
To tackle these challenges, Beat's team re-evaluated their configuration with the help of AWS Enterprise Support. They learned that enabling cluster mode in ElastiCache could optimize performance and scalability while reducing costs. This transition allowed Beat to distribute traffic across multiple instances, effectively scaling horizontally—a capability they lacked in their previous setup.
Their Key Takeaways:
Strategic Re-evaluation: Collaborating with AWS Enterprise Support, Beat explored more efficient caching solutions.
Cluster Mode Advantages: Enabling cluster mode in ElastiCache improved performance and scalability while cutting costs.
Significant Outcomes: The new architecture led to virtually zero downtime and reduced compute costs by 90%, positioning Beat for future growth.
Tools and Tips for Cutting Amazon ElastiCache Costs
Effective cost management requires the right tools and strategies. Here are some recommendations:
Monitoring Tools: Use AWS CloudWatch and Cost Explorer to track usage patterns and identify opportunities for cost optimization.
Rightsizing Instances: Regularly evaluate your instance sizes to ensure they align with workload demands. This prevents overprovisioning and unnecessary expenses.
Data Tiering and Version Upgrades: Leverage data tiering to balance data storage costs and consider upgrading to newer Redis versions for improved performance and reduced memory usage.
Use Pump to Save Big on Amazon ElastiCache for Free
Pump is an intelligent AI tool that helps you save money on your Amazon ElastiCache by finding the best pricing options. It allows for group buying so that you can snag great deals on Reserved Instances and Savings Plans. With Pump, organizations can slash their AWS bills by up to 60% without needing to pay anything upfront or get help from engineers.
For example, if your AWS bill is $100, Pump could bring it down to just $51, which is a huge saving! It's easy to set up in just a few minutes, and it doesn’t only work for ElastiCache; it can also help with 11 other AWS services. This means that even startups can enjoy savings on AWS like the big tech companies without needing a large engineering team or spending extra money for those crucial savings.
Conclusion
We all know comprehending Amazon ElastiCache pricing is key to avoiding losses while using AWS. By trying out different pricing models and tools, various aspects can be improved along with the price. Whether you are a new user of AWS or a seasoned developer, Amazon ElastiCache has several powerful features that should help you.
Implementing the best practices written in this blog is advisable for having cost-effective and efficient caching solutions. If you are ready to go deeper, there are many resources on managing cloud costs available on AWS and Pump.
