Mistakes I've Made in AWS
I've made it a habit to absolutely avoid any and all AWS services for any side projects, unless it's on the employer's dime. I'd rather pay a bit more per month for a flat-fee Digital Ocean droplet. Maybe I'll end up paying a few dollars more than I would with the equivalent AWS setup, but I'll rest easy knowing I won't get a surprise bill thanks to the opaque and byzantine billing. I mean, there are consultancies whose entire premise is expertise on AWS billing, so the chance of AWS newbie-me running up many thousands because I forgot to switch off service A or had the wrong setting for service B is non-zero.<p>And the general advice is "don't worry, call their customer support and they'll refund you". Um, seriously? If I want to spend a morning on hold to deal with a huge unplanned bill I'll call my local tax office, thank you.<p>Which sucks as I learn best by building things in my spare time, but AWS makes that learning process a bit more stressful than I'd prefer.