What is Amazon Lightsail used for?

Amazon Lightsail: Simple virtual private servers from AWS with fixed monthly pricing, aimed at small projects, websites and developers new to the cloud. It is a good fit for hosting a small website or blog and running a dev or test server on AWS.

How much does Amazon Lightsail cost?

Paid plans for Amazon Lightsail start at $5 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is Amazon Lightsail open source?

No. Amazon Lightsail is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon Lightsail include Ubicloud.

What are some alternatives to Amazon Lightsail?

Amazon Lightsail competes with DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon Lightsail alternatives.

Amazon Lightsail: features, pricing and alternatives

About Amazon Lightsail

Amazon Lightsail is an Amazon Web Services product that offers virtual private servers with predictable, fixed monthly pricing. It is positioned as a simpler entry point to AWS than the full set of EC2 and networking services, for people running small websites, applications and development environments.

Lightsail is widely known to bundle instances with storage, networking and ready-made application setups, and to offer related services such as managed databases and load balancers. Check AWS documentation for the exact current feature list.

Amazon Lightsail is a proprietary hosted AWS service with no self-hosted edition. It suits individuals, small businesses and developers who want a straightforward server with a flat monthly price while staying within the AWS ecosystem.

Key features

Virtual private servers with fixed monthly pricing
Simple setup for small applications
Managed databases and load balancers
Storage and networking in one console
Integration with the wider AWS ecosystem

Good fit for

→Hosting a small website or blog
→Running a dev or test server on AWS

Tags: aws; vps; hosting; cloud; fixed-pricing; servers; small-business

Amazon Lightsail: questions and answers

What is Amazon Lightsail used for?: Amazon Lightsail: Simple virtual private servers from AWS with fixed monthly pricing, aimed at small projects, websites and developers new to the cloud. It is a good fit for hosting a small website or blog and running a dev or test server on AWS.
How much does Amazon Lightsail cost?: Paid plans for Amazon Lightsail start at $5 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is Amazon Lightsail open source?: No. Amazon Lightsail is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon Lightsail include Ubicloud.
What are some alternatives to Amazon Lightsail?: Amazon Lightsail competes with DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon Lightsail alternatives.