What is AWS IoT Core used for?

AWS IoT Core is a managed Amazon cloud service that lets connected devices communicate securely with AWS services and with each other. It is a good fit for connecting a fleet of sensors to AWS and streaming device data into cloud analytics.

How much does AWS IoT Core cost?

AWS IoT Core is a paid product with no free plan. Pay-as-you-go pricing by usage. Examples show $1 per million messages, $0.08 per million connection minutes, $1.25 per million shadow operations and $0.15 per million rules; rates vary by region.

Is AWS IoT Core open source?

No. AWS IoT Core is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to AWS IoT Core include DGIoT.

What are some alternatives to AWS IoT Core?

AWS IoT Core competes with Azure IoT Hub, Particle and Cumulocity. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source AWS IoT Core alternatives.

AWS IoT Core: features, pricing and alternatives

About AWS IoT Core

AWS IoT Core is a managed service in Amazon Web Services for connecting IoT devices to the cloud. It provides a device gateway and device SDKs that allow secure two-way communication between internet-connected devices and AWS services, without the team having to run broker infrastructure.

It is used as the connectivity layer of an IoT system. Devices publish and subscribe to messages, and the data can be routed to other AWS services for storage, analytics and processing. Because it is part of AWS, it relies on the platform's identity, security and monitoring tools and integrates with the rest of the AWS catalog.

AWS IoT Core is a hosted commercial service available only through AWS, with pricing described on its AWS pricing page. It is not self-hosted.

Key features

Device gateway for secure connectivity
Device SDKs for connecting hardware
Two-way messaging between devices and the cloud
Message routing to other AWS services
Integration with AWS security and identity

Good fit for

→Connecting a fleet of sensors to AWS
→Streaming device data into cloud analytics

Tags: iot; aws; cloud; device-connectivity; mqtt; device-gateway; managed-service

AWS IoT Core: questions and answers

What is AWS IoT Core used for?: AWS IoT Core is a managed Amazon cloud service that lets connected devices communicate securely with AWS services and with each other. It is a good fit for connecting a fleet of sensors to AWS and streaming device data into cloud analytics.
How much does AWS IoT Core cost?: AWS IoT Core is a paid product with no free plan. Pay-as-you-go pricing by usage. Examples show $1 per million messages, $0.08 per million connection minutes, $1.25 per million shadow operations and $0.15 per million rules; rates vary by region.
Is AWS IoT Core open source?: No. AWS IoT Core is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to AWS IoT Core include DGIoT.
What are some alternatives to AWS IoT Core?: AWS IoT Core competes with Azure IoT Hub, Particle and Cumulocity. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source AWS IoT Core alternatives.