Best server for… pricing
Best and cheapest server for a Docker host (small APIs and side projects) on AWS
Updated 2026-10-19
Cheapest sensible starting point for a Docker host (small APIs and side projects): t4g.medium at $0.0336/h ($24.53/month) on demand in us-east-1. Move up to m7g.large when you outgrow it.
Recommendations (us-east-1, on demand, Linux)
| Instance | When | Size | $/h | $/month | 3-yr RI $/h | Cheapest region | $25k credits last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| t4g.medium | A handful of light containers | 2 vCPU / 4 GiB | $0.0336 | $24.53 | $0.0145 | ap-south-1 $0.0224 | 1,019 mo |
| m7g.large | Steady multi-container stack | 2 vCPU / 8 GiB | $0.0816 | $59.57 | $0.037 | ap-south-1 $0.0583 | 420 mo |
| m7g.xlarge | Heavier stack, 16 GiB | 4 vCPU / 16 GiB | $0.1632 | $119.14 | $0.074 | ap-south-1 $0.1166 | 210 mo |
How we chose
Sizing assumption (ours, not a vendor requirement): Several containers on one VM; a balanced vCPU:RAM ratio fits mixed stacks.
Prices come from the AWS Price List. Treat sizes as starting points: watch memory and CPU for a week, then resize.
Other costs to add
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Questions
What is the cheapest AWS server for a Docker host (small APIs and side projects)?
Cheapest sensible starting point for a Docker host (small APIs and side projects): t4g.medium at $0.0336/h ($24.53/month) on demand in us-east-1. Move up to m7g.large when you outgrow it.
Can I run a Docker host (small APIs and side projects) on AWS credits?
Yes, EC2 and RDS usage is covered by AWS promotional credits; the last column shows how long $25k lasts.
Prices and credit amounts are estimates and may change. Check AWS for current terms.