A practical guide to shipping an MVP on AWS Free Tier - minimal stack, clear steps, no surprise bills. Perfect for students and professionals looking to validate ideas quickly.


# $0 to MVP: AWS Free-Tier Startup Hacks

## *Build Production-Ready Apps in 2025*

---

**Ship your MVP this weekend • 1M+ Lambda requests FREE**

*Modern serverless stack with the latest AWS Free Tier updates*

Title Slide


# What if I told you...

- **Thomson Reuters processes 4,000 events/second** - Entirely serverless
- **50% cheaper DynamoDB pricing** - Just launched in 2024
- **1M Lambda requests FREE/month** - Always free, no expiry
- **Production apps in days** - Not months

---

## 🚀 **Modern Reality**

*Startups ship MVPs in 48 hours using AWS serverless*

**Your competition is already building faster**

Hook


# Agenda

- **Problem, why, concepts**
- **Case study**
- **Demo steps**
- **Best practices**
- **Pitfalls, Q&A**

<div className="mt-8 text-center text-gray-600 dark:text-dark-600">
  ⌚ ~22 minutes + Q&A
</div>

Agenda


# The Problem

- **Cloud bills scare builders** 💸
- **Too many choices** 🤯
- **Analysis paralysis** 😵‍💫
- **Security doubts** 🔒

<div className="mt-12 p-6 bg-red-50 dark:bg-red-950/20 rounded-xl border border-red-200 dark:border-red-800">
  <div className="text-lg font-semibold text-red-900 dark:text-red-200">Result: Great ideas never ship</div>
</div>

The Problem


# Why It Matters

- **Validate ideas fast** ⚡
- **Build real, not slides** 🛠️
- **Grow cloud skills** 📈
- **Control costs early** 📊

<TwoCol 
  left={<div className="bg-blue-50 dark:bg-blue-950/20 p-6 rounded-xl"><strong>Building beats planning</strong><br/>Real user feedback > Perfect mockups</div>}
  right={<div className="bg-green-50 dark:bg-green-950/20 p-6 rounded-xl"><strong>Skills that pay</strong><br/>Cloud experience is career gold</div>}
/>

Why It Matters


# What is an MVP?

## **Minimum Viable Product**

*The smallest version that tests your riskiest assumption*

---

### The MVP Formula:

1. **Pick ONE user job** - Focus is everything
2. **Ship the simplest solution** - No feature creep
3. **Learn from real usage** - Data over opinions  
4. **Iterate based on feedback** - Evolve intelligently

---

### 🚀 **Ship Fast** • 📈 **Learn Quick** • 🔄 **Iterate Smart**

Key Concept: MVP


# AWS Free Tier 2025: Major Updates

## **Always Free** (No expiration)

- **Lambda:** 1M requests + 400K GB-seconds monthly
- **DynamoDB:** 25GB storage (**50% cheaper pricing**)
- **S3:** 5GB + 20K GET + 2K PUT requests
- **CloudFront:** 1TB data out + 10M requests
- **SNS:** 1M publishes

---

## **12-Month Free** (New accounts)

- **EC2:** 750 hours t3.micro + **750 IPv4 hours**
- **RDS:** 750 hours db.t3.micro + 20GB storage

---

## ⚠️ **After July 15, 2025: New rules for account types**

Key Concept: AWS Free Tier


# Modern Serverless Stack 2025

## **Frontend**
- **Next.js 15** + React 18 (SSR/SSG)
- **AWS Amplify** or **Vercel** deployment
- **S3 + CloudFront** for static assets

## **Backend**
- **Lambda** functions (Node.js/Python)
- **API Gateway v2** (HTTP APIs - 70% cheaper)
- **DynamoDB** with on-demand pricing

## **Auth & Monitoring**
- **Amazon Cognito** (50K free users)
- **CloudWatch** logs & monitoring

---

## 🚀 **Framework: SST (Serverless Stack)**

*Deploy in minutes, not hours*

Key Concept: Architecture Choices


# Real Case Study: Autodesk Tailor

## **Challenge:** Manage thousands of AWS accounts

## **Solution:** Full serverless in 1 month

- **Frontend:** React + S3/CloudFront
- **API:** Lambda + API Gateway v2 (**70% cheaper**)
- **Database:** DynamoDB with warm throughput
- **Auth:** Cognito (enterprise SSO)
- **Monitoring:** CloudWatch + X-Ray

---

## 📈 **Results**

- **1 month** to production
- **Auto-scales** to handle spikes
- **99.9%** uptime
- **$0** server management

---

## 🚀 **Your turn: Start with this proven pattern**

Case Study: Simple SaaS


# Demo Steps: Setup & Deploy

- **Create AWS account**
- **Bootstrap Next.js app**
- **Connect repo in Amplify**
- **Deploy main branch**
- **Verify HTTPS domain**

<Code language="bash">
npx create-next-app@latest my-saas
cd my-saas
git init && git add . && git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-repo>
git push -u origin main
</Code>

<div className="mt-6 p-4 bg-green-50 dark:bg-green-950/20 rounded-lg border border-green-200 dark:border-green-800">
  <div className="text-green-900 dark:text-green-200 font-semibold">✅ Result: Live HTTPS site in ~5 minutes</div>
</div>

Demo Steps: Setup & Deploy


# Demo Steps: Auth & Data

- **Add Cognito user pool**
- **Create REST API**
- **Add Lambda function**
- **Create DynamoDB table**
- **Wire calls in Next.js**

<div className="mt-6 grid grid-cols-2 gap-4">
  <div className="p-4 bg-blue-50 dark:bg-blue-950/20 rounded-lg border border-blue-200 dark:border-blue-800">
    <div className="font-bold text-blue-900 dark:text-blue-200 mb-2">🔐 Auth Flow</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-blue-800 dark:text-blue-300">Sign up → Confirm → Sign in → JWT token</div>
  </div>
  <div className="p-4 bg-purple-50 dark:bg-purple-950/20 rounded-lg border border-purple-200 dark:border-purple-800">
    <div className="font-bold text-purple-900 dark:text-purple-200 mb-2">💾 Data Flow</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-purple-800 dark:text-purple-300">API call → Lambda → DynamoDB → Response</div>
  </div>
</div>

Demo Steps: Auth & Data


# MVP Best Practices 2025

## **Cost Management (Critical)**
- **Set AWS Budgets** - Get alerts at 80% Free Tier usage
- **Enable Cost Explorer** - Track daily spending
- **Use CloudWatch billing alarms** - SMS alerts
- **Clean up resources immediately** - Avoid account closure

---

## **New: Gamified Learning Credits**
- **Complete AWS tutorials** - Earn extra credits
- **Deploy sample apps** - Get bonus allowances  
- **Attend AWS events** - Free tier extensions

---

## **Deployment Strategy**
- **Infrastructure as Code** (AWS CDK/SST)
- **GitHub Actions** CI/CD
- **Blue/green deployments** with Lambda versions

Best Practices


# Expensive Mistakes to Avoid

## **🚨 Critical (Can close account)**
- **Exceeding Free Plan limits** - Automatic account closure
- **Not monitoring usage** - Surprise bills = account closure
- **IPv4 address charges** - Now included in Free Tier (750hrs)
- **Running EC2 in wrong region** - Some regions not covered

---

## **💰 Costly Surprises**
- **DynamoDB cold starts** - Use warm throughput setting
- **API Gateway v1** - Use v2 for 70% savings
- **Data transfer charges** - Keep services in same AZ
- **Forgotten NAT Gateways** - $45/month each!

---

## **🔒 Security Risks**
- **Public S3 buckets** - Enable Block Public Access
- **Hardcoded keys in GitHub** - Use AWS Secrets Manager

Common Pitfalls


# Resources & Links

<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-6 mt-8">
  <div>
    <h3 className="text-lg font-bold mb-4">🔗 Essential Links</h3>
    <ul className="space-y-2 text-sm">
      <li>• <strong>AWS Free Tier:</strong> aws.amazon.com/free</li>
      <li>• <strong>Free Tier FAQs:</strong> aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/</li>
      <li>• <strong>Amplify + Next.js:</strong> docs.aws.amazon.com/amplify/latest/userguide/getting-started-next.html</li>
      <li>• <strong>Serverless Web App:</strong> aws.amazon.com/serverless/build-a-web-app/</li>
      <li>• <strong>DynamoDB Guide:</strong> docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/GettingStartedDynamoDB.html</li>
      <li>• <strong>Well-Architected:</strong> aws.amazon.com/architecture/well-architected/</li>
    </ul>
  </div>
  <div className="text-center">
    <div className="w-32 h-32 bg-gray-200 dark:bg-dark-300 rounded-lg mx-auto mb-4 flex items-center justify-center text-4xl">
      📱
    </div>
    <div className="text-lg font-bold">QR Code</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-gray-600 dark:text-dark-600">Scan for all resources</div>
    <div className="text-sm mt-2 font-mono">example.com/aws-mvp</div>
  </div>
</div>

Resources & Links


# The Reality Check

## **1. Speed is your competitive advantage**
- **Serverless = ship in days, not months**
- **Thomson Reuters: 4K events/sec, deployed in 5 months**
- **Autodesk: 1 month to production**
- **Your competition is already using these tools**

---

## **2. Free Tier is actually generous**
- **1M Lambda requests/month = most MVPs**
- **25GB DynamoDB = hundreds of users**
- **Always free services don't expire**
- **50% cost reductions in 2024**

---

## **3. Perfect is the enemy of shipped**
- **Real users > perfect architecture**
- **Monitor and optimize after launch**
- **Use proven patterns, not bleeding edge**

Key Takeaways


# Questions?

## ❓

---

### Scan QR for resources

**📱**

**example.com/aws-mvp**

*All starter code and resources*


# Your 48-Hour Action Plan

## **Today (30 minutes)**
- **Create AWS account** - Get 12-month + Always Free tiers
- **Set up billing alerts** - Avoid account closure
- **Clone SST starter** - Modern serverless framework

## **Tomorrow (2 hours)**
- **Deploy your first API** - Lambda + API Gateway
- **Add authentication** - Cognito integration
- **Connect a database** - DynamoDB table

## **Weekend (4 hours)**
- **Build your unique feature** - What makes you different?
- **Deploy to production** - Real domain, real users
- **Get first user feedback** - Validate or pivot

---

## 🚀 **You're not building a side project**

**You're building your competitive advantage**

---

# 🙏 Resources

**github.com/sst/examples** - Production-ready templates

**aws.amazon.com/free** - Track your usage

Presenter Notes