AWS EC2 (BYOAWS - Bring Your Own AWS Account)
AWS is the largest cloud provider with one of the best networks available and a large number of regions and data centers.
Supported Services
| Service | Supported |
|---|---|
| Compute | ✅ |
| Private network | ✅ |
| Firewall | ✅ |
| Volumes | ✅ |
| Elastic IP | ✅ |
| Snapshots | ✅ |
SMTP Limitation
SMTP Services are not supported in BYOAWS (Mailcow, Postal, etc.).
Supported Regions
| Continent | Country | City | Datacenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | South Africa | Cape Town | af-south-1 |
| Asia | Australia | Sydney | ap-southeast-2 |
| Asia | Australia | Melbourne | ap-southeast-4 |
| Asia | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | ap-east-1 |
| Asia | India | Mumbai | ap-south-1 |
| Asia | India | Hyderabad | ap-south-2 |
| Asia | Indonesia | Jakarta | ap-southeast-3 |
| Asia | Japan | Tokyo | ap-northeast-1 |
| Asia | Japan | Osaka | ap-northeast-3 |
| Asia | Korea | Seoul | ap-northeast-2 |
| Asia | Singapore | Singapore | ap-southeast-1 |
| Europe | France | Paris | eu-west-3 |
| Europe | Germany | Frankfurt | eu-central-1 |
| Europe | Ireland | Dublin | eu-west-1 |
| Europe | Italy | Milan | eu-south-1 |
| Europe | Spain | Spain | eu-south-2 |
| Europe | Sweden | Stockholm | eu-north-1 |
| Europe | Switzerland | Zurich | eu-central-2 |
| Europe | United Kingdom | London | eu-west-2 |
| Middle East | Bahrain | Bahrain | me-south-1 |
| Middle East | United Arab Emirates | UAE | me-central-1 |
| North America | Canada | Montreal | ca-central-1 |
| North America | USA | N. Virginia | us-east-1 |
| North America | USA | Ohio | us-east-2 |
| North America | USA | N. California | us-west-1 |
| North America | USA | Oregon | us-west-2 |
| South America | Brazil | Sao Paulo | sa-east-1 |
VM Sizes
| Size | Cores | Ram | HDD |
|---|---|---|---|
| MICRO-2C-1G | 2 | 1GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| SMALL-2C-2G | 2 | 2GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| MEDIUM-2C-4G | 2 | 4GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| LARGE-2C-8G | 2 | 8GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| XLARGE-4C-16G | 4 | 16GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| 2XLARGE-8C-32G | 8 | 32GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| 3XLARGE-16C-64G | 16 | 64GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
| 4XLARGE-32C-128G | 32 | 128GB | 10 GB to 10 TB |
What is BYOAWS?
BYOAWS (Bring Your Own AWS) allows you to deploy Elestio services directly in your own AWS account, giving you:
- Direct AWS billing - Pay AWS directly for infrastructure costs
- Full AWS integration - Access to all AWS services and features
- Enterprise compliance - Meet organizational AWS requirements
- Cost optimization - Use reserved instances, spot instances, and AWS credits
- Global reach - Deploy in any AWS region worldwide
Key Differences from AWS Lightsail
| Feature | AWS Lightsail | AWS EC2 (BYOAWS) |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Elestio's AWS account | Your AWS account |
| Billing | Through Elestio | Direct from AWS |
| Instance types | Limited selection | Full EC2 catalog |
| Storage | Fixed SSD sizes | 10GB to 10TB flexible |
| AWS services | Limited integration | Full AWS ecosystem |
| Reserved instances | Not available | Available |
| Spot instances | Not available | Available |
Benefits of BYOAWS
Cost Control
- Reserved instances - Save up to 75% with 1-3 year commitments
- Spot instances - Save up to 90% for fault-tolerant workloads
- AWS credits - Use existing credits and promotional offers
- Direct billing - No markup, pay AWS rates directly
Compliance & Security
- Your AWS account - Full control and ownership
- AWS compliance - SOC, PCI, HIPAA, and other certifications
- VPC integration - Connect to existing AWS infrastructure
- IAM policies - Fine-grained access control
Enterprise Features
- AWS Support - Direct access to AWS enterprise support
- CloudTrail integration - Complete audit logs
- Cost allocation tags - Detailed billing breakdowns
- Multi-account support - Use AWS Organizations
Setup Requirements
AWS Account Prerequisites
- Active AWS account with administrative access
- VPC with public subnet (default VPC works)
- Internet Gateway attached to VPC
- Appropriate IAM permissions for EC2, VPC, EBS operations
Elestio Configuration
- Connect AWS account to Elestio platform
- Configure deployment region and availability zone
- Set up service roles and permissions
- Choose instance types and storage options
Storage Options
Unlike other providers, BYOAWS offers flexible storage:
- EBS volumes from 10GB to 10TB per instance
- Multiple volume types - gp2, gp3, io1, io2 for different performance needs
- Snapshot backups - Point-in-time recovery
- Encryption at rest - AWS KMS integration
Pricing Model
With BYOAWS, you pay:
- AWS directly for infrastructure (EC2, EBS, data transfer)
- Elestio for management services (same as other providers)
This often results in significant cost savings, especially with:
- Reserved instances
- Spot instances
- AWS credits and enterprise agreements
Getting Started
- Prepare AWS account with necessary permissions
- Contact Elestio support to enable BYOAWS
- Connect your AWS account through Elestio dashboard
- Choose region and instance types
- Deploy services with full AWS integration
Best Practices
Security
- Use IAM roles instead of access keys where possible
- Enable CloudTrail for complete audit logging
- Configure VPC security groups properly
- Enable encryption for EBS volumes
Cost Optimization
- Right-size instances based on monitoring data
- Use reserved instances for predictable workloads
- Consider spot instances for development/testing
- Monitor with AWS Cost Explorer
Operations
- Tag resources for cost allocation
- Set up CloudWatch monitoring and alerts
- Use AWS Backup for additional data protection
- Plan for disaster recovery across availability zones
Important Considerations
- SMTP restrictions - AWS blocks port 25 by default
- Email services - Use AWS SES or external providers
- Billing complexity - AWS billing can be complex for beginners
- Account limits - New AWS accounts have service limits that may need increases
BYOAWS is ideal for organizations already using AWS or those requiring enterprise-grade compliance and cost optimization features.