Why AWS S3 + CloudFront + Certificate Manager is Ideal for Hosting Static Websites?

As a marketer, you need a hosting solution for your static websites that’s not only cost-effective but also scalable, secure, and easy to manage. That’s where Skro comes in. We've seamlessly integrated with AWS to provide you with a powerful, serverless solution that leverages Amazon S3, CloudFront, and AWS Certificate Manager.

1. Amazon S3: Reliable and Scalable Storage

Amazon S3 is a highly durable and scalable object storage service that is perfect for hosting static websites. It offers several benefits:

• Simplicity: S3 allows you to host static files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, etc.) directly from the storage bucket. It’s straightforward to set up and manage.
• Scalability: S3 automatically scales to handle any amount of traffic, ensuring your website is available even during sudden traffic spikes.
• Durability and Reliability: S3 provides 99.999999999% durability, meaning your website's files are stored redundantly across multiple locations to prevent data loss.
• Cost-Effective: You only pay for the storage and the amount of data transferred out of S3, making it a budget-friendly option.

2. Amazon CloudFront: Global Content Delivery with Low Latency

While S3 is excellent for storage, Amazon CloudFront, a content delivery network (CDN), complements it by accelerating the delivery of your website content globally:

• Low Latency: CloudFront caches your content at edge locations around the world, ensuring fast delivery to users, regardless of their location.
• Scalability: Like S3, CloudFront scales automatically with your traffic. It handles large spikes in demand seamlessly.
• DDoS Protection: CloudFront provides built-in protection against DDoS attacks, adding an extra layer of security to your website.
• Custom SSL/TLS Support: With CloudFront, you can easily configure SSL/TLS certificates, ensuring secure data transmission between your users and your website.

3. AWS Certificate Manager: Easy and Free SSL/TLS Certificates

Security is crucial for any website, and using HTTPS is a standard practice. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) simplifies the process of obtaining and managing SSL/TLS certificates:

• Automated Certificate Management: ACM handles the provisioning, renewal, and management of certificates, so you don’t have to worry about manual updates.
• No Cost for Public Certificates: ACM provides SSL/TLS certificates for free, reducing your costs while ensuring secure data transmission.
• Seamless Integration with CloudFront: ACM integrates seamlessly with CloudFront, allowing you to deploy secure certificates with just a few clicks.

Pricing Examples

To illustrate the cost-effectiveness of using AWS S3, CloudFront, and Certificate Manager, let’s look at two pricing examples. These estimates are based on AWS pricing as of 2024. Note that actual costs may vary depending on your specific usage patterns and AWS region.

Example 1: Hosting a Single Website with 1 Million Requests per Month

• Amazon S3:
• Storage: 50 MB (0.05 GB) of website content stored in S3.
• Data Transfer Out: Let’s assume 10 GB of data is transferred out of S3 to CloudFront.
• Estimated Cost:
• Storage: 0.05 GB * $0.023/GB = $0.00115 per month.
• Data Transfer: 10 GB * $0.90/GB = $0.90 per month.
• Amazon CloudFront:
• Data Transfer: Assuming all 10 GB of data is delivered through CloudFront to users.
• Requests: 1 million GET requests.
• Estimated Cost:
• Data Transfer: 10 GB * $0.085/GB = $0.85 per month.
• Requests: 1,000,000 / 10,000 * $0.0075 = $0.75 per month.
• AWS Certificate Manager:
• SSL/TLS Certificate: Free.
• Total Estimated Cost:
• S3: $0.00115 + $0.90 = $0.90115
• CloudFront: $0.85 + $0.75 = $1.60
• Grand Total: $0.90115 + $1.60 = $2.50115 per month.

Example 2: Hosting 5 Landing Pages, Each with 100,000 Requests per Month

• Amazon S3:
• Storage: 50 MB per landing page, totaling 250 MB (0.25 GB) for all 5 landing pages.
• Data Transfer Out: 10 GB of data transferred out (2 GB per landing page).
• Estimated Cost:
• Storage: 0.25 GB * $0.023/GB = $0.00575 per month.
• Data Transfer: 10 GB * $0.09/GB = $0.90 per month.
• Amazon CloudFront:
• Data Transfer: 10 GB of data delivered through CloudFront.
• Requests: 5 * 100,000 = 500,000 requests.
• Estimated Cost:
• Data Transfer: 10 GB * $0.085/GB = $0.85 per month.
• Requests: 500,000 / 10,000 * $0.0075 = $0.375 per month.
• AWS Certificate Manager:
• SSL/TLS Certificate: Free.
• Total Estimated Cost:
• S3: $0.00575 + $0.90 = $0.90575
• CloudFront: $0.85 + $0.375 = $1.225
• Grand Total: $0.90575 + $1.225 = $2.13075 per month.

Summary

With smaller storage requirements (50 MB per site), the costs associated with S3 storage become almost negligible. In both scenarios, the major costs are driven by data transfer and request handling through CloudFront, making this combination of services not only efficient but also very affordable for small to moderately trafficked static websites.