Avoiding Charges on Oracle Cloud Free Tier
One of the biggest worries people have when starting with Oracle Cloud is accidentally running up charges. I completely get that because I had the same fear when I started.
Originally I had an Always Free account, but I constantly hit capacity issues. Every time I tried to create an instance it would say there was no capacity available, which made it really frustrating to actually learn and build anything.
Eventually I took the plunge and switched to a Pay As You Go account. Since doing that, I have had no trouble spinning up the Always Free instances when I need them. Touch wood, I still haven’t been charged, because I only use Always Free resources and stay within the limits.
All of the tutorials I share will be tried and tested by me first to make sure they do not incur charges when followed correctly. I know how important that confidence is when you are just getting started.
That said, it is still your responsibility to understand what you are creating, so here are some practical things to avoid if you want to keep everything free.
Things to Avoid Doing
Do not change the shape of an Always Free instance to something that is not Always Free eligible. Even a small change can move you into a paid resource without realising.
Avoid resizing or reshaping instances unless you are absolutely sure the new shape is Always Free eligible.
Do not move instances between compartments or availability domains unless you understand the implications. Some moves can trigger recreation of resources that are not Always Free.
Be careful when creating boot volumes. Always Free instances include boot storage, but creating extra block volumes or increasing size beyond the free allowance can incur charges.
Avoid creating additional public IP addresses unless required. Some configurations outside the free limits can be chargeable.
Do not create Load Balancers unless you specifically choose the Always Free option. The default Load Balancer options are chargeable.
Be cautious with databases. Always choose Always Free Autonomous Database options and avoid paid database types.
Avoid leaving unused resources running. If you experiment with something and no longer need it, delete it rather than just stopping it.
Be careful with backups and snapshots. Extra backups and storage copies can quietly add costs over time.
Always double check that anything you create clearly shows Always Free Eligible before clicking Create.
Set Up Budget Alerts Immediately
One of the best safety nets you can put in place is a budget alert. This gives you an early warning if anything starts to cost money.
Here is how to set one up:
Go to the OCI Console
Open the navigation menu
Go to Governance and Administration
Select Budgets
Click Create Budget
Give the budget a name such as:
Free Tier Safety Budget
Set the amount to something small such as:
£1 or £5
Under Alerts, add an alert at:
50 percent
100 percent
Enter your email address so you get notified.
Once this is set, OCI will email you if spending starts to occur. That alone removes a huge amount of stress when learning.
Oracle Cloud is incredibly generous if used carefully, and once you understand the guardrails, it becomes a brilliant platform to experiment, learn, and build real projects without spending money.