Idle Databricks trial costs me $1/day on AWS

[philipkd]

I created a 14-day trial account on Databricks.com and linked it to my AWS. I'm aware that DBUs are free for 14 days, but any AWS charges are my own. I created one workspace, and the CloudFormation was successful. I haven't used it for two days and then I noticed my AWS bill suddenly went to $1/day. I have no EC2s running. I have two S3s created by the CF, but they have <1MB of files stored.

[Kaniz]

Hi @philipkd, It’s great that you’ve set up a trial account on Databricks and linked it to your AWS account! 

Let’s dive into the details:

Databricks Usage Charges:

• Databricks charges you based on the compute resources you consume. They use per-second billing for their pay-as-you-go model. The good news is that using Databricks doesn’t require any upfront costs or recurring contracts. You only pay for what you need, when you need it (on-demand rate).

AWS Charges:

While Databricks DBUs (Databricks Units) are free during the 14-day trial, any AWS charges incurred are indeed your responsibility. Let’s explore why your AWS bill might have increased:

S3 Storage Costs: You mentioned having two S3 buckets created by the CloudFormation (CF). Even if the files stored in these buckets are small (<1MB), AWS still charges for storage. Make sure to check the storage costs associated with these buckets.

Other AWS Services: Apart from EC2 instances, there are other AWS services that could contribute to your bill. For instance, data transfer costs, RDS instances, or other managed services. Review your AWS console to identify any unexpected services running.

Data Transfer Costs: If your Databricks workspace interacts with other AWS services (e.g., data transfers between S3 and Databricks), data transfer costs may apply.

Monitoring and Logging: AWS CloudWatch or other monitoring services might be active, leading to additional charges.

Recommendations:

Check Your AWS Billing Dashboard: Dive into your AWS billing dashboard to pinpoint the exact services causing the increase. Look for any unexpected charges.

Review Databricks Usage: Examine your Databricks usage. Even if you haven’t actively used it for two days, there might be background processes or scheduled jobs running.

Monitor S3 Buckets: Verify the storage costs for your S3 buckets. If they’re not essential, consider deleting them to reduce costs.

Remember, understanding the details of your AWS bill can help you identify the specific areas contributing to the increase. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to ask! 🚀

[philipkd · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the extra details. I found the lingering charge: a NAT Gateway that stays running. Databricks should really remove that when the trial ends, otherwise a lot of trial users retain lingering, recurring charges. I was able to see this in the recently updated AWS Bill experience, which will show the current month's bill, plus a break-down by service.

[dataguru]

I also faced the same not sure how to disable or limit the usage. 

[philipkd]

You may want to look at AWSSupport-ListEC2Resources, that's how I found lingering charges.