Pipoline blog

How to Cut Your AWS Bill: 7 Steps That Work in Practice

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The cloud is pay-as-you-go – which is exactly why the bill tends to grow quietly. A server someone launched for a test a year ago, a volume left behind by a deleted instance, backups that are never cleaned up. Each item is small, but together they make up a big part of the invoice.

When we audit infrastructure for clients, we follow much the same path every time. Here are seven steps, in the order we recommend taking them.

1. Visibility first: who pays for what

You can’t save what you can’t see. So the first step isn’t switching anything off – it’s finding out where the money goes:

AWS Cost Explorer breaks costs down by service, region and over time.
Tags (for example project, environment, owner) assign costs to a specific project or team. Activate them as cost allocation tags.
AWS Budgets alerts you when spend approaches a limit – before the invoice arrives.

Visibility alone often reveals surprises, such as a forgotten test environment running around the clock.

2. Clean up what nobody uses

The quickest saving is deleting things that have no value:

unattached EBS volumes and old snapshots,
unused Elastic IP addresses (since 2024 AWS charges for every public IPv4 address, attached or not),
forgotten load balancers, NAT Gateways and databases in test environments,
old object versions and incomplete multipart uploads in S3.

Tip: test environments don’t need to run at night and on weekends. Shutting them down automatically outside working hours saves roughly two thirds of their cost.

3. Right-size your servers

Servers are usually ordered “on the big side, to be safe”. After a few months in production, though, you have precise data on how much capacity you really need. AWS Compute Optimizer recommends smaller instances based on actual CPU and memory usage.

If a server runs at 10–15% CPU over the long term, a smaller type is almost certainly enough. We make the change step by step and watch the metrics so performance never drops.

4. Newer, cheaper instance types

AWS regularly releases newer generations that do more for the same price. Two quick wins:

Graviton (ARM) – according to AWS, up to 40% better price-performance. Most containerised, Python, Node.js or Java workloads run on it without changes.
gp3 instead of gp2 – gp3 EBS volumes cost less per GB and let you set performance (IOPS) independently of volume size.

5. Commit and save: Savings Plans and Reserved Instances

If you know you will still need a certain amount of compute a year from now, there’s no point paying the full on-demand price. Savings Plans give you a discount in exchange for committing to a set hourly spend for 1 or 3 years. The most flexible are Compute Savings Plans (up to 66%), which apply to EC2, Fargate and Lambda across regions and instance types. EC2 Instance Savings Plans go up to 72% but are tied to an instance family in one region.

We recommend starting carefully: commit only to the stable baseline that always runs, not the peaks. On-demand or Spot covers the rest.

6. Spot instances for work that can wait

Spot instances use spare AWS capacity at up to 90% off. AWS can reclaim them with a two-minute warning, but for CI/CD builds, batch data processing, rendering or test environments that doesn’t matter. In Kubernetes, ECS and Nomad you can mix them with regular instances so that losing one never puts anything at risk.

7. Data and transfers: the silent budget eaters

The invoice often surprises people with how much simply moving data costs:

NAT Gateway charges for every gigabyte it processes. For access to S3 and DynamoDB, add a free VPC Gateway Endpoint.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering or lifecycle rules automatically move old data to cheaper storage classes such as Glacier.
CloudFront in front of a website or API reduces data transfer out of AWS and speeds things up for users.
CloudWatch Logs keep data forever by default. Set a sensible retention period, such as 30–90 days.

Saving is not a one-off

The biggest difference doesn’t come from one big intervention but from regular reviews. Infrastructure changes with every new project, so it pays to check the trends in Cost Explorer once a month and review Compute Optimizer recommendations and Savings Plans coverage once a quarter.

If you manage infrastructure as code (Terraform, Pulumi), you set most of these rules – tags, log retention, lifecycle rules, volume types – once, and they apply automatically to everything new.

💸 Want to know how much you could save?

As part of our IT and cloud consulting we review your AWS account, show you where the savings are and prepare a concrete action plan. If you are planning new infrastructure, we build savings in from the start with our AWS architecture design. Get in touch – the first consultation is free and comes with no obligation.

Why a Website Is Not Enough

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In today’s competitive digital landscape, simply having a website is no longer sufficient for business success. While a website serves as your digital storefront, it’s just the beginning of your online journey.

What Your Business Really Needs

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A beautiful website that nobody can find is essentially useless. SEO ensures your target audience can discover your business when they search for relevant services.

2. Content Strategy

Regular, valuable content keeps your audience engaged and establishes your expertise in your field. Blog posts, case studies, and resources build trust with potential customers.

3. Analytics and Monitoring

Understanding how visitors interact with your site is crucial. Analytics help you make data-driven decisions to improve user experience and conversion rates.

4. Mobile Optimization

With most users browsing on mobile devices, your website must provide an excellent mobile experience.

5. Integration with Business Systems

Your website should integrate with your CRM, email marketing tools, and other business systems for seamless operations.

The Complete Digital Solution

At Pipoline, we don’t just build websites – we create comprehensive digital solutions that include:

SEO-optimized websites that rank well in search engines
Content management systems for easy updates
Analytics setup for performance tracking
Mobile-first design for all devices
System integrations for streamlined workflows

Ready to Go Beyond Just a Website?

If you’re ready to build a complete digital presence that drives real business results, contact us. We’ll help you create a solution that not only looks great but actually works for your business.

Contact us today for a free consultation on your digital strategy.

How to Add Permissions on WebSupport

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Managing user permissions correctly is crucial for maintaining security and proper access control on your WebSupport hosting account. This guide will walk you through the process step by step.

Why Proper Permissions Matter

Security: Prevent unauthorized access to sensitive files
Organization: Keep your team organized with appropriate access levels
Compliance: Meet security requirements for business applications
Peace of Mind: Know exactly who has access to what

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Access Your WebSupport Admin Panel

Log into your WebSupport account and navigate to the administration section.

2. Navigate to User Management

Find the “Users” or “Permissions” section in your control panel.

3. Create New User or Modify Existing

Click “Add New User” or select an existing user
Set appropriate username and password
Define access levels based on user needs

4. Set Specific Permissions

Configure permissions for:

File access (read/write/execute)
Database access
Email management
Domain management
SSL certificate management

5. Test and Verify

Always test the permissions to ensure they work as expected and don’t grant excessive access.

Best Practices

Principle of Least Privilege: Give users only the minimum access they need
Regular Reviews: Periodically review and update permissions
Strong Passwords: Enforce strong password policies
Documentation: Keep records of who has what access
Monitoring: Monitor access logs for unusual activity

Common Permission Levels

Administrator: Full access to all features
Developer: Code deployment and file management
Content Manager: Website content updates only
Viewer: Read-only access for monitoring

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems:

Check permission inheritance
Verify user group assignments
Review file ownership settings
Contact WebSupport support if needed

Conclusion

Proper permission management is essential for maintaining a secure and well-organized hosting environment. Take time to set up permissions correctly from the start, and review them regularly to ensure they remain appropriate as your team and projects evolve.

Need help with WebSupport setup or other hosting-related tasks? Contact us for professional assistance!

Our Project Reached 100k Pulls

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

We’re thrilled to announce that our open-source project has officially reached 100,000 pulls! This incredible milestone represents not just numbers, but a thriving community of developers who trust and use our solutions.

What This Means

Reaching 100k pulls is more than just a vanity metric – it demonstrates:

Community Trust: Developers worldwide rely on our code in their projects
Quality Assurance: High pull numbers indicate stable, useful software
Global Impact: Our solutions are helping teams across different industries
Open Source Success: Contributing back to the community that supports us

The Journey

Our journey to 100k pulls wasn’t overnight. It involved:

Consistent Development

Regular updates and bug fixes
Listening to community feedback
Maintaining high code quality standards
Comprehensive documentation

Community Engagement

Responding to issues promptly
Accepting and reviewing pull requests
Providing support to users
Building relationships with contributors

Technical Excellence

Following best practices
Automated testing and CI/CD
Performance optimization
Security-first approach

What’s Next?

This milestone motivates us to continue improving and expanding our open-source contributions:

New Features: Based on community requests
Better Documentation: Making it easier for new contributors
Performance Improvements: Optimizing for larger scale usage
More Projects: Expanding our open-source portfolio

Thank You!

This achievement wouldn’t be possible without our amazing community of users, contributors, and supporters. Every pull, star, issue report, and contribution has helped us reach this milestone.

Get Involved

Want to be part of our journey? Here’s how you can contribute:

Use Our Projects: Try them in your own applications
Report Issues: Help us identify and fix bugs
Contribute Code: Submit pull requests with improvements
Share: Tell others about projects that helped you
Documentation: Help improve our guides and examples

Looking Forward

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re already working on the next phase of development. Stay tuned for exciting updates, new features, and more ways to get involved with our open-source community.

Thank you for being part of our journey to 100k pulls and beyond!

Want to contribute to our open-source projects? Check out our GitHub repositories and join our community of developers making a difference.

We Support Open Source Projects

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

At Pipoline, we believe in giving back to the open source community that has been instrumental in our growth and success. Today, we want to share our commitment to supporting open source projects and how we’re contributing to the developer ecosystem.

Why Open Source Matters

Open source software has revolutionized how we build and deploy applications. It has:

Accelerated Innovation: Shared knowledge leads to faster development
Improved Quality: Community review results in more robust software
Reduced Costs: Free access to high-quality tools and libraries
Enhanced Security: Transparent code allows for better security auditing
Fostered Collaboration: Developers worldwide work together on common goals

Our Open Source Contributions

We actively contribute to the open source community in several ways:

1. Creating Useful Tools

We develop and maintain open source tools that solve real-world problems:

Python packages for automation and development
DevOps tools for infrastructure management
Web development utilities for faster deployment
Cloud automation scripts for AWS and other platforms

2. Contributing to Existing Projects

We regularly contribute to established open source projects by:

Submitting bug fixes and improvements
Adding new features based on community needs
Improving documentation and examples
Providing support in community forums

3. Sponsoring Projects

We financially support open source projects that we use and believe in:

Monthly sponsorships for critical dependencies
One-time donations for specific features or bug fixes
Supporting maintainers who keep essential projects running

Projects We Support

Here are some of the open source projects we actively support:

Development Tools

Python ecosystem: Contributing to packages we use daily
Hugo: Static site generator powering many of our projects
Docker: Containerization platform essential for our DevOps work
Terraform: Infrastructure as code tool for cloud deployments

Community Projects

Local developer meetups: Sponsoring events and providing speakers
Educational initiatives: Supporting coding bootcamps and workshops
Hackathons: Participating in and sponsoring community events

How We Choose Projects to Support

Our selection criteria for supporting open source projects include:

Impact on Our Work: Tools and libraries we use regularly
Community Benefit: Projects that help the broader developer community
Maintainer Dedication: Well-maintained projects with active contributors
Alignment with Values: Projects that share our commitment to quality and openness

Getting Involved

If you’re interested in open source contribution, here’s how to get started:

For Beginners

Start with documentation improvements
Report bugs you encounter
Answer questions in project forums
Test new releases and provide feedback

For Experienced Developers

Submit pull requests with bug fixes
Propose and implement new features
Review other contributors’ code
Mentor new contributors

For Organizations

Sponsor projects your company depends on
Allow employees time for open source contributions
Open source internal tools that could benefit others
Participate in open source events and conferences

Our Commitment Moving Forward

We pledge to continue and expand our open source support by:

Increasing Contributions: More time and resources for open source work
Expanding Sponsorships: Supporting more projects financially
Sharing Knowledge: Publishing more of our internal tools as open source
Community Building: Organizing and participating in developer events

Join Us

We encourage other companies and developers to join us in supporting open source:

Use Open Source: Choose open source solutions when possible
Contribute Back: Share improvements and fixes with the community
Support Financially: Sponsor projects you depend on
Spread Awareness: Talk about the importance of open source

Conclusion

Open source software has given us incredible tools and opportunities. By supporting these projects, we’re not just giving back – we’re investing in the future of software development and ensuring that the next generation of developers has access to the same amazing resources that helped us succeed.

Together, we can build a stronger, more collaborative developer community.

Interested in our open source projects? Visit our GitHub profile to see what we’re working on and how you can contribute.

Launching New Product: chytrybazar.com

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

This website serves for advertising and selling new and used products. It has more advantages than the competition. The biggest added value is the automatic categorization function. It analyzes images of advertisements and estimates categories and other information, which are then taken into account when searching and help users find products more precisely.

Basic functions like ad management and using chat are free. If a user wants to promote their products to be displayed more often, this function is paid, but it is much cheaper than the competition and payments are faster using mobile wallets (Google, Apple, Windows) or card.

The website offers many other features that are not described in detail here, such as geolocation, tagging, ad tracking and change notifications, including email alerts. We will soon add more improvements and new features, so stay tuned.

If you are interested, visit our website chytrybazar.com.

Chytrý bazár Team