Signing Up for AWS / Amazon Web Services

The other day I signed up for AWS / Amazon Web Services.

AWS is one type of IaaS service. IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service. In short, it is a service that provides the infrastructure needed to build and operate computer systems. Once you sign up, you can rent cloud infrastructure such as virtual machines and networking. Well-known providers include Amazon and Rackspace. I have heard that in the United States those two companies together hold roughly 95% of the market.

One characteristic of IaaS services is pay-as-you-go pricing. The hourly cost depends on the specifications of the virtual machine you rent, so the total amount billed changes based on usage time.

Originally I was thinking of going with Rackspace because it offered more finely divided VM sizes than Amazon and also had cheaper options. In the end, though, I got intimidated by the idea that the identity verification call during signup would be in English, so I chose Amazon instead. Amazon was also running a campaign at the time that let you use the smallest instance for free for one year within certain limits.

Create an account here. After entering your personal and card information, the last step is identity verification. That part is in Japanese and uses an automated voice to ask you to enter the PIN shown on the screen. Once that is done, the account setup is complete.