Most developers assume running a real web platform on AWS costs a fortune. Mine doesn't.
HomeServerLab — a free AWS learning platform with an AI assistant, tutorials, OAuth login, and an Apps Marketplace — runs for less than $1/month in infrastructure costs. Here's exactly how.
The stack and what it costs
AWS Lambda
Every route on the site is handled by a single Lambda function written in Python. No EC2, no always-on server, no idle costs. Lambda charges per invocation and per GB-second of compute — at my traffic levels, it stays well within the free tier and costs virtually nothing beyond it.
