Amazon Lightsail Reviews

Name: Amazon Lightsail
Brand: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Rating: 4.2 (9 reviews)

4.2 out of 5

9 reviews
100% willing to recommend

What is Amazon Lightsail?

Lightsail is ideal for simpler workloads, quick deployments, and getting started on AWS. It’s designed to help you start small, and then scale as you grow.

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Amazon Lightsail is the #10 ranked solution in PaaS Services. PeerSpot users give Amazon Lightsail an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 9 most recent Amazon Lightsail reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 7.2. (Among the highest in the category). Amazon Lightsail is most commonly compared to Microsoft Azure: Amazon Lightsail vs Microsoft Azure. Amazon Lightsail is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 56% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 23% of all views.

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PaaS Clouds

December 2024

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Featured reviews

Vitor Gabriel Reis Lux Barboza

IT Specialist Architecture at Nidec Global Appliance

There were templates for Ubuntu, for instance, that I used. I used it if I remember, going to 20.04, I guess. It was ready, and I just used the template and it worked well. There is a template for Windows Server, but I didn't test them. Also, the configurations over the firewall in the console work very good for the purpose that we need to isolate it from the internet but allow the connection from specific IP addresses in specific ports. So the filtering in the Lightsail Firewall works good. And I am able to isolate the virtual machine well from the internet in order to avoid DDoS attacks and stuff like that.

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Muhammad Burhan Sultan

Wordpress Developer & AWS Solution Architect at Seahorse Data

We are a company based in Ireland, and we are AWS partners. We have built some solutions for AWS, and we have developed a WordPress plugin that we use to migrate websites from any hosting site to AWS. We specifically create Lightsail instances using that plugin. When the website is migrated, it is…

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Poulav Biswas

Senior Technical Lead at Coach Foundation

It didn't prove to be that much helpful just to switch around from DigitalOcean to Amazon Lightsail. Because of this, what we were considering is the cost as well as the speed of the server, especially since the website is running under the server. Moreover, there's an overhead cost in terms of setting up and running the server, which is higher when comparing DigitalOcean to Lightsail. It's not a direct comparison, but since with DigitalOcean, I'm using Cloudways as a majority between the two services, it's way easier to set up and manage. However, in the case of Lightsail, it's not that straightforward, although as our cloud developers, it was not that difficult either. Nevertheless, the performance didn't improve as much as we expected. So, we decided not to switch everything over to Lightsail.

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Amazon Lightsail mindshare

As of January 2025, the mindshare of Amazon Lightsail in the PaaS Clouds category stands at 1.6%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

PaaS Clouds

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Dec 16, 2024

Valuable Features

Valuable features of Amazon Lightsail include ease of use, customer support, and templates for quick setup. Firewall configurations allow specific IP access. It offers fixed pricing, starting at five dollars, ideal for small projects. Pre-configured EC2 instances simplify server setup for WordPress, Docker, Node.js. Lightweight WordPress optimization aids users needing guidance. Implementation is cost-effective, requiring minimal clicks for transitions. Preferred for hosting applications with quicker, automated processes than bare metal servers.

"I find Lightsail particularly valuable for hosting WordPress as it is easier to set up than a bare metal server, which requires extensive configuration and package installations."
"Implementations are completed with a few clicks, allowing efficient transitions to other development stages, and setup is easy whether for online support or basic business requirements."
"One of the product's most valuable features is its fixed pricing, which makes it ideal for small projects and websites that do not require scaling."

Room for Improvement

Amazon Lightsail requires enhancements in Oracle integration, big data, DevOps, and microservices for enterprise readiness. Its support and documentation are limited. Disk management lacks flexibility for partitioning. Auto scaling is challenging. Network features need upgrades. Backward compatibility and version flexibility are missing. Upgrades and changes need easier processes akin to EC2, while scaling down is complex.

"The main area for improvement in Lightsail is the difficulty in scaling down resources."
"It would be beneficial if Lightsail allowed easier upgrade and change processes, similar to EC2 instances, without needing to fully back up and reinstall configurations."
"The product's network features need enhancement."

Pricing

Amazon Lightsail offers cost-effective and predictable pricing, starting at $5 per month, making it attractive for startups and medium-sized companies. Users find it cheaper than DigitalOcean and Amazon EC2, especially in the US East region. The flat-rate model simplifies management with options to choose virtual machine sizes. Although prices increased recently due to added features, Lightsail remains affordable, providing essential cloud services with a free tier option for three months.

"Lightsail is available at an affordable cost starting from five dollars per month."
"The affordability of starting at five dollars makes it an attractive option for startups and medium-sized companies, aligning with budget considerations while offering essential cloud services."
"A few months ago, Lightsail's pricing increased, likely due to the addition of the new VPC feature."

Popular Use Cases

Amazon Lightsail is primarily used to reduce on-premises costs and enable anytime, anywhere access. Users deploy databases like Neo4j, create WordPress sites, and migrate websites. It is popular for building cost-effective environments, including production setups and startup solutions. Freelancers and companies appreciate its simplified setup, suitable for Linux machines and web pages like Joomla and WordPress. Its ease of use and budget-friendly nature make it a preferred choice for small-scale deployments.

Service and Support

Amazon Lightsail's support varies in effectiveness. Users report availability but uncertainty in problem resolution. Some find no formal support, relying on forums instead. Those who use technical support note delays, especially for novices, and mention a six-and-a-half out of ten satisfaction rate. AWS partners experience better response times. As AWS support incurs costs, users often resort to community resources. Many avoid opening support tickets, opting to solve issues independently through online information.

Deployment

Amazon Lightsail's initial setup is recognized as being easy, typically requiring a few minutes up to two days, depending on existing expertise in AWS or Linux. Users find it intuitive, with a UI-based process that simplifies management and installation. Familiarity with AWS enhances ease, especially with features like web-based command line. It suits both cloud adoption and gradual transition from on-premises, facilitating cloud applications efficiently.

Scalability

Amazon Lightsail requires more effort for scalability compared to other cloud services, offering limited sizing options. Users find resizing virtual machines involves system shutdowns, and upgrading is not seamless, highlighting concerns about flexibility. Heavy traffic can challenge stability, and while scaling up is manageable, scaling down is not intuitive. The lack of customizable features like Lambda functions impacts scaling capabilities. Lightsail is suitable for smaller user bases but lacks the versatility of EC2 for changing requirements.

Stability

Amazon Lightsail is generally stable with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Most users rate its stability between nine and ten out of ten. Minor issues stem from deployment configurations rather than Amazon itself. While some instability occurs during specific events like brute-force attacks, moving to EC2 can resolve this. Compared to other cloud providers, AWS Lightsail is more reliable, with users having few issues except those related to custom configurations.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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