HTTP vs REST vs WebSocket
AWS API Gateway Pricing Calculator
Forecast per-million request charges, WebSocket connection-minutes, and REST cache hourly fees before API traffic scales. us-east-1 list pricing.
- No signup
- Instant results
- ~2 min
Rates reviewed
API type
us-east-1list rates, pricing as of 2026-10-17. Source: AWS public pricing.
us-east-1 rates (2026-10-17). Pick the API Gateway flavor you deploy — pricing models differ materially.
Traffic volume
Model monthly request or message volume. REST cache options appear for REST APIs only.
Enter millions of requests (10 = 10 million/month).
Sum of (connections × minutes connected) — billed in millions of connection-minutes.
Internet egress from API responses — $0.09/GB first-tier planning rate.
Interface VPC endpoints for Private REST/HTTP APIs.
Your Estimated API Gateway Cost
API type · volume
Total Monthly Cost
live resultCost Breakdown
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Detailed API Gateway line items below.
Line Items
API Gateway Cost Tips
- HTTP APIs: Prefer HTTP APIs over REST when you do not need API keys, usage plans, or request validation — often 70% cheaper on requests.
- REST cache: Cache hits reduce Lambda invocations but add hourly cache nodes — model both sides.
- WebSocket fan-out: Message charges dominate chatty clients — batch and compress payloads.
- Private APIs: VPC endpoint hourly fees are billed separately from request charges.
Want this applied to your real account?
FactualMinds reviews serverless API estates against CUR data — typical API + Lambda optimizations cut spend 25–40%.
Talk to FinOps Experts →Who This Tool Is For
Backend engineers, API platform owners, and FinOps analysts sizing Amazon API Gateway for mobile, BFF, or WebSocket workloads. Spiky traffic makes per-million pricing deceptively small until millions become billions.
Why We Built This Tool
HTTP, REST, and WebSocket APIs use different meters — requests, optional REST cache hours, messages, and connection-minutes. This calculator mirrors us-east-1 list pricing as of 2026-10-17 for budget conversations we run in serverless cost reviews.
What Problem It Solves
- Flavor selection. Toggle HTTP, REST, or WebSocket without rebuilding the spreadsheet.
- REST cache. Optional $0.02/hr per 0.5 GB cache node on top of request fees.
- Cross-type comparison. See HTTP vs REST cost on the same request volume after unlock.
- Finance-ready totals. Monthly and annual figures for roadmap planning.
See cloud cost optimization or the Lambda calculator for compute behind your APIs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do these prices come from?
Amazon API Gateway us-east-1 list prices as of 2026-10-17: HTTP $1.00/million requests for the first 300M then $0.90/million, REST $3.50/million for the first 333M then $2.80/million for the next 667M and $2.38/million for the next 19B, WebSocket $1.00/million messages and $0.25/million connection-minutes, REST cache $0.02/hr per 0.5 GB. Confirm in the AWS Pricing Calculator.
Are Lambda costs included?
No — this covers API Gateway request and WebSocket meters only. Lambda invocations, duration, and provisioned concurrency bill separately.
How do I enter request volume?
Use the slider in millions per month (10 = ten million requests). Fractional values are supported for smaller APIs.
What is a connection-minute?
Each open WebSocket connection accrues one connection-minute per minute it stays connected. Sum across all clients for the month, then enter millions of connection-minutes.
Does REST cache size matter?
Cache pricing is per 0.5 GB node-hour. Pick the number of 0.5 GB nodes (AWS cache size steps) and hours the cache runs.
How accurate is this estimate?
Arithmetic matches published rates for your inputs. Data transfer out, WAF, and CloudWatch logs are not included.
