With the "Pay as you go" pricing model, what is the billing interval for compute resources from the time you launch a resource until you terminate it?

The "Pay as you go" pricing model for compute resources in AWS operates on the principle that customers are charged based on their usage, specifically from the moment they launch a resource until they terminate it.

In this model, you are billed for the actual time the resource is used, which can be calculated in per-second or per-hour intervals depending on the type of resource. However, billing on a monthly basis aligns with how AWS typically consolidates usage and provides invoices. This means that while you may incur charges continuously as you use resources, the formal billing period that you act upon with your accounting or expense management is monthly.

Resources like Amazon EC2 instances are charged based on usage, and you will pay for them until you stop or terminate the instance. Therefore, while you can look at resource utilization in smaller time frames (like seconds or hours), the overarching billing is simplified into monthly statements.

This approach to billing allows for flexibility and scalability as you can dynamically adjust your resource usage, and you won’t be obligated to a long-term contract that locks you into fixed terms. As a result, the answer aligns with AWS's standard operating procedures and meets user expectations regarding billing cycles, making monthly the correct response.