Oracle Cloud Always Free Tier: What’s Included and How to Use It
Build real workloads at zero cost. This guide details OCI’s Always Free resources—compute, storage, networking, databases—and practical ways for developers and small businesses to use them.
1. What Is the Oracle Cloud Free Tier?
- Free Trial: temporary credits for any paid service.
- Always Free Tier: permanent free resources within usage limits.
Always Free is ideal for production-lite websites, APIs, dev/test, or automation—no monthly bill.
2. What Services Are Included
| Category | Service | Description / Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | AMD/Arm VMs | Up to 2 instances; up to 4 OCPUs & 24 GB RAM total |
| Storage | Block Volumes | Up to 200 GB combined |
| Object Storage | 10 GB Standard + 10 GB Archive | |
| Networking | VCNs, Subnets, Gateways | Full-featured private networking |
| Flexible Load Balancer | 1 LB at 10 Mbps throughput | |
| Database | Autonomous (Shared/AI) | 2 DBs up to 20 GB each |
| Egress | Outbound Bandwidth | Up to 10 TB/month |
3. Compute — Always Free VMs
- VM.Standard.A1.Flex (Arm): efficient, great for web/API/dev.
- VM.Standard.E2/E3 micro: light x86 option.
Common uses: host websites, run Docker, Node.js services, small DBs, or automation bots.
4. Databases — Always Free Autonomous
- Up to 2 instances, each 20 GB.
- Self-tuning, auto-patching, built-in backups.
- SQL Developer Web and optional ORDS REST endpoints.
5. Networking — Complete Free Architecture
Create VCNs, public/private subnets, Internet/NAT/Service Gateways, and one Flexible Load Balancer (10 Mbps). Example:
Users → [HTTP LB] → [Web VM (public)] ↓ [DB (private)]6. Storage — Block & Object
- Block: up to 200 GB across boot/data volumes.
- Object: 10 GB standard + 10 GB archive for assets/backups/logs.
7. Monitoring & Tooling
- Metrics, alarms, notifications (email/webhooks).
- Cloud Shell, SDKs, CLI, and Terraform.
8. Practical Use Cases
| Use Case | Components | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Company website | 1 VM + LB + Object | Secure, scalable hosting |
| Web app + DB | 2 VMs + Autonomous DB | Full-stack on Free tier |
| Automation | 1 VM + CLI + Object | Backups, reporting jobs |
| REST APIs | Autonomous DB + ORDS | DB-driven APIs quickly |
| Learning | 2 VMs + VCN | Hands-on training |
9. Limits & Best Practices
- Free shapes & sizes only; inactive resources may be reclaimed.
- Most Always Free resources are tied to home region.
- Monitor usage; keep at least one VM active.
- Use Terraform/CLI to rebuild quickly if needed.
- Prefer private subnets for DBs and internal services.
10. Summary
OCI’s Always Free tier covers the essentials—compute, networking, databases, storage, and generous egress—so you can host real workloads with no monthly cost. Perfect for learning, prototyping, and even small production sites.
