1. Understanding AWS EC2 Billing
Every time a virtual machine (VM) is launched on AWS EC2, a billing cycle begins. Even if usage is brief, the resource counter starts running immediately.
2. Launch Cost
This cost is based not only on the execution time but also on the fact that an instance was initiated. Therefore, launching a VM for a few minutes or for several hours triggers a load on the associated network card.
3. Example with Selenium
If you use Selenium to generate images, each VM launch results in a new billing cycle. This means that even for a small script, a cost is applied.