From experience I say that the operational overhead to host on Amazon isn't trivial at all. I like AWS and I would still recommend it. It saves some work but a

From experience I say that the operational overhead to host on Amazon isn't trivial at all. I like AWS and I would still recommend it. It saves some work but also creates new stuff to do. Especially if you also want the costs be manageable. Automatic updates, configuring a firewall + reverse proxy with automatic certificate renewals and you favorite deployment mechanism isn't more complicated or labor intensive than managing a small application with AWS. You need to interface it just like software you run on your server. One of the services I host needed to be authenticated by IP. Happens. You easily get a static IP on AWS for incoming traffic. No problem and cheap too. Now try to get one for the other direction... Possible too, but maintenance just became at least as labor intensive as hosting your own machine. AWS just has to fit your scenario and I think many people overestimate how comparatively easier it has become to host a server with feasible security today. Chances are your databases would be less public than if you skip the AWS documentation.