Definition
Egress is outbound data transfer from your infrastructure to the public internet or customer networks.
Why it matters
Egress costs can spike with heavy users, streaming, or cache misses and are easy to underprice.
Pricing implications
Set included bandwidth with clear overages, and use tiers that reflect lower unit costs at scale.
Common drivers
Large downloads, API responses, video streaming, and cache misses from origin fetch.
Measurement tips
Track egress by product area and region to identify high-cost segments.
Checklist
- Define what counts as billable egress.
- Include egress in cost of goods sold.
- Set tiered rates for high-volume customers.
- Monitor cache hit rates to control egress.
- Review vendor egress pricing quarterly.
- Surface usage in customer dashboards.
- Add alerts for sudden spikes.
- Align overage pricing with margins.