What is the difference between AWS CodeBuild and CodePipeline?

CodeBuild is the build execution engine - it runs your builds. CodePipeline is the workflow orchestration service - it defines the sequence of stages (source, build, test, deploy). They are separate services with separate costs. CodePipeline costs $1/active pipeline/month. If you have 10 pipelines, that is $10/month in CodePipeline fees on top of CodeBuild compute costs.

AWS CodeBuild Pricing 2026: Cost Per Build Minute and Real-World Examples

Q: How much does AWS CodeBuild cost per minute?

AWS CodeBuild pricing per minute (us-east-1): general1.small (2 vCPU / 3 GB) = $0.005/min, general1.medium (4 vCPU / 7 GB) = $0.010/min, general1.large (8 vCPU / 15 GB) = $0.020/min. Arm instances: arm1.small = $0.0034/min, arm1.large = $0.0136/min. Windows medium = $0.018/min. First 100 build minutes per month are free on general1.small or arm1.small instances only.

Q: What is CodeBuild Lambda compute and how much does it cost?

CodeBuild Lambda compute runs your build on AWS Lambda instead of an EC2 instance. It bills per second with no per-minute minimum and is the cheapest CodeBuild option for short builds. The lambda.arm.1GB rate is $0.00001 per build second (about $0.0006 per minute, verified August 2026 on the AWS CodeBuild pricing page), roughly 8x cheaper per minute than general1.small at $0.005/min. Larger memory sizes cost proportionally more and x86-64 costs more than Arm. The free tier includes 6,000 build seconds per month on lambda.arm.1GB or lambda.x86-64.1GB. The trade-off: Lambda compute has a hard 15-minute maximum build duration, no custom timeouts, and no Docker-in-Docker or privileged mode, so it suits fast unit-test and lint jobs rather than container image builds.

CodeBuild is charged per-second with a minimum of 1 minute. No monthly subscription. Updated August 2026.

AWS CodeBuild Cost Calculator

us-east-1 on-demand rates, verified August 2026 against the AWS CodeBuild pricing page.

Build minutes/month

Compute type

CodePipeline pipelines

$1/active pipeline/month (optional)

Free minutes used

100

Billable minutes

19,900

Compute cost ($0.005/min)

$99.50

Estimated total/month

$99.50

Estimates only. On-demand EC2 tiers bill per second with a 1-minute minimum; Lambda compute bills per second with no minimum and a hard 15-minute build cap. Excludes S3 artifact and ECR image storage. Prices verified August 2026.

How CodeBuild Pricing Works

Pay per build minute, charged per second with a 1-minute minimum. No monthly fee or seat cost. First 100 build minutes per month free on general1.small or arm1.small instances only.

Instance type	vCPU	RAM	OS	Cost/min
general1.small	2	3 GB	Linux	$0.005
general1.medium	4	7 GB	Linux	$0.010
general1.large	8	15 GB	Linux	$0.020
arm1.small	2	3 GB	Linux/Arm	$0.0034
arm1.large	8	15 GB	Linux/Arm	$0.0136
windows1.medium	4	8 GiB	Windows	$0.018

Lambda Compute: The Cheapest CodeBuild Option for Short Builds

The table above is the on-demand EC2 compute tier that most guides quote. CodeBuild also has a Lambda compute mode that runs the build on AWS Lambda instead of an EC2 instance. It bills per second with no 1-minute minimum, which makes it the cheapest option for fast jobs.

Compute mode	Cheapest rate	Per minute	Free tier	Max build
On-demand EC2 (general1.small)	$0.005/min	$0.005	100 min/mo	8 hours
Lambda (lambda.arm.1GB)	$0.00001/sec	~$0.0006	6,000 sec/mo	15 min

At $0.00001/build-second, lambda.arm.1GB is roughly 8x cheaper per minute than general1.small. Larger Lambda memory sizes cost proportionally more, and x86-64 costs more than Arm, but even the top size stays below the EC2 tiers for equivalent short work. The free tier is separate too: 6,000 Lambda build seconds per month on lambda.arm.1GB or lambda.x86-64.1GB, on top of the 100 free EC2 build minutes.

The catch

Lambda compute has a hard 15-minute maximum build duration, no custom timeouts, and no privileged / Docker-in-Docker mode. It is ideal for unit tests, linting, and small package builds, but container image builds and long integration suites still need the EC2 tiers. For steady high-volume workloads, CodeBuild also offers reserved-capacity fleets (per-minute instance charges, 60-minute minimum) that can undercut on-demand EC2. Rates verified August 2026 on the AWS CodeBuild pricing page.

CodeBuild vs GitHub Actions: When AWS Wins

CodeBuild general1.small ($0.005/min) is slightly cheaper than GitHub Actions Linux ($0.006/min). But the integration context matters.

CodeBuild wins when:

- Builds need VPC access to private AWS resources
- Deploying to AWS (ECS, Lambda, EKS) - IAM roles are native
- Pulling from ECR - no network egress charges
- Large ephemeral compute needed (general1.2xlarge with 72 vCPU)
- Already invested in AWS CodePipeline ecosystem

GitHub Actions wins when:

- Team is already on GitHub
- Marketplace integrations needed (20,000+ actions)
- macOS builds required
- Simpler billing (no separate service costs)
- Per-minute rate difference ($0.001/min) doesn't justify AWS complexity

CodeBuild vs CodePipeline: What You Are Actually Paying For

Common confusion: "code pipeline cost"

Many engineers search "code pipeline cost" and find confusing results because CodeBuild (the build engine) and CodePipeline (the workflow orchestrator) are separate services with separate pricing.

Service	What it does	Cost
AWS CodeBuild	Executes builds. Runs your build commands.	$0.005-0.020/min
AWS CodePipeline	Orchestrates workflow stages. Not needed if you use CodeBuild directly.	$1/active pipeline/mo
Amazon ECR	Container image storage. Often used as artifact store.	~$0.10/GB/mo
Amazon S3	Build artifact storage.	~$0.023/GB/mo

Total AWS CI Cost Example

A team using CodeBuild + CodePipeline + S3 artifacts + ECR image registry:

Service	Usage	Monthly cost
CodeBuild (general1.small)	20,000 min/mo	$100
CodePipeline	5 active pipelines	$5
S3 artifact storage	~200 GB	$5
ECR image storage	~100 GB	$10
Total		~$120/mo

Comparable GitHub Actions setup for 20,000 minutes: (20,000 - 3,000) x $0.006 = $102 + $16 Team plan = $118/month. Similar total cost, simpler billing.

FAQ

How much does AWS CodeBuild cost per minute?

general1.small: $0.005/min (2 vCPU / 3 GB). general1.medium: $0.010/min (4 vCPU / 7 GB). arm1.small: $0.0034/min. Windows medium: $0.018/min. Rates are us-east-1. First 100 minutes/month free on small instances. Charged per second with 1-minute minimum. No monthly subscription.

What is CodeBuild Lambda compute and how much does it cost?

CodeBuild Lambda compute runs the build on AWS Lambda instead of EC2, billed per second with no 1-minute minimum. lambda.arm.1GB is $0.00001/build-second (about $0.0006/min), roughly 8x cheaper than general1.small. Free tier: 6,000 build seconds/month on the 1GB sizes. Trade-off: a hard 15-minute build cap, no custom timeouts, and no Docker-in-Docker, so it suits fast test and lint jobs, not container image builds.

What is the difference between CodeBuild and CodePipeline?

CodeBuild runs your builds (compile, test, package). CodePipeline orchestrates the stages (source trigger, build, test, deploy stages). CodePipeline costs $1/active pipeline/month. You can use CodeBuild without CodePipeline if you trigger builds directly from GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or a webhook.

Is CodeBuild cheaper than GitHub Actions?

general1.small ($0.005/min) is slightly cheaper than GitHub Actions Linux ($0.006/min) - saving $1/1,000 minutes. This saving rarely justifies the added AWS service complexity unless you are already deeply invested in the AWS ecosystem or need VPC access, large compute instances, or native IAM integration with AWS services.