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If you’ve set up a CloudFront distribution connected to your EC2 server and notice unusual traffic patterns, here’s a simple way to understand and troubleshoot the issue.
Recently, I added CloudFront to my setup, which manages around 15 main domains. In the first few weeks, I saw something strange: a lot of outbound data coming from one specific location — Ohio in the United States. The requests from Ohio were only about 315,000 over a couple of weeks, but the amount of data transferred was over 2,000 GB. Meanwhile, nearby states like Michigan had over 2 million requests but only transferred around 145 GB of data.
This was surprising because, before using CloudFront, my EC2 server didn’t generate this much outgoing data, regardless of the number of requests.
To solve this, I checked where requests from Ohio were coming from and found that a few sources were requesting large files, possibly automated or malicious traffic. The best move was to set up restrictions and monitor these sources. You can also prevent high data transfer costs by limiting traffic from regions that generate high outbound data but not many requests.
Another helpful step is to analyze the types of requests and the content being accessed. If certain files or resources are being downloaded repeatedly, consider optimizing or caching them to reduce load on your server and decrease outbound traffic.
By carefully monitoring traffic and adjusting your CloudFront settings, you can better control high outbound data and keep your costs manageable. Keep an eye on your traffic patterns regularly, and don’t hesitate to take quick steps to block unwanted sources or improve cache settings. This approach helps ensure your hosting environment stays secure, efficient, and cost-effective.
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