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FAQ

Do I need an AWS account to use PinPole?​

No. PinPole simulates AWS services entirely in your browser using accurate pricing and performance models. You can design, simulate, and optimise architectures without any AWS account. An AWS account is only required when you use the Deploy to Cloud feature.

How is PinPole different from AWS native tools?​

AWS native tools — Trusted Advisor, Cost Explorer, Distributed Load Testing — require infrastructure to exist before most validation and optimisation workflows are available. PinPole moves that work to design time, before a single dollar is spent on provisioned resources. There is no AWS-native equivalent to pre-deployment traffic simulation at 10 RPS to 100M RPS against an architecture design.

See PinPole vs. AWS Native Tools for a full comparison.

Can I try Pro features before paying?​

Yes — every paid plan includes a 14-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card is required to start. Your projects and canvas data are preserved whether you upgrade, downgrade, or cancel.

What happens when I run out of simulations?​

You can purchase simulation packs at any time — 100 runs for $5 or 500 runs for $19. Your projects and architecture data are never deleted. Alternatively, upgrade your plan or wait for the next billing cycle to reset.

How does the Team plan seat model work?​

The Team plan includes 5 seats. Additional seats are $59/user/month (or $47/user/month on annual billing). All seats share a pooled simulation allowance of 1,000 runs per month. Simulation packs can be added to any Team plan.

Can I switch plans or cancel anytime?​

Yes. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time. Charges are prorated when you upgrade mid-cycle. No lock-in contracts at any tier.

Why does the simulation show Lambda throttling even after I've increased provisioned concurrency?​

Most commonly: the simulation was resumed rather than stopped and restarted after the concurrency change. Provisioned concurrency is applied at simulation initialisation — stop the simulation fully and start a new run to see the updated behaviour.

If throttling persists after a full restart, check whether your provisioned value plus other functions' reserved concurrency is approaching your account's 1,000-unit default limit.

Why is API Gateway still throttling even after I've addressed Lambda?​

At very high RPS (100K+), API Gateway's per-account request limits become the binding constraint. The recommended fix is architectural: add CloudFront before API Gateway (to absorb cacheable requests before they reach the gateway) and move the write path to async processing via SQS (so API Gateway's role becomes accepting requests into a queue rather than invoking Lambda synchronously).

See Pattern 6 — Address API Gateway as a Throttle Bottleneck.

What does the Cloud Terminal do?​

The Cloud Terminal is a command-line interface available during simulation. It lets you query service state, test configuration changes, and validate behaviour against the running simulation — without leaving PinPole or stopping the run. It is also useful for querying AWS service limits and understanding service behaviour while you are working on the canvas.

See Cloud Terminal for full details.

Is PinPole multi-cloud?​

Currently AWS only. GCP support is planned for Phase 2 (Q3–Q4 2026), Azure for Phase 3 (Q1–Q2 2027). Enterprise customers receive early access to new cloud provider support.