---
title: "What is egress?"
description: "Egress is network transfer of stored bytes out of a provider, usually billed per gigabyte."
url: "https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress"
updated: "2026-09-29"
vertical: "Cost"
doc: "https://pixeltable.com/pricing"
---

# What is egress?

Egress is network transfer of stored bytes out of a provider, usually billed per gigabyte.

Updated: 2026-09-29
Part of [What does an open-source multimodal AI stack cost?](https://pixeltable.com/learn/open-source-multimodal-ai-stack).

## On this page

- [How it works](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress#how-it-works)
- [What it is not](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress#what-it-is-not)
- [Comparison](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress#comparison)
- [Where Pixeltable fits](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress#where-pixeltable-fits)
- [Questions](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-egress#questions)

## How it works {#how-it-works}


- Bytes leave the provider’s storage.
- The provider adds a transfer line.
- A plan that does not meter egress is not the same product as a CDN or a general object store.

## What it is not {#what-it-is-not}

It is not a database storage overage, a per-query fee, or CDN bandwidth.

## egress: this, and the thing it is confused with {#comparison}

|  | This | Not this |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bills | Bytes transferred out | Rows queried |
| Often from | Object storage | A database subscription |
| Confused with | CDN traffic | Storage overage |

## Where Pixeltable fits {#where-pixeltable-fits}

On Pixeltable standard plans, managed media has no separate egress meter. A bucket you bring is still billed by that bucket’s provider.

## Questions {#questions}

### How does egress work? {#faq-1}

Bytes leave the provider’s storage. The provider adds a transfer line. A plan that does not meter egress is not the same product as a CDN or a general object store.

### What is egress often confused with? {#faq-2}

It is not a database storage overage, a per-query fee, or CDN bandwidth.

## Related

- [Documentation](https://pixeltable.com/pricing)
- [Understanding Pixeltable Storage: The Four-Layer Architecture That Powers Multimodal AI](https://pixeltable.com/blog/understanding-pixeltable-storage-architecture)