10 documented AWS EBS cost inefficiencies, each with how to detect it and how to fix it.
AWS EBSCER-0154
When EC2 instances are provisioned, each attached EBS volume has a `DeleteOnTermination` flag that determines whether it will be deleted when the instance is terminated. If this flag is set to `false` - often unintentionally in custom...
AWS EBSCER-0162
Many environments continue using io1 volumes for high-performance workloads due to legacy provisioning or lack of awareness of io2 benefits. io2 volumes provide equivalent or better performance and durability with reduced cost at scale....
AWS EBSCER-0178
EBS volumes often remain significantly overprovisioned compared to the actual data stored on them. Because billing is based on the total provisioned capacity - not actual usage - this creates ongoing waste when large volumes are only...
AWS EBSCER-0044
EBS Snapshot Archive is a lower-cost storage tier for rarely accessed snapshots retained for compliance, regulatory, or long-term backup purposes. Archiving snapshots that do not require frequent or fast retrieval can reduce snapshot...
AWS EBSCER-0013
Snapshots are retained long after they've served their purpose. Snapshots may have been created for backups, migrations, or disaster recovery plans but were never deleted - even after the related workload or volume was decommissioned. Over...
AWS EBSCER-0079
Legacy volume types such as gp2 or io1 remain in use, even though AWS has released newer types - like gp3 and io2 - that offer better value: gp3 costs up to 20% less per GB than gp2, while io2 is priced the same as io1 for storage and for...
AWS EBSCER-0049
An EBS volume has provisioned IOPS levels that consistently exceed the actual I/O requirements of the workload it supports. This can happen when performance buffers are estimated too high, usage patterns change over time, or default...
AWS EBSCER-0051
An EC2 instance is stopped but still has one or more attached EBS volumes. Although the compute resource is not generating charges while stopped, the attached volumes continue to incur full storage and performance-related costs. These...
AWS EBSCER-0066
EBS volumes frequently remain detached after EC2 instances are terminated, replaced, or reconfigured. Some may be intentionally retained for reattachment or backup purposes, but many persist unintentionally due to the lack of automated...
AWS EBSCER-0398
EBS fast snapshot restore (FSR) lets volumes created from a snapshot deliver their full provisioned performance immediately, without first-read initialization latency. It is enabled per snapshot and per Availability Zone, and each snapshot...
