Guide · FinOps
Cloud Cost Optimization Checklist
Reduce your cloud bill. Unused resources, right-sizing, reservations, and alerts. A practical checklist.
Treat this checklist as practice notes for the Cost domain and Core Profile COST gates. Primary control: Cost Optimization
Waste hides in plain sight
Unused EBS, idle RDS, forever-on "temporary" dev boxes, and fat instances quietly eat 20–30% of many early AWS bills. One review found ~$3k/month in orphan volumes and idle DBs; shutting them down cut spend ~35%. A short recurring checklist beats an annual panic.
Hunt waste in this order
Delete / stop — unattached EBS, idle Elastic IPs, old snapshots, staging left on overnight. Right-size — EC2/RDS/Lambda memory vs Cost Explorer recommendations. Commit only when stable — RIs/Savings Plans after the shape stops thrashing. Watch egress — unexpected data transfer is a common silent killer. Alert — Budgets at 50%/80%/100% plus Cost Anomaly Detection.
Tag everything; untagged resources are usually forgotten ones.
Make FinOps a habit, not a project
APRF Cost Optimization frames this as ongoing gates—visibility, alerts, and ownership—not a one-off cleanup. Re-run the hunt monthly until the waste line stops surprising you.
Next: Cost Optimization
Open the related pillar specification for mandatory checks, artifacts, and pass conditions. Self-attest is optional.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- What is cloud cost optimization?
- Reducing cloud spend by eliminating waste (unused resources), right-sizing (matching instance size to need), and using reservations for predictable workloads. Start with visibility and alerts.
- How do I reduce my AWS bill?
- Delete unused resources (EBS, snapshots). Shut down dev when not in use. Right-size instances. Set up budget alerts. Use Cost Explorer to find waste.
- What are the most common cloud cost wastes?
- Unused EBS volumes, idle RDS/EC2, forgotten dev resources, over-provisioned instances, and unexpected data transfer. Cost Explorer and tagging help find them.