Reduce Your AWS Cloud Bill Using EBS
"AWS Cloud Cost Optimization isn’t just about cutting costs, it’s about making smart choices to keep applications running smoothly while eliminating waste." - DJ' Kone.
Welcome back to the Fahmacloud Newsletter, where we share actionable insights on Optimizing your AWS bill and boost ROI in an effective approach.
This week, we’re focusing on a simple but powerful way to reduce your AWS bill: EBS snapshots. If you’re managing significant amounts of data, storage costs can pile up fast. The good news? With the right snapshot strategy, you can cut costs, protect your data, and simplify backups.
What Are EBS Snapshots?
EBS snapshots are incremental backups of your EBS volumes. They only store changes since the last snapshot, making them highly efficient, cost-effective, and a powerful tool for storage optimization.
Benefits of EBS Snapshots
Cost-Effective: Only incremental changes are stored, lowering storage use.
Data Protection: Regular backups protect against data loss.
Flexibility: Snapshots can be used to create new volumes in any Availability Zone (AZ).
How to Reduce Your AWS Bill with EBS Snapshots
Identify Unused Volumes: Delete or detach idle volumes to stop paying for unused storage.
Take Regular Snapshots: Automate with AWS Backup or Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager.
Optimize Retention: Keep only what you need (e.g., daily for a week, weekly for a month).
Use Lifecycle Policies: Move older snapshots to Amazon S3 Glacier for cheaper storage.
Monitor Costs: Use AWS Cost Explorer and Budgets to spot savings opportunities.
Example: Automating Snapshots
With Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager, you can:
Create policies for snapshot schedules (e.g., every 12 hours).
Define retention rules (e.g., keep 30 snapshots).
Automate cleanup to avoid cost creep.
The Key Takeaways
EBS snapshots are a cost-saving strategy, not just backups.
Automation and lifecycle policies minimize manual work and prevent cost creep.
Optimized retention ensures you protect data while controlling costs.
Regular monitoring and analysis of usage can highlight additional savings opportunities.
That’s it for this week’s Fahmacloud Newsletter.
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