Review CPU, memory, and bandwidth usage; downsize or consolidate if over-provisioned. Reserved or committed use can lower price. Clean up unused volumes and snapshots. Compare total cost, not just list price.
Right-size
- Measure: Use monitoring to see actual CPU, memory, disk, and bandwidth usage over time. Identify over-provisioned resources.
- Downsize: Move to a smaller instance or plan if usage is consistently low. Saves monthly cost without sacrificing performance.
- Consolidate: Merge several small VMs or services onto fewer, larger servers (or into containers) if it makes sense. Watch for single points of failure.
Reserved and committed use
- Reserved instances / committed use: Many providers offer a discount for 1- or 3-year commitment. Good when workload is steady and predictable.
- Spot / preemptible: For batch or fault-tolerant workloads, use spot instances to cut cost. Accept interruption risk.
- Savings plans: Some clouds offer flexible savings plans that apply across instance types and regions. Compare with reserved.
Cleanup and discipline
- Unused volumes and snapshots: Delete or archive old snapshots and detached volumes. They often incur ongoing storage cost.
- Orphaned resources: Review firewall rules, IPs, and load balancers; remove what is no longer used.
- Total cost: Include bandwidth, storage, support, and licensing in comparisons. List price alone can be misleading.
Summary
Right-size from usage data; use reserved or spot where appropriate; clean up unused resources; compare total cost. Review regularly (e.g. quarterly).
