AWS idle resource checklist for SaaS teams
A weekly AWS idle resource checklist for EC2, EBS, snapshots, load balancers, RDS, NAT gateways, logs, and ownership cleanup.
AWS waste is easiest to reduce when teams review idle resources every week. Waiting for a monthly invoice turns simple cleanup into a finance escalation.
The weekly review pattern
The best AWS cleanup process is boring and repeatable: identify candidates, attach evidence, assign an owner, and review operational risk before action.
OggyCloud's AWS cost optimization page focuses on this workflow rather than just showing a bigger bill chart.
- Review idle candidates weekly.
- Prioritize by savings and confidence.
- Track accepted and completed actions.
Compute and database checks
Start with EC2 instances, Auto Scaling groups, RDS instances, and worker fleets that show sustained low utilization or no recent traffic.
- Low CPU with stable traffic.
- Old instance families.
- Development resources running overnight.
Storage and network checks
Unattached EBS volumes, stale snapshots, idle load balancers, NAT gateways, and noisy logs can all add up without appearing in application dashboards.
- Unattached volumes.
- Snapshots beyond retention needs.
- Load balancers with no target traffic.
- NAT and log volume spikes.
Connect AWS with product context
A resource is only waste if it is no longer needed. Connect resource evidence with owners, deployments, incidents, and application context before deleting or downsizing.
