Amazon EBS · Finder + automated fixer
EBS Remove Long-Stopped Instance Volumes
RemoveLong-Stopped Instance Volumes
Delete EBS volumes attached to long-stopped EC2 instances to reclaim storage costs. CloudFix identifies volumes on instances stopped for 30+ days.
What happens, in order.
Finder · read-only
Finds the opportunity
Scans your connected accounts with a read-only role. It can see resource metadata and usage; it can’t change anything.
You
Approve in Recommendations
It appears in your Recommendations view with what it would save. Approve the resources you choose. Nothing has changed yet.
Fixer
Runs in your account
The fixer runs as an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook in your AWS account, and acts only on the resources you approved.
Record
Logs the execution
The Systems Manager execution is logged, so every change can be audited.
Finder role
Read-only. It can see resource metadata and usage. It can’t change anything.
Fixer role
A separate, minimal role that acts only on the resources you approved, through AWS Systems Manager.
Saves by
EBS is a relatively expensive storage option (gp3 volumes cost over 3x the price of the equivalent S3 Standard storage capacity), yet many organizations have unused EBS volumes that are accumulating unnecessary costs. This FF identifies EBS volumes that are attached to EC2 instances that have been stopped for a long time, creates a snapshot of the volume, and then deletes the volume.
CloudFix helps you identify and safely delete EBS volumes that are attached to EC2 instances that have been stopped for an extended period. This feature helps reduce storage costs while maintaining data safety through automatic snapshot creation.
Overview
Key Benefits
- Reduce storage costs by removing unnecessary volumes
- Automatic snapshot creation for data safety
- Easy rollback process if needed
- Compliance with AWS best practices
AWS Services Affected
Dependencies
- AWS CloudWatch (for monitoring)
- AWS CloudTrail (for logging)
Service Limits
- Maximum number of concurrent volume deletions
- API rate limits for volume operations
- Snapshot storage limits
How It Works
CloudFix uses your cost and usage data to find, read-only, EBS volumes attached to EC2 instances that have been stopped for an extended period. Each volume appears in your Recommendations with its estimated savings for you to approve. Once approved, the fix runs as an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook in your own account: it takes a snapshot of the volume, then detaches and deletes it. Every execution is logged, and actions are also recorded in AWS CloudTrail.
Important Considerations
- Snapshot storage costs
- API rate limits
- Regional restrictions
- Recovery time objectives
Safety and Rollback
Safety Measures
- Automatic snapshot creation
- Nothing runs until you approve it
- CloudTrail logging
Rollback Process
- Create new volume from snapshot
- Attach volume to instance
- Verify data integrity
Related Resources
- CloudFix Blog: Reduce Costs by Removing EBS Volumes from Stopped Instances
- Support Article: Delete EBS Volumes from Stopped Instances
- AWS Documentation: Deleting an Amazon EBS Volume
- AWS Blog: Cost Optimization with EBS Volume Management
Ready to start saving on AWS? See how much you could cut from your cloud bill with a free cost optimization assessment, or explore CloudFix automated Finder/Fixers that eliminate waste across 30+ AWS services.
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