Unattached EBS Volumes

Why This Matters

Unattached EBS volumes are often overlooked but represent pure waste - you're paying for storage that serves no purpose. This commonly happens when instances are terminated without deleting attached volumes, leaving orphaned storage behind.

Common causes:

• Instances terminated without deleting attached volumes
• Volumes created for temporary testing that weren't cleaned up
• Manual volume detachment without proper cleanup procedures

How to Identify Unattached Volumes

AWS Saver flags volumes as waste when they meet these criteria:

1. Status is 'available' (not attached to any instance)
2. Aged over 7 days (avoids flagging new deployments)
3. Monthly cost above $5 (focuses on meaningful savings)
4. No recent attachment activity (truly orphaned)

How to Fix Unattached Volumes

Step 1: Find all unattached volumes

aws ec2 describe-volumes \
  --filters Name=status,Values=available \
  --query 'Volumes[*].[VolumeId,Size,VolumeType,CreateTime,Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value|[0]]'

Step 2: Filter by age (only consider volumes over 7 days old)

aws ec2 describe-volumes \
  --filters Name=status,Values=available \
  --query 'Volumes[?CreateTime<=`$(date -u -d "7 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d)`].[VolumeId,Size,VolumeType,CreateTime]'

Step 3: Create snapshot backup (optional but recommended)

aws ec2 create-snapshot \
  --volume-id vol-1234567890abcdef0 \
  --description "Backup before deletion $(date +%Y%m%d)"

Step 4: Delete unattached volume

aws ec2 delete-volume --volume-id vol-1234567890abcdef0

Prevention Tips

Terminate instances properly: Use AWS console or CLI with --delete-on-termination flag for root volumes.

Set retention policies: Configure lifecycle rules for temporary volumes and snapshots.

Tag resources: Use consistent tagging to track volume ownership and lifecycle.

Regular audits: Schedule monthly reviews of unattached volumes as part of cost optimization.

Automation Available

AWS Saver automatically scans for unattached EBS volumes using the same criteria and conservative thresholds:

✅ Automated detection - Scans all 'available' volumes in your primary region

✅ Conservative filtering - Only flags volumes aged over 7 days old and above $5/month cost

✅ Cost impact analysis - Shows exact monthly waste per volume

✅ Snapshot recommendations - Identifies old snapshots aged over 6 months for cleanup