When creating an AWS VM, it’s easy to add durable storage, a persistent disk that can hold critical data like user profile pictures, ETL files, system logs, and other critical data. These disks can be used across hosts much like an on-prem file server.
Over time, we may decide to recycle EC2 VMs when the systems are no longer needed or when microservices are replaced. AWS wants to ensure we don’t lose critical business data, so it doesn’t automatically delete the linked EBS volumes and snapshots.
Over time this storage can take up a considerable amount of space, wasting money for the business. This capital could be put to better use solving customer concerns or building value for users.
This Shoreline automation looks for AWS EBS volumes and snapshots that are unused by other cloud resources. For each disk identified, Shoreline resolves the resource owner, and sends an email alerting them to the potential cost savings by removing this resource. The user can reject the solution by easily clicking a button in the email which adds a label on the resource marking it as currently in use. Future runs of this automation will detect the label and ignore the disk. If the user agrees this data is no longer necessary, the linked Shoreline runbook deletes the resource.
