How orphaned snapshots occur

  1. Volume Deletion: When you delete an EBS volume, its snapshots are not automatically removed. If you don’t delete these snapshots manually, they become orphaned, using up storage without serving a purpose.
  2. Automated Backups: Automated processes that create EBS snapshots for backups can lead to orphaned snapshots. This happens when the original volumes are deleted or replaced, but the snapshots are not cleaned up.
  3. Idle Resources: Orphaned snapshots are a type of idle resources —unused cloud resources that still incur costs. Like idle EC2 instances or unused Elastic IP addresses, these snapshots can increase your AWS bill if left unmanaged.

Impact on AWS costs:

  • Storage Costs: Orphaned snapshots continue to be stored in Amazon S3, which means they generate ongoing storage fees. In large environments, these costs can quickly add up.
  • Idle Resource Overhead: Like other unused resources, these contribute to unnecessary cloud expenses. Regularly identifying and removing these idle resources is key to optimizing costs.
  • Management Complexity: Orphaned snapshots clutter your AWS environment, making it harder to manage and optimize cloud resources. This clutter can also complicate compliance audits, where unused data might be seen as a liability.

How to manage orphaned snapshots in AWS

  1. Regular Audits Using AWS Tools: Use tools like AWS Config, AWS Cost Explorer, and AWS Trusted Advisor to audit your environment regularly. These tools can help you spot orphaned snapshots and other idle resources so you can delete them and cut costs.
  2. Automated Cleanup: Set up AWS Lambda functions or scripts to automatically find and delete them. Regularly scheduled cleanup operations can prevent the buildup of idle resources.
  3. Lifecycle Policies: Use AWS Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) to automate the lifecycle of EBS snapshots, including deleting them after a set retention period. This reduces the chance of orphaned snapshots lingering.
  4. Tagging and Documentation: Tag your EBS volumes and snapshots consistently with details like creation date, owner, and purpose. This makes it easier to track and manage resources, lowering the risk of creating snapshots of no longer existing resources and other idle resources.

How to monitor future orphaned snapshots

  • AWS Cost Explorer: AWS Cost Explorer helps you monitor storage costs associated with EBS snapshots. By analyzing these costs, you can identify and remove these and similar unused resources.
  • AWS Trusted Advisor: AWS Trusted Advisor offers recommendations for cost optimization, including identifying underutilized resources, helping you maintain a cost-effective AWS environment.

Further reading

FAQ

Is it safe to delete snapshots in AWS?

Yes, it is generally safe to delete snapshots in AWS as long as you no longer need them for data recovery, backups, or creating new volumes. However, you should be cautious because once a snapshot is deleted, it cannot be directly recovered. Deleting a snapshot that is part of a series will not affect the remaining snapshots, as AWS stores only the incremental changes since the last snapshot. Before deleting, ensure that you have all the necessary backups and that the snapshot is no longer required for any active processes.

Can we recover a deleted snapshot in AWS?

No, once you delete a snapshot in AWS, it cannot be recovered. AWS does not offer a native mechanism to restore deleted snapshots. Therefore, it’s crucial to double-check before deletion and ensure that the snapshot is no longer needed for data recovery, backups, or other purposes. If a snapshot is essential, consider copying it or creating an additional backup before deletion.

What is the difference between AWS Backup and Snapshot?

AWS Backup is a fully managed service that automates and centralizes backup management across AWS services, including EC2, RDS, DynamoDB, EFS, and more. It offers features like backup policies, backup scheduling, and backup compliance reporting. AWS Snapshots, specifically EBS snapshots, are point-in-time backups of EBS volumes. While snapshots can be manually created and managed, AWS Backup provides a more comprehensive and automated solution for managing backups across different AWS resources, with options for cross-region and cross-account backups.