Top 20 Cost-Saving Tips for Running Large Workloads in AWS: Maximize Efficiency in Platform Engineering
So You Want to Reduce Your Spend Footprint?
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading cloud services provider, offering a wide range of tools and services for building, deploying, and managing applications in the cloud. For organizations leveraging AWS for platform engineering, managing costs is a crucial consideration. Running large workloads can result in substantial expenses if not properly optimized. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll discuss the top 20 cost-saving tips for running large workloads in AWS, enabling organizations to maximize efficiency and minimize costs.
Here We Go: Top 20 Cost-Saving Tips for AWS
Basics — Choose the Right Instance Type
AWS offers a variety of instance types optimized for different use cases, such as compute, memory, storage, or GPU-based workloads. Selecting the appropriate instance type for your workload can help you balance performance and cost. Assess your workload’s requirements and choose an instance type that best suits your needs.
Leverage Reserved Instances and Savings Plans
Reserved Instances (RIs) and Savings Plans allow you to commit to a specific usage level in exchange for discounted rates. RIs and Savings Plans can provide significant savings over On-Demand Instances, especially for long-term, predictable workloads. Analyze your usage patterns and consider committing to RIs or Savings Plans for cost optimization.
Use Spot Instances for Flexible Workloads
Spot Instances offer spare AWS capacity at a significant discount compared to On-Demand Instances. They can be reclaimed by AWS with short notice, making them suitable for flexible, fault-tolerant workloads. Incorporate Spot Instances into your architecture for cost-effective scaling, batch processing, or other non-critical tasks.
Optimize Data Transfer Costs
Data transfer costs can quickly add up, especially for large workloads. To minimize data transfer expenses, use Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, cache frequently accessed data, and leverage Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration for faster uploads. Additionally, consider consolidating data transfers to reduce costs.
Implement Auto Scaling
AWS Auto Scaling allows you to automatically adjust the number of instances based on demand, ensuring you only pay for the resources you need. Implement Auto Scaling for your workloads to optimize resource usage and reduce costs during periods of low demand.
Utilize Amazon EC2 Instance Scheduler
The Amazon EC2 Instance Scheduler is a solution that enables you to automatically start and stop instances based on a predefined schedule. This can be useful for workloads with predictable periods of inactivity, such as development environments or batch processing tasks. Implement the EC2 Instance Scheduler to save costs during idle periods.
Opt for Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves objects between two access tiers (frequent and infrequent access) based on changing access patterns. This storage class is designed to optimize costs for data with unknown or changing access patterns. Leverage S3 Intelligent-Tiering to save on storage costs.
Use Amazon EFS Lifecycle Policies
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) allows you to configure lifecycle policies that automatically move files between performance modes and storage classes based on access patterns. Implement EFS lifecycle policies to optimize storage costs for infrequently accessed files.
Optimize Amazon RDS Storage
Amazon RDS allows you to choose between different storage types, such as General Purpose SSD, Provisioned IOPS SSD, and Magnetic. Select the appropriate storage type for your database workload to balance performance and cost. Additionally, monitor and adjust allocated storage to ensure you only pay for what you need.
Leverage AWS Cost Explorer and Budgets
AWS Cost Explorer and Budgets provide insights into your AWS spending, enabling you to track and manage costs. Use these tools to identify cost drivers, detect anomalies,nd set cost allocation tags for better visibility. Regularly review your AWS expenses and set up budgets with alerts to proactively manage your costs.
Implement AWS Organizations and Consolidated Billing
AWS Organizations allows you to centrally manage multiple AWS accounts, enabling you to benefit from consolidated billing and volume discounts. By consolidating billing across accounts, you can take advantage of tiered pricing for services like Amazon S3 and Amazon EC2, resulting in cost savings.
Optimize Lambda Function Memory and Timeout Settings
AWS Lambda charges are based on the amount of memory and execution time used by your functions. To optimize costs, fine-tune your Lambda function memory and timeout settings to match your workload requirements. Monitor function performance and adjust settings as needed to ensure cost efficiency.
Use AWS Compute Savings Bundles
AWS Compute Savings Bundles allow you to commit to a specific usage level of Amazon EC2 and AWS Lambda in exchange for discounted rates. These bundles can provide cost savings for organizations with a mix of compute workloads, enabling you to optimize costs across both services.
Leverage AWS Cost and Usage Reports
AWS Cost and Usage Reports provide detailed information about your AWS usage and costs, enabling you to identify areas for potential cost savings. Regularly analyze these reports and take action to optimize resource usage, eliminate waste, and minimize costs.
Implement Amazon RDS Reserved Instances
Similar to EC2 Reserved Instances, Amazon RDS Reserved Instances allow you to commit to a specific usage level in exchange for discounted rates. Consider committing to RDS Reserved Instances for long-term, predictable database workloads to optimize costs.
Utilize AWS Trusted Advisor
AWS Trusted Advisor is a tool that provides real-time guidance to help you optimize your AWS infrastructure, including cost optimization recommendations. Review Trusted Advisor’s suggestions regularly and take action to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of your workloads.
Optimize Amazon EBS Snapshots
Amazon EBS snapshots can contribute to storage costs if not managed effectively. Regularly review and delete unnecessary snapshots, and consider using Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) to automate snapshot management and reduce costs.
Use Amazon EC2 Hibernation
Amazon EC2 Hibernation allows you to pause and resume instances, preserving their state and reducing costs during periods of inactivity. Utilize EC2 Hibernation for workloads with predictable idle periods, such as development environments, to optimize costs.
Implement AWS Savings Plans for Serverless
AWS offers Savings Plans for AWS Lambda, enabling you to commit to a specific usage level in exchange for discounted rates. Consider committing to Serverless Savings Plans for predictable serverless workloads to optimize costs.
Rightsize Your AWS Resources
Regularly review your AWS resource usage to identify opportunities for rightsizing. Adjust instance types, storage volumes, and other resources to match your workload requirements, ensuring that you only pay for the resources you need.
Squeezing Out Savings
Running large workloads in AWS can be cost-effective if properly optimized. By implementing these 20 cost-saving tips, you can maximize the efficiency of your AWS infrastructure and minimize costs. Regularly reviewing your AWS usage, adopting cost optimization best practices, and leveraging the right services and features will enable you to run large workloads in AWS while keeping expenses in check. With careful planning and continuous optimization, organizations can successfully manage their AWS costs and deliver scalable, high-performance applications in the cloud.
