AWS · Free CLI guide · kloudaudit.eu

How to Find Idle EC2 Instances Running at Under 5% CPU

⚡ Quick answer — copy and run

aws cloudwatch get-metric-statistics --namespace AWS/EC2 --metric-name CPUUtilization --statistics Average
1

Make sure you have the AWS CLI configured: aws configure

2

Run the command above. Review the output for resources to clean up.

3

Delete or stop resources that are confirmed idle or unused.

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Why this matters

Idle EC2 instances running at under 5% CPU are one of the most common sources of cloud waste. A t3.large running 24/7 costs $60/month. Multiply that by 10 forgotten instances and you have $600/month in waste.

⚠ Always verify resources are genuinely unused before deleting. Check with your team — a "stopped" instance may be intentional.

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KloudAudit · kloudaudit.eu · Built by Samuel Ayodele Adomeh · Senior DevOps Engineer · Wrocław, Poland
Savings estimates are based on typical findings across cloud environments and not a guarantee.