Opportunity Name:
Rightsize Amazon MQ Instances
AWS Resource Type:
Amazon MQ (ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ)
Opportunity Description
Many Amazon MQ brokers are over-provisioned due to peak load assumptions or conservative capacity planning. This results in high ongoing costs without corresponding resource utilization. This CloudFix Finder identifies underutilized Amazon MQ brokers and recommends resizing them to smaller or newer-generation instance types that offer equivalent performance at a lower cost.
This opportunity covers both ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ engines, analyzing CPU and memory utilization using CloudWatch metrics to determine if resources are consistently underused. Based on this, it proposes a right-sized instance that meets performance requirements with a built-in safety margin.
Criteria for Identifying the Opportunity
The Finder analyzes the following:
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Broker engine is ActiveMQ or RabbitMQ
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P95 CPU utilization is below a configurable threshold (default: 20%)
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P95 memory utilization is below a configurable threshold (default: 40%)
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At least 30 days of metric data is analyzed
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A lower-cost instance meets the peak observed resource needs plus a 20-30% safety buffer
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Minimum estimated annual savings threshold is met (default: $50)
Metrics used:
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ActiveMQ:
CPUUtilization,MemoryUsage -
RabbitMQ:
SystemCpuUtilization,RabbitMQMemUsedvs.RabbitMQMemLimit
Potential Savings (if known)
Annual savings vary by current vs. target instance type, but can be 20–40% or more depending on instance generation differences. Example: Rightsizing from mq.m5.large to mq.m6g.medium could save ~28% annually.
What Happens When the Fixer Is Executed?
Note: This is a Finder-only opportunity. No automated fix is performed.
Instead, CloudFix generates a detailed recommendation, including:
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Broker ID
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Current and recommended instance types
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CPU and memory specs
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Hourly and annual costs
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Estimated annual savings
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Considerations such as required broker restart
Users can manually apply the recommendation using the AWS Console or CLI.
Is It Possible to Roll Back Once CloudFix Implements the Fixer?
Not applicable – this is a Finder-only recommendation. CloudFix does not apply changes automatically.
Can CloudFix Implement the Fix Automatically Once I Accept the Recommendation?
No. You must manually resize the Amazon MQ broker through AWS after reviewing the recommendation.
Does This Fix Require Downtime?
Yes. Changing the instance type requires a 5–10 minute broker restart, but all messages and configurations are preserved.
Bill Gleeson
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