CloudWatch Delete Unused Alarms

AWS Resource Type:
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms

Opportunity Description:

This Finder identifies and quantifies cost inefficiencies caused by unused CloudWatch alarms that remain in a continuous INSUFFICIENT_DATA state for over 30 days. These alarms are no longer receiving metrics and likely serve no operational purpose. Since AWS charges per alarm-metric—even when unused—accumulating thousands of alarms can result in significant, unnoticed expenses.

While most CloudWatch alarms cost between $0.10 and $0.30/month, complex alarms (such as composite alarms, those using anomaly detection or multiple evaluation periods) can cost $1.20 or more per month, and in extreme cases, up to $5.00.

This Finder helps reduce unnecessary spending on inactive alarms and declutters your monitoring environment.

Criteria for identifying the opportunity:

• Alarm Enumeration: Lists all alarms across regions and accounts using the DescribeAlarms API.

• State History Analysis: Flags alarms in a continuous INSUFFICIENT_DATA state for 30+ days using DescribeAlarmHistory.

• Threshold Filtering: Only accounts with 50+ alarms and >$100 in annualized alarm costs are considered.

• Cost Calculation: Calculates waste based on the proportion of inactive alarms and total estimated annual alarm costs.

Potential Savings (range in % on annual basis):

Savings depend on the number of inactive alarms and their configuration. Customers have saved thousands of dollars per month by deleting unused alarms. For example, one account removed over 5,000 alarms and cut nearly $8,000/month in monitoring costs.

What happens when the Fixer is executed?

There is no automatic fixer for this opportunity. CloudFix generates a detailed report listing alarms that have been inactive for 30+ days, including savings estimates. Customers can manually review and delete alarms as appropriate.

Is it possible to roll back once CloudFix implements the Fixer?

Not applicable. No changes are automatically made. All alarm deletions are user-controlled.

Can CloudFix implement the fix automatically once I accept the recommendation?

No. This Finder provides recommendations only. The fix is manual.

Does the fix require downtime?

No. Deleting CloudWatch alarms does not impact running services or workloads.

Additional Resources:

• Amazon CloudWatch Pricing

• Using Amazon CloudWatch Alarms

• CloudWatch Alarm States