Delete Idle OpenSearch Serverless Collections

AWS Resource Type:
Amazon OpenSearch Serverless

Opportunity Description:

This Finder identifies AWS OpenSearch Serverless collections that have been completely idle for the last 30 days. OpenSearch Serverless uses OCUs (OpenSearch Capacity Units), and costs continue to accrue even if a collection is unused.

Many of these idle collections are remnants of discontinued features (e.g., Bedrock Knowledge Bases), dev/test environments, or abandoned resources. By detecting complete inactivity and confirming that no ingestion or query activity occurred, CloudFix provides confident recommendations for deletion — helping you eliminate waste and clean up your serverless footprint.

Criteria for identifying the opportunity:

• CUR data shows ongoing charges for OpenSearch Serverless collections in a region/account.

• CloudWatch metrics confirm no activity for all serverless collections in that region:

  • IngestionDataRate = 0

  • SearchRequestRate = 0

  • Over a 30-day lookback period with 5-minute granularity.

• No collection is tagged with cloudfix_dont_fix_it.

• Collections exist and are actively billed.

Potential Savings (Annual Estimate):

Savings are calculated using the annualized cost of all OpenSearch Serverless usage in that region. If all collections are idle, 100% of the cost is considered waste.

Example:
If a region incurs $350/month for idle collections, the projected annual savings is $4,200.

What happens when the Fixer is executed?

This Finder is recommendation-only. It does not delete collections automatically. You will receive:

• A list of all idle OpenSearch Serverless collections

• Estimated cost savings from deleting them

• Guidance on how to manually remove the collections

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

Not applicable. No changes are performed by CloudFix. If you choose to delete collections manually, ensure that any needed data is backed up prior to removal.

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

No. This is a manual-only optimization. CloudFix highlights the opportunity and provides guidance, but action must be taken by your team.

Does the fix require downtime?

No. Identifying idle collections is a read-only operation. Deleting a collection, if done, will remove all stored data and should be coordinated with application teams if needed.

Additional Resources:

• Amazon OpenSearch Serverless Collections

• OpenSearch Pricing

• Monitoring OpenSearch Metrics