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Use Case for ElastiCache Low Utilization Check

  1. Configure ElastiCache Low Utilization Check
  2. Use Case for ElastiCache Low Utilization Check
  3. Triage Guides by Violation Type
    1. Triage ElastiCache Low Utilization Check CPU_UTILIZATION_LOW
    2. Triage ElastiCache Low Utilization Check MEMORY_FREEABLE_LOW

ElastiCache Low Utilization Check

When managing AWS ElastiCache clusters, it's crucial to ensure that resources are being used efficiently. This policy helps identify clusters that may be underutilized, which could indicate an opportunity for cost savings.

Why Use This Policy?​

Identifying low utilization can help you rightsize your ElastiCache clusters or decommission unnecessary resources, leading to better cost management. However, prematurely assessing a new cluster could lead to incorrect conclusions. Therefore, this policy takes into account the age of the cluster before flagging it as underutilized.

How It Works​

This policy checks the average CPU (CPUUtilization) and memory (FreeableMemory) utilization of ElastiCache clusters. If the utilization is below a specified threshold, it triggers a potential violation.

Configuration Variables​

  • cpuUtilizationThreshold: The CPU utilization threshold as a percentage (default 5%).
  • memoryUtilizationThreshold: The memory utilization threshold in megabytes (default 100MB).
  • clusterAgeThreshold: The minimum age of a cluster in days before it's evaluated (default 30 days).

Violation Types​

  • CPU_UTILIZATION_LOW: Triggered when average CPU utilization is below the threshold.
  • MEMORY_FREEABLE_LOW: Triggered when average freeable memory is below the threshold.

A cluster less than clusterAgeThreshold days old will not trigger a violation, avoiding unnecessary alerts for clusters that are still stabilizing.