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🛡️ AWS RDS Instance is overutilized🟢

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Description

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Description

This policy identifies Amazon RDS database instances that operate at high utilization levels that may be overburdened and require scaling or resizing to maintain optimal performance. An instance is flagged as overutilized if its average CPU utilization has exceeded 90% over the last 30 days.

Rationale

Overutilized RDS database instances often struggle to meet workload demands, leading to degraded application performance and potential downtime. Proactively identifying these instances allows for timely resizing to a more appropriate instance class, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and a better user experience for applications relying on the database.

Impact

Scaling or resizing incurs additional costs. Implementing scaling strategies allows workloads to adapt dynamically to changing demand, preventing performance bottlenecks.

Audit

This policy evaluates an AWS RDS Instance based on its 30-day performance metrics.

The Instance is marked as INCOMPLIANT if its CPU Utilization, Average, % metric is greater than 90%.

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Remediation

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Remediation

Right-Size Underutilized Instances

Key considerations
  • Ensure that the new instance class supports your workload and storage requirements.
  • Coordinate with application owners before resizing to avoid unexpected performance issues.
  • Prefer applying changes during a maintenance window for production workloads to minimize downtime.
Downsize the DB instance
From AWS CLI

To apply during the next maintenance window (recommended for production):

aws rds modify-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier {{db-instance-id}} \
--db-instance-class {{new-instance-class}} \
--apply-immediately false

To apply immediately (causes a brief outage while resizing):

aws rds modify-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier {{db-instance-id}} \
--db-instance-class {{new-instance-class}} \
--apply-immediately true

policy.yaml

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Linked Framework Sections

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlagsCompliance
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Resource Right-Sizing15no data
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Workload Efficiency24no data