AWS Cost Optimize

This workflow analyzes Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) files and AWS resources to generate cost optimization recommendations. It creates individual GitHub issues for each optimization opportunity plus one EPIC issue to coordinate implementation, enabling efficient tracking and execution of cost savings initiatives.

Prerequisites

• AWS CLI configured and authenticated (aws sts get-caller-identity succeeds)
• GitHub MCP server configured and authenticated
• Target GitHub repository identified
• AWS resources deployed (IaC files optional but helpful)

Workflow Steps

Step 1: Get AWS Cost Optimization Best Practices

Action: Retrieve cost optimization best practices before analysis Tools: fetch to retrieve AWS documentation Process:

1. Load Best Practices:
   • Fetch https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cost-management/latest/userguide/cost-optimization-best-practices.html
   • Fetch the AWS Well-Architected Cost Optimization pillar summary
   • Use these practices to inform subsequent analysis and recommendations

Step 2: Discover AWS Infrastructure

Action: Dynamically discover and analyze AWS resources and configurations Tools: AWS CLI + Local file system access Process:

1. Account & Region Discovery:

   • Execute aws sts get-caller-identity to confirm account
   • Execute aws configure get region to determine default region

2. Resource Discovery (per region):

   • EC2 instances: aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].[InstanceId,InstanceType,State.Name,Tags]'
   • RDS instances: aws rds describe-db-instances --query 'DBInstances[].[DBInstanceIdentifier,DBInstanceClass,Engine,MultiAZ]'
   • Lambda functions: aws lambda list-functions --query 'Functions[].[FunctionName,Runtime,MemorySize,Architectures]'
   • ECS clusters/services: aws ecs list-clusters then aws ecs describe-services
   • S3 buckets: aws s3api list-buckets --query 'Buckets[].Name'
   • ElastiCache clusters: aws elasticache describe-cache-clusters
   • NAT Gateways: aws ec2 describe-nat-gateways
   • Load Balancers: aws elbv2 describe-load-balancers

3. IaC Detection:

   • Scan for IaC files: **/*.tf, **/*.yaml (CloudFormation/SAM), **/*.json (CloudFormation), **/cdk.json, lib/**/*.ts (CDK)
   • Parse resource definitions to understand intended configurations
   • Do NOT use application code files — only IaC files as the source of truth
   • If no IaC files found: STOP and report to user

Step 3: Collect Usage Metrics & Validate Current Costs

Action: Gather utilization data and verify actual resource costs Tools: AWS CLI (CloudWatch, Cost Explorer) Process:

1. CloudWatch Metrics (last 7 days):

   # EC2 CPU utilization
   aws cloudwatch get-metric-statistics \
     --namespace AWS/EC2 --metric-name CPUUtilization \
     --dimensions Name=InstanceId,Value=<id> \
     --start-time $(date -u -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
     --end-time $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
     --period 3600 --statistics Average
   
   # Lambda duration
   aws cloudwatch get-metric-statistics \
     --namespace AWS/Lambda --metric-name Duration \
     --dimensions Name=FunctionName,Value=<name> \
     --start-time $(date -u -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
     --end-time $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) \
     --period 86400 --statistics Average,Maximum
   

2. AWS Cost Explorer:

   aws ce get-cost-and-usage \
     --time-period Start=$(date -u -d '30 days ago' +%Y-%m-%d),End=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%d) \
     --granularity MONTHLY --metrics BlendedCost \
     --group-by Type=DIMENSION,Key=SERVICE
   

3. Calculate Baseline Metrics: CPU/Memory averages, Lambda invocation rates, data transfer patterns, and a realistic current monthly total.

Step 4: Generate Cost Optimization Recommendations

Action: Analyze resources to identify optimization opportunities Process:

1. Apply Optimization Patterns:

   Compute:

   • EC2: Right-size based on CPU/memory (<20% average → downsize), convert On-Demand to Savings Plans, migrate to Graviton/ARM (up to 40% cheaper)
   • Lambda: Reduce memory for idle functions, switch to arm64 (20% cheaper)
   • ECS/EKS: Use Fargate Spot for dev/batch workloads

   Database:

   • RDS: Right-size instance class, convert single-AZ for dev, use Aurora Serverless v2 for variable load
   • DynamoDB: Switch Provisioned → On-Demand for unpredictable traffic

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