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How It Works
DLM lets you define lifecycle policies that run on a schedule. A policy specifies which EBS volumes or instances to target, how often to take snapshots, and how many snapshots to retain before older ones are deleted automatically. You attach the policy to resources using tags, so any EBS volume or EC2 instance with a matching tag is covered. No scripting or third-party tooling is required. AWS executes the policy in the background without any manual intervention.
Why It Matters for Cloud Cost
EBS snapshots accrue storage charges for every gigabyte retained. Without automated lifecycle rules, snapshots accumulate indefinitely, and teams routinely discover hundreds of forgotten snapshots driving up the monthly bill. Orphaned snapshots from decommissioned instances are a common source of undetected waste. DLM enforces consistent retention windows so you keep only the snapshots you actually need, and AWS removes the rest on schedule. For organizations running large EC2 fleets, this directly reduces storage line items without requiring engineering effort.
Usage AI’s ClearCost provides visibility and showback reporting across your AWS spend, giving FinOps teams the cost transparency needed to identify and act on storage waste.