CloudWatch log groups often persist long after their usefulness has expired. In some cases, they are associated with applications or resources that are no longer active. In other cases, the systems may still be running, but the log data is no longer being reviewed, analyzed, or used by any team. Regardless of the reason, retaining logs that no one is monitoring or using results in unnecessary storage costs. If log data is not needed for operational visibility, debugging, compliance, or auditing purposes, it should either be deleted or managed with a shorter retention policy.
CloudWatch Logs are billed on a usage-based model, with charges incurred for:
Apply appropriate retention policies to automatically expire old logs or manually delete inactive log groups that are no longer needed. Where appropriate, implement automated cleanup routines to routinely identify and remove unused log groups.
