Outdated OpenSearch Version Triggering Extended Support Charges

Yulia Perlis

Service Category

Database

Cloud Provider

AWS

Service Name

AWS OpenSearch

Inefficiency Type

Inefficient Configuration

Explanation

Domains running outdated OpenSearch versions — particularly OpenSearch 1.x — begin to incur AWS Extended Support charges once they fall outside of the standard support period. These charges are persistent and apply even if the domain is inactive or lightly used. Many teams overlook this cost when delaying upgrades or maintaining non-critical environments like dev, test, or staging. In large organizations, outdated versions can silently drive meaningful spend over time, especially across many small or idle domains.

Relevant Billing Model

OpenSearch domains are billed per hour based on:

Instance size and count
Storage (including UltraWarm if enabled)
Extended Support Charges — applied per hour per domain once a version exceeds its standard support window

Detection

List all OpenSearch domains and record their engine version
Compare against the AWS OpenSearch Support Calendar
Identify any domains running versions outside standard support
Use the AWS Console or API to retrieve version metadata
Review billing data to detect Extended Support fees under OpenSearch spend

Remediation

Upgrade OpenSearch domains to a supported version
Test upgrade compatibility in lower environments before applying in production
Decommission inactive domains to eliminate unnecessary support and compute charges
Incorporate version tracking into platform reviews to proactively avoid future Extended Support exposure

Relevant Documentation