AWS bill line item
NodeUsage:cache.m5.large
The hourly on-demand charge per provisioned ElastiCache node of a given instance class, billed from launch until the node is terminated (partial hours round up to a full hour).
ElastiCache node hours
Verified against official AWS documentation last checked
Why it shows up
Every node in a cluster (including read replicas and all shards) bills separately, so scaling out shard or replica count directly multiplies this line item.
Nodes billed in an available or modifying state keep accruing charges even during low-traffic periods, since fixed-node ElastiCache doesn't scale compute down automatically the way a serverless option does.
How to cut it
- Right-size node instance class using CPU/memory/eviction metrics rather than leaving default sizing.
- Reduce replica or shard count for clusters that don't need the current level of read scaling or HA.
- Buy Reserved Nodes for steady, predictable-size production caches.
- Consider a serverless caching option for spiky or low/variable-traffic caches instead of fixed provisioned nodes.
How to read this code
:instanceType suffixThe specific instance type or size a charge applies to, e.g. BoxUsage:m5.large. One line per distinct type in use.
Source
Source: AWS docs →Found NodeUsage:cache.m5.large on your own bill?
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