AWS bill line item
InstanceUsage:db.m5.large
The hourly on-demand compute charge for a single-AZ RDS database instance of a given class, billed from launch until the instance is stopped or deleted.
RDS instance hours
Verified against official AWS documentation last checked
Why it shows up
This is the baseline line item for every running RDS instance, so it scales directly with instance class, count, and uptime. Dev/test databases left running around the clock are a frequent source of avoidable spend.
It appears once per distinct instance class in use, so fleets with many one-off instance sizes produce many separate lines instead of one consolidated charge.
How to cut it
- Stop or delete non-production instances outside business hours instead of leaving them running continuously.
- Right-size the instance class using CPU/memory utilization metrics before assuming a bigger class is needed.
- Buy Reserved Instances or a database savings plan for steady-state production instances.
- Consolidate one-off instance classes onto a smaller set of standard sizes to simplify and reduce spend.
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 InstanceUsage:db.m5.large on your own bill?
Drop your Cost Explorer CSV into the AWS Bill Analyzer. It'll flag line items like this one on your own bill and link straight back to the fix.
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