In AWS, users are charged for allocated Elastic IPs that are not associated to a running instance nor to a network interface (VPC). Therefore, the best practice is to keep only those IP addresses that will be needed in the future. Allocated Elastic IPs you don’t plan to use in the future, or those you just forgot to release, may contribute to unexpectedly high bills.

Newvem tracks the usage of your allocated Elastic IPs and identifies those that haven’t been in use for a significant period. We suggest you consider releasing those allocated IP addresses if you do not plan to use them.

Identification

This Newvem Insight builds upon the usage patterns of Elastic IPs, in particular the association and disassociation activity, in order to identify Elastic IPs that are unused.

Based on the current benchmarks for this analysis, Newvem will recommend you to release unused Elastic IPs that haven’t been used for more than one week.

Instructions

How to Find Elastic IPs not associated to an instance/network interface                                   

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Select Amazon EC2.
3. Select Elastic IPs in the left side Navigation pane.

The Addresses pane appears.

How to release Elastic IPs

1. In the Addresses pane, locate the address you want to release
2. Select the check box to the left of the address
3. In the Toolbar, under Addresses, click the Release Address button.

 Learn how to use the command lines and API for that matter.

Keywords: elastic ip, aws management console, amazon ec2 elastic ips, release elastic IPs

Additional Relevant Resources

Amazon AWS Elastic IPs documentation

Feature Guide: Amazon EC2 Elastic IP Addresses