# Delete unused Elastic IP

## What It Does

Releases unused Elastic IP (EIP) addresses that are not currently associated with any resource. Elastic IPs incur charges when idle. This runbook detects unassociated EIPs and automatically releases them to reduce unnecessary cost.

## Risk and Scope

| Detail                   | Value      |
| ------------------------ | ---------- |
| **Risk Level**           | Low        |
| **AWS Service Targeted** | Amazon VPC |

{% hint style="warning" %}

## Permissions Required

**Delete Permissions**

* `ec2:ReleaseAddress`

**Read Permissions**

* `ec2:DescribeAddresses`

> These permissions are granted **only to the runbook**, not to the OneLens platform itself.
> {% endhint %}

## Optimization Policies Addressed

This runbook remediates violation tickets of the following policy:

| Policy ID | Policy Name                                                                |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| vpc\_102  | Detect Elastic IPs attached to stopped EC2 Instances for over certain days |
| vpc\_101  | There should be no unused Elastic IPs                                      |

## Risk Mitigation

{% hint style="success" %}

## Risk Mitigation Strategy

* The change is assessed as **low risk** with limited scope and impact.
* **No downtime** is expected during or after implementation.
* **No additional safety measures** are required due to the non-disruptive nature of the change.
* A **rollback plan is not defined**, as standard procedures are sufficient to manage the change.
  {% endhint %}

## How to Install

Refer to the [Runbook Setup Guide ](/automate/remediations/runbooks/install-runbooks.md#installing-a-runbook)for steps to install and enable this runbook in your environment.

## Runbook Workflow

### Step 1: Start

**Trigger:** Begins the workflow. A description of the target EIP and its allocation ID is provided here.

### Step 2: `checkForUnusedIP`

**Action:** Executes a script to check if the Elastic IP is not associated with any EC2 instance or network interface.

### Step 3: `If/Else`

**Condition:** Evaluates whether the EIP is indeed unused.

1. If **true:**
   1. **ReleaseElasticIp**

      Uses `ReleaseAddress` on EC2 to release the Elastic IP and stop idle cost accumulation.
2. **Else:**

   Exits without making any changes.

## See How it Works

<figure><img src="/files/yyzFdITznP6NcafjDPiQ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Triggering the Runbook

To run this workflow:

### **1. Locate the Ticket**

Identify the ticket associated with the above mentioned policy violation.

### **2. Execute the Runbook**

Follow the steps described in the [executing a runbook](/automate/remediations/runbooks.md#executing-a-runbook) section to apply this runbook to the ticket.


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