S3 Storage

Optimize your S3 costs by ensuring proper data lifecycle management and cleaning up hidden waste.

Permissions Required: s3:ListAllMyBuckets, s3:GetLifecycleConfiguration, s3:ListBucketMultipartUploads.

Lifecycle Policy Audit

AWS Doctor scans every bucket in your account to check for an active Lifecycle Configuration.

Why it matters

Without a lifecycle policy, data remains in the (most expensive) Standard storage tier forever unless manually moved. A policy can automate:

  • Transitioning old logs to IA (Infrequent Access) or Glacier.
  • Automatically deleting temporary scratch data.
  • Deleting old versions of objects.
Buckets without lifecycle policies represent a “cost floor” that will only grow over time.

Incomplete Multipart Uploads

Identifies buckets that have abandoned multipart uploads.

What are Multipart Uploads?

When you upload a large file to S3, it’s broken into parts. If the upload is interrupted or fails, those parts remain in the bucket hidden from the standard object view.

The Problem

  • Hidden Billing: You are charged for the storage used by these incomplete parts.
  • Invisibility: They don’t show up in ls or standard console views.

AWS Doctor counts these hidden parts so you can take action.

Solution

Add a lifecycle rule to your bucket to “AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload” after 7 days.