Idle Redshift clusters have near-zero database connections and low CPU utilization over the last 14 days — a signal the warehouse may no longer be running analytics workloads but still incurs compute charges.
Before you pause or delete
- Confirm no BI dashboards, ETL jobs, scheduled queries, or third-party tools still connect to this cluster.
- Check for dependent snapshots, datashares, or cross-cluster queries that reference this warehouse.
- Review whether the cluster is part of a maintenance window or seasonal analytics cycle that will resume soon.
Pause vs delete
Pause is the safer first step: compute billing stops while your data and configuration are preserved, and you can resume later with aws redshift resume-cluster. Snapshot and managed storage charges continue while paused.
Delete removes the cluster permanently. Paid plans include remediation scripts that pause the cluster first and, if you are certain it is no longer needed, delete it with a final snapshot.
AWS Redshift pause and delete commands do not support --dry-run — review commands carefully before running them.
What triggers this finding
A Redshift cluster with no active queries or very low CPU and disk utilization over the lookback window.
Typical fix
Pause the cluster during off-hours, or delete it if analytics workloads no longer need it.
Example savings
Often 100% of compute charges when paused or deleted — typically $100–$1,000+/month for provisioned clusters.
See also: Severity and savings estimates for how Parsivex calculates figures on your report.