Hunting for Ghost Databases in the Cloud

Learn how to detect "ghost databases" which are abandoned cloud database instances that remain active and incur costs despite having no connections or ownership. While this topic applies to all cloud platforms, the lab demonstrates detection techniques with Amazon RDS. You'll use both AWS-native tools (CloudWatch metrics, RDS Performance Insights, Cost Explorer) and open-source/multi-cloud solutions (Steampipe for SQL-based queries and Cloud Custodian for policy-based automation). Through these tools, you'll discover how to identify inactive RDS instances by analyzing connection patterns, missing tags, and usage metrics over extended periods. Please note: databases take a while to deploy, so this lab can take up to 10 minutes to be ready. Familiarize yourself with the lab guide below while you wait!