Stop paying for AWS resources nobody is using
Your non-production resources run all night and all weekend, when no one is on them. Start/Stop runs them on a schedule instead.
Start/Stop cuts the hours you never use
Non-production environments cost the same at 2am on a Sunday as they do mid-week, even though nobody is using them. Start/Stop runs them on a schedule, off when they are idle and on when your team needs them, so you only pay for the hours that do any work.
Group your resources once, it runs the schedule for you
Group the resources
Group the resources you want scheduled by tagging them. Each group gets its own start and stop times.
Set the hours
Pick business hours, or start and stop on demand from the web console.
It runs in your account
base2 runs the schedule in your AWS accounts through an assume-role with MFA. Nothing leaves your account.
Idle resources stop
Outside the schedule the resources stop, so you stop paying for compute nobody is using. Storage and IP addresses are still billed.
They start when needed
They come back on for the next window, or in one click from the console when someone needs one early. Databases take a few minutes.
See what it saved
The console estimates what each schedule is saving, so the value is visible, not assumed.
Most of your non-production bill is idle time
A development or test environment is used during the working day and sits idle the rest of the time, but it bills around the clock. Start/Stop takes the nights and weekends out of that bill and leaves the working hours alone.
- Schedule by group, so related resources start and stop together
- Off nights and weekends, on for your working hours
- Start and stop manually from the web console whenever you need
- Start a group early from the console when someone needs it
See the saving, not just the schedule
The console estimates what each schedule is saving by removing the idle hours, so the value is a number you can show whoever signs off the bill. It is the easiest cost win to put in front of a CFO.
- An estimated saving for each schedule, from the hours removed
- The saving pays for itself, so cost is rarely the blocker
- A clear first step before a wider cost or managed engagement
Runs in your AWS accounts, you keep control
Start/Stop runs in your AWS accounts, and base2 reaches in through an assume-role with MFA, so nothing leaves your account. Only the resources you tag are scheduled, and anyone you approve can start or stop a group from the console.
- Assume-role access with MFA, scoped to what the schedule needs
- Only the resources you tag are scheduled
- Start or stop a group from the console any time
- Managed across all of your accounts
How base2 Start/Stop compares
AWS Instance Scheduler covers EC2, RDS, Auto Scaling groups and several database engines. base2 Start/Stop adds ECS, Redshift and Spot Fleet, brings your environment up in the right order and shows you what you're saving.
| Do it manually / scripts | AWS Instance Scheduler | base2 Start/Stop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule EC2 and RDS | |||
| Schedule ECS, Redshift, Spot Fleet and more | |||
| Starts and stops in the right order, databases ready before apps | |||
| One dashboard for every environment | |||
| See your savings, with a 30-day forecast | |||
| Change schedules without writing code | |||
| Manual start and stop on demand | |||
| Slack alert when each run finishes | |||
| Secure access with MFA, stays in your account | |||
| Set up and supported by base2 |
Built by base2Services
The scheduler we built to keep our managed customers' non-production costs down, without anyone having to remember to turn things off.
base2Services is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner specialising in platform engineering and managed AWS operations. Start/Stop is part of how we run AWS for people, not a side project. If you would rather not run it yourself, the team that built it can run it across your accounts.
