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Cost Optimization#

Coming Soon

Advanced cost optimization with detailed analysis and AI-powered recommendations is coming in Mid February 2026 as part of our "Deeper AI Understanding & Cloud Insight" release.

Currently, Cloudeval provides interactive visualizations with cost overlays as part of the core platform. For advanced cost optimization features, view our roadmap.

Join our waitlist to be notified when this feature launches.

AI-Powered Recommendations to Reduce Cloud Spending

Cloudeval will analyze your Infrastructure as Code to identify cost optimization opportunities, estimate spending, and provide actionable recommendations to reduce your cloud costs.

Overview#

Cost Optimization helps you:

  • Estimate Costs - Get cost estimates for your infrastructure
  • Identify Savings - Find opportunities to reduce spending
  • Right-Size Resources - Recommendations for optimal resource sizing
  • Reserved Instances - Suggestions for reserved capacity
  • Waste Detection - Identify unused or over-provisioned resources
  • Cost Tracking - Monitor costs over time

How It Works#

Cost Analysis#

When you upload or analyze your Infrastructure as Code:

  1. Resource Inventory - Identifies all billable resources
  2. Cost Estimation - Calculates estimated monthly/annual costs
  3. Optimization Analysis - Finds cost-saving opportunities
  4. Recommendations - Provides specific optimization suggestions
  5. Savings Potential - Estimates potential cost reductions

Cost Estimation#

Cloudeval estimates costs based on:

  • Resource Types - VM sizes, storage types, database tiers
  • Azure Pricing - Current Azure pricing data
  • Usage Patterns - Estimated usage based on configuration
  • Regional Pricing - Location-specific costs

Cost Optimization Features#

Resource Sizing Recommendations#

Identifies opportunities to right-size resources:

Checks for:

  • Over-provisioned VMs (too large for workload)
  • Under-utilized storage (premium when standard would work)
  • Oversized databases (higher tier than needed)
  • Unnecessary premium features

Example Recommendation:

Cost Optimization: VM 'vm-web-server' is over-provisioned
   Current: Standard_D4s_v3 (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM) - $292/month
   Recommended: Standard_D2s_v3 (2 vCPU, 8GB RAM) - $146/month
   Potential Savings: $146/month (50% reduction)
   Risk: Low - Monitor CPU/memory usage to confirm

Reserved Instance Suggestions#

Recommends reserved capacity for predictable workloads:

Identifies:

  • Long-running VMs suitable for reservations
  • Databases that qualify for reserved capacity
  • Storage that could use reserved pricing
  • Potential savings with 1-year or 3-year commitments

Example Recommendation:

Cost Optimization: Consider Reserved Instances for 'vm-database'
   Current: Pay-as-you-go - $350/month
   With 1-year RI: $245/month (30% savings)
   With 3-year RI: $175/month (50% savings)
   Estimated Annual Savings: $1,260 - $2,100

Storage Optimization#

Finds storage cost optimization opportunities:

Checks for:

  • Premium storage where standard would suffice
  • Unused storage accounts
  • Inefficient storage tiers
  • Missing lifecycle management

Example Recommendation:

Cost Optimization: Storage account 'stg-archive' uses premium tier
   Current: Premium LRS - $0.15/GB/month
   Recommended: Cool Blob Storage - $0.01/GB/month
   Potential Savings: 93% reduction for infrequently accessed data

Database Optimization#

Identifies database cost savings:

Checks for:

  • Over-provisioned database tiers
  • Unused databases
  • Missing auto-pause for dev/test
  • Inefficient service tiers

Example Recommendation:

Cost Optimization: SQL Database 'db-dev' runs 24/7
   Current: S2 tier - $75/month (always on)
   Recommended: Basic tier with auto-pause - $5/month
   Potential Savings: $70/month (93% reduction for dev environment)

Network Cost Optimization#

Finds network-related cost savings:

Checks for:

  • Unused public IPs
  • Inefficient traffic routing
  • Missing CDN for static content
  • Over-provisioned bandwidth

Using Cost Optimization#

View Cost Estimates#

  1. Upload or open your Infrastructure as Code
  2. Cost panel appears automatically
  3. Review estimates for all resources
  4. See breakdown by resource type and region

Review Recommendations#

  1. Open Cost Optimization panel
  2. Browse recommendations organized by:
    • Potential savings (highest first)
    • Resource type
    • Risk level
  3. Click recommendation to see details
  4. View impact - Estimated savings and risks

Apply Optimizations#

  1. Select a recommendation
  2. Review details and potential impact
  3. Edit code in the web editor
  4. Re-analyze to see updated cost estimate

Export Cost Report#

Generate cost reports:

  1. Click Export → Cost Report
  2. Choose format (PDF, Excel, JSON)
  3. Include:
    • Current cost estimates
    • Optimization recommendations
    • Potential savings summary
    • Resource cost breakdown

Cost Analysis Views#

Summary View#

High-level cost overview:

  • Total Estimated Cost - Monthly and annual
  • By Resource Type - Breakdown by VM, storage, database, etc.
  • By Region - Geographic cost distribution
  • Optimization Potential - Total possible savings

Detailed View#

Resource-level details:

  • Individual Resource Costs - Cost per resource
  • Cost Drivers - What contributes most to costs
  • Trend Analysis - Cost changes over time
  • Comparison - Before/after optimization

Optimization View#

Focused on savings:

  • Recommended Actions - Prioritized by savings
  • Risk Assessment - Impact of each optimization
  • Implementation Guide - Step-by-step changes
  • ROI Calculation - Return on investment

Best Practices#

Regular Cost Reviews#

  • Monthly Reviews - Review costs and optimizations monthly
  • After Changes - Re-analyze after infrastructure changes
  • Before Scaling - Check costs before scaling up
  • Budget Planning - Use estimates for budget planning

Prioritize High-Impact Changes#

Focus on:

  1. High Savings, Low Risk - Easy wins (e.g., dev/test optimizations)
  2. High Savings, Medium Risk - Plan carefully (e.g., right-sizing production)
  3. Medium Savings, Low Risk - Quick improvements (e.g., storage tiers)
  4. Low Savings - Consider if effort is worth it

Use Cost Optimization in Planning#

  • Before Deployment - Estimate costs before deploying
  • Architecture Decisions - Compare cost of different approaches
  • Scaling Decisions - Understand cost impact of scaling
  • Budget Approval - Provide cost estimates for approvals

Limitations#

Current Limitations#

  • Estimates Only - Based on configuration, not actual usage
  • Azure Only - Currently supports Azure pricing
  • Static Analysis - Analyzes code, not running infrastructure
  • Pricing Data - Uses current Azure pricing (may change)

Coming Soon#

  • Actual Usage Integration - Connect to Azure Cost Management
  • Multi-Cloud Support - AWS, GCP cost optimization
  • Historical Analysis - Track costs over time
  • Budget Alerts - Notifications when approaching budgets

Troubleshooting#

Cost Estimates Seem High#

Problem: Estimated costs are higher than expected

Solutions:

  • Review resource configurations
  • Check for duplicate resources
  • Verify regional pricing
  • Consider actual usage patterns

No Recommendations#

Problem: Cost optimization shows no recommendations

Solutions:

  • Infrastructure may already be optimized
  • Check if recommendations are filtered
  • Review resource configurations
  • Consider manual analysis

Recommendations Don't Apply#

Problem: Recommendations don't fit your use case

Solutions:

  • Review business requirements
  • Consider performance needs
  • Evaluate risk tolerance
  • Customize recommendations (coming soon)

Next Steps#

Need help? Contact support or join our community