AWS Recycle Bin

Overview: AWS Recycle Bin is a resource recovery feature that helps you restore accidentally deleted Amazon EBS snapshots and EBS-backed AMIs (Amazon Machine Images). When resources are deleted, they are retained in the Recycle Bin for a specified retention period before being permanently deleted. This feature ensures business continuity by protecting critical data against accidental deletion.

To enable and use Recycle Bin, you must create retention rules in the AWS Regions in which you want to protect your resources. Retention rules specify the following:

The resource type that you want to protect (snapshots or AMIs).

The type of retention rule:

Tag-level retention rules — These retention rules use resource tags to identify the resources to protect. For each retention rule, you specify one or more tag key and value pairs. Resources (of the specified type) that have at least one of these tag key and value pairs are automatically retained in the Recycle Bin upon deletion. Use this type of retention rule to protect specific resources in your account based on their tags.

Region-level retention rules — These retention rules, by default, apply to all of the resources (of the specified type) in the Region, even if the resources are not tagged. However, you can specify exclusion tags to exclude resources that have specific tags. Use this type of retention rule to protect all resources of a specific type in a Region.

The retention period to retain resources after they are deleted. After this period expires, the resources are permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin.

While a resource is in the Recycle Bin, you have the ability to restore it for use at any time. The resource remains in the Recycle Bin until one of the following happens:

You manually restore it for use. When you restore a resource from the Recycle Bin, the resource is removed from the Recycle Bin and it immediately becomes available for use. You can use restored resources in the same way as any other resource of that type in your account.

The retention period expires. If the retention period expires, and the resource has not been restored from the Recycle Bin, the resource is permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin and it can no longer be viewed or restored.

To enable AWS Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

1.     Open the Amazon EBS Console: Navigate to the Amazon EBS console in the AWS Management Console.

2.     Create Retention Rules:

·         Go to the Recycle Bin section.

·         Click on Create retention rule.

·         Specify the resource type (e.g., Amazon EBS snapshots or EBS-backed AMIs).

·         Set the retention period for how long you want the deleted resources to be retained in the Recycle Bin before permanent deletion.

·         Optionally, you can add tags to the retention rule for easier management.

3.     Apply the Rule: Once the rule is created, it will automatically apply to the specified resources in the selected AWS Region.

4.     Monitor and Manage: You can monitor the Recycle Bin using AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge to track deletion and restoration events

Key Features:

1. Retention Period:
• You can specify a retention period for resources in the Recycle Bin. During this period, the resources can be restored at any time.
• If the retention period expires without restoration, the resources are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
2. Supported Resources:
• Amazon EBS snapshots
• EBS-backed AMIs
3. Restoration Process:
• Resources in the Recycle Bin can be restored through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or AWS SDKs.
• Once restored, the resources are removed from the Recycle Bin and can be used like any other resource of that type in your account.
4. Monitoring and Management:
• You can monitor Recycle Bin activities using AWS CloudTrail, which records events related to resource deletions and restorations.
• AWS EventBridge can be used to set up rules that trigger actions based on Recycle Bin event.
5. Pricing:
• There are no additional charges for using the Recycle Bin feature itself.
• Snapshots in the Recycle Bin are billed at the same rate as regular snapshots.
• EBS-backed AMIs in the Recycle Bin do not incur additional charges.

Usage Considerations:

• Ensure that retention rules are properly configured to avoid unintended permanent deletions.
• Regularly review and update retention rules based on your data protection policies.
• Use tags to organize and manage retention rules effectively.

Steps to Use AWS Recycle Bin:

1. Create Retention Rules:
• Define retention rules specifying the resources to be retained and the duration of retention.
• Apply tags to retention rules for better management.
2. Delete Resources:
• When resources are deleted, they are automatically moved to the Recycle Bin if they match the retention rules.
3. Restore Resources:
• Access the Recycle Bin console, select the resource, and choose the restore option before the retention period expires.
4. Monitor and Manage:
• Use AWS CloudTrail and EventBridge to monitor Recycle Bin activities and set up automated responses to specific eventsw.

AWS Recycle Bin is a valuable tool for safeguarding your data and ensuring that accidental deletions do not lead to data loss. By configuring appropriate retention rules and monitoring activities, you can maintain the integrity and availability of your critical resources.