CostLensIdle Cloud SQL Instance (GCP)
Idle Cloud SQL Instance (GCP)
CostLens surfaces Cloud SQL idle-instance recommendations so you can stop or remove databases with no meaningful activity.
Updated July 20261 min read
CostLens surfaces idle Cloud SQL instances flagged by Google's Recommender — instances with no meaningful connections or queries over the observation window. An idle Cloud SQL instance bills compute and storage continuously.
How it works
Recommender analyses activity
Google's Cloud SQL Idle Recommender evaluates connection and query activity per instance.
CostLens reads them read-only
Using the recommender.viewer scope from GCP Accounts, CostLens ingests each recommendation and its projected saving.
What to do
- Confirm the database isn't a low-traffic but business-critical instance (e.g. an occasional reporting DB).
- Stop the instance to pause compute charges, or delete it if it's genuinely unused.
- Apply the change in the Cloud Console. Take an export/backup first if there's any doubt about the data.
Back up before deleting
Deleting a Cloud SQL instance destroys its data. Export or snapshot first if you might need it.
Severity levels
| Severity | Estimated monthly savings |
|---|---|
| critical | >$500 |
| high | $100–$500 |
| medium | $20–$100 |
| low | <$20 |
Required permissions
- Detect:
roles/recommender.viewer— see GCP Accounts.
Limitations
- Stopping a Cloud SQL instance pauses compute billing but storage continues to bill.
- Recommendations depend on Google's observation window; a newly created instance may not yet have a recommendation.