Issue: EC2 Instance Missing or Terminated Without Clear Cause

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Hi everyone,

I’m facing an issue with an EC2 instance I had running on AWS. Here’s the situation:

Background:

I had an EC2 instance running in December 2024. I know this because I still have the AWS invoice for that month, which includes charges for EC2 services. Now, I cannot find the instance in the AWS Management Console. It doesn’t appear under running, stopped, or terminated instances. What I’ve Checked So Far:

I ran a script to query all instances (running, stopped, and terminated) within the same region where I initially launched the instance. No results matched the instance I’m looking for. I checked for Spot Requests, suspecting that it might have been a Spot Instance that was terminated due to pricing or capacity, but no relevant Spot Request history was found. I reviewed CloudTrail logs from December 2024 to January 2025 for any TerminateInstances events, but I didn’t find anything indicating manual termination or termination by AWS. Billing details confirm EC2 charges for December 2024, but they don’t provide specific instance details. Questions:

Could the instance have been terminated automatically by AWS for reasons like a Spot price increase, or would that appear in the Spot Request history? Is it possible the instance was manually terminated but logs were purged from CloudTrail? Could the instance have been in a different region or account, and how can I confirm that? What I Need:

A clear way to determine if the instance was terminated manually or automatically, and whether it was due to Spot pricing or some AWS system action. Any tips on how to retrieve more detailed logs or identify the missing instance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your insights! Let me know if I can provide any additional details to clarify the issue.

asked 22 days ago25 views
1 Answer
1

Based on the information provided, there are several possibilities to consider regarding your missing EC2 instance:

  1. Region Check: First, ensure you're looking in the correct AWS region where you originally launched the instance. It's possible that you might be viewing a different region in the AWS Management Console. You can use the EC2 Global View feature to see your instances across all regions, which might help locate the missing instance if it's in an unexpected region.

  2. Account Verification: Double-check that you're logged into the correct AWS account. If you have multiple accounts, it's possible the instance might be in a different one.

  3. Spot Instance Termination: While you mentioned checking Spot Requests, it's worth noting that Spot Instances can be terminated by AWS due to capacity needs or price changes. However, this should typically appear in the Spot Request history. The fact that you couldn't find relevant history is unusual if it was indeed a Spot Instance.

  4. CloudTrail Logs: CloudTrail logs are typically retained for 90 days. If you're looking for logs from December 2024 to January 2025 now, it's possible that these logs have already been purged from the system, which could explain why you can't find termination events.

  5. Automatic Termination: AWS doesn't typically terminate instances automatically unless it's a Spot Instance or there are serious account issues (like non-payment). However, if there were any account-level problems during that time, it could potentially lead to instance termination.

  6. Manual Termination: If the instance was manually terminated, it should have appeared in CloudTrail logs. However, as mentioned, these logs might no longer be available if you're checking after the 90-day retention period.

To further investigate:

  1. Check your AWS Config service if it's enabled. It might have records of your EC2 resources over time.

  2. Review your AWS Billing and Cost Management console for detailed billing information that might provide more specifics about the EC2 charges.

  3. If you used AWS Systems Manager to manage the instance, check for any historical data there.

  4. Consider reaching out to AWS Support for assistance. They might be able to provide more detailed information about the instance's history and fate.

  5. In the future, consider enabling longer retention for CloudTrail logs or setting up log archiving to S3 for extended historical access.

Remember, EC2 instances that have been terminated for a long time (usually more than a few hours) will no longer appear in the EC2 console, even under the "terminated" filter. This could explain why you can't see the instance now, even if it was terminated at some point.
Sources
my ec2 instance simply disappeared | AWS re:Post
Troubleshoot issues with Amazon EC2 instances - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
My amazon aws ec2 instance disappeared or got replaced | AWS re:Post
AWS EC2 Instances Removed | AWS re:Post
EC2 Instance not visible on EC2 Dashboard on my account | AWS re:Post

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answered 22 days ago
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