Skip to main content
Orphaned resources · Low severity

Stopped Standalone GCE VM

A stopped VM stops charging for CPU and memory and keeps charging for its persistent disks and any reserved static IP.

Sign inExplore the playground

Free to start. No card. The playground just needs your work email.

Google Cloudprovider
Lowseverity
Savingswhere it shows up
Manualfix, steps written out

Google Cloud

Found, explained, handed over.

Findings with a dollar figure attached, idle, oversized, orphaned, unscheduled and undiscounted spend.

01

Detect

ZopNight checks this automatically across Google Cloud, with read-only access to the account.

02

Explain

Every finding says exactly what to change: Delete the stopped VM's attached resources. Where the saving can be proven it is priced; where it cannot, the finding says so.

03

Fix

The finding opens with the fix already written out, step by step, so it is one ticket, not an investigation.

Applies to
Compute Engine on Google Cloud
The fix, by hand
  1. Confirm the VM is genuinely no longer needed (not a long-running batch worker that was intentionally stopped).
  2. If the VM is still needed, restart it: gcloud compute instances start ‹name› --zone ‹zone›. Attached disks are already paid for, restarting returns them to useful service.
  3. If the VM should be deleted: list attached disks (gcloud compute instances describe ‹name›) and decide which should be retained vs. autoDeleted.
  4. Release any reserved static external IPs that were attached: gcloud compute addresses list --filter="users:‹vm-uri›" then gcloud compute addresses delete.
  5. Delete the VM: gcloud compute instances delete ‹name› --zone ‹zone›. Compute Engine will only auto-delete disks that have the autoDelete flag set.

These are the steps the finding carries in the product.

Category
Orphaned resources. Resources no longer attached to anything that needs them, such as unattached volumes and unassigned IPs.
Where it appears
The Savings tab of Recommendations, with every affected resource listed.
Rule ID
RC-109
Full reference

Stopped Standalone GCE VM

Related checks

GCP VM Serial Port Access EnabledGoogle CloudGCP VM Deletion Protection DisabledGoogle CloudGCP VM Missing Snapshot ScheduleGoogle CloudGCP VM OS Login Not EnabledGoogle CloudGCP VM Shielded VM Not EnabledGoogle CloudVM Monitoring Not EnabledAzure, Google Cloud

See the orphaned resources in your account.

Connect a read-only role and the first pass runs on your own estate. This check, and the rest of the catalogue, with it.

Start freeExplore the playground

Prefer to talk it through first? Book 20 minutes with the team.

  • $30M+annualised cloud spend under management
  • 550K+resources tracked since launch
  • 20-60%off the bill in the first month
  • SOC 2Type II report, plus ISO 27001

Figures published on zop.dev.

Multi-cloud automation· Production-ready in 30 min· SOC 2 · ISO 27001· 20–60% off the bill, first month· 4 platforms · 1 console· Multi-cloud automation· Production-ready in 30 min· SOC 2 · ISO 27001· 20–60% off the bill, first month· 4 platforms · 1 console·