AWS Cost Explorer

AWS Cost Explorer manages visibility and control over cloud costs by providing a comprehensive tool for analyzing and managing AWS expenditures. The technical architecture of Cost Explorer integrates tightly with the AWS Billing and Cost Management console, allowing users to access and analyze their cost and usage data through a user-friendly interface or programmatically via the Cost Explorer API.

Upon enabling Cost Explorer, AWS collects and processes cost data for the previous 12 months, the current month, and forecasts costs for the next 12 months. This data is updated at least every 24 hours, although the initial setup may take a few days to complete. The tool offers granular filtering and grouping capabilities, enabling users to drill down into their costs by various dimensions such as tags, accounts, services, and more. This allows for detailed analysis of cost trends, identification of anomalies, and pinpointing of cost drivers.

Operationally, Cost Explorer provides preconfigured views and the ability to create custom reports, which can be saved and shared. The API access, though charged at $0.01 per paginated request, allows for integration into custom applications and automated analytics. However, it's important to note that once enabled, Cost Explorer cannot be disabled, and the API charges can add up, especially for large-scale or frequent queries.

In terms of specific technical details, Cost Explorer offers daily and monthly granularity for cost and usage data, with optional hourly and resource-level granularity. It also supports forecasting costs over a selected future time range, which is crucial for budgeting and setting alarms. The tool leverages the same dataset used for AWS Cost and Usage Reports and detailed billing reports, ensuring consistency across different reporting mechanisms.