AWS Cost and Usage Report
AWS Cost and Usage Report (CUR) is a detailed billing report provided by Amazon Web Services that delivers comprehensive data on AWS usage and costs. It includes granular information such as resource IDs, tags, pricing details, and usage metrics, enabling organizations to analyze and optimize their cloud spending. The report is delivered as a CSV or Parquet file to an Amazon S3 bucket on a daily or hourly basis.
Developers and cloud architects should use AWS Cost and Usage Report when they need to perform detailed cost analysis, allocate expenses to specific projects or departments, or implement cost optimization strategies in AWS environments. It is essential for organizations with complex cloud deployments, as it provides the data necessary for custom dashboards, automated billing alerts, and compliance reporting, helping to control and reduce cloud costs effectively.