# Outdated OpenSearch version triggering extended support charges Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/outdated-opensearch-version-triggering-extended-support-charges Domains running outdated OpenSearch versions - particularly Elasticsearch 1.5 through 7.8, OpenSearch 1.0-1.2, and OpenSearch 2.3-2.9, whose standard... By: Yulia Perlis Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Outdated OpenSearch Version Triggering Extended Support Charges The short version Domains running outdated OpenSearch versions - particularly Elasticsearch 1.5 through 7.8, OpenSearch 1.0-1.2, and OpenSearch 2.3-2.9, whose standard support ended on November 7, 2025 - begin to incur AWS Extended Support charges once they fall outside of the standard support period. Yulia Perlis AWS service [AWS OpenSearch](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-opensearch) Category [Databases](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/databases) Reference CER-0101 Type Outdated Version ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. These charges are persistent and apply even if the domain is inactive or lightly used. Many teams overlook this cost when delaying upgrades or maintaining non-critical environments like dev, test, or staging. In large organizations, outdated versions can silently drive meaningful spend over time, especially across many small or idle domains. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. OpenSearch domains are billed per hour based on: - Instance size and count - Storage (including UltraWarm if enabled) - Extended Support Charges - billed per Normalized Instance Hour (a factor of instance size and instance hours) on top of instance pricing once a version exceeds its standard support window, so the fee grows with node count and size - For OpenSearch 1.0-1.2 and 2.3-2.9 (and Elasticsearch 1.5 through 7.8), the pricing page states that Extended Support charges for the extension period ending November 7, 2027 are equal to your instance pricing; later versions such as OpenSearch 1.3 are charged the standard Extended Support rate of $0.0065 per NIH in US East (N. Virginia) once they leave standard support ## How to detect 5 checks to find it in your estate. - List all OpenSearch domains and record their engine version - Compare against the AWS OpenSearch Support Calendar - Identify any domains running versions outside standard support - Use the AWS Console or API to retrieve version metadata - Review billing data to detect Extended Support fees under OpenSearch spend ## How to fix 4 ways to remove the waste. - Upgrade OpenSearch domains to a supported version - Test upgrade compatibility in lower environments before applying in production - Decommission inactive domains to eliminate unnecessary support and compute charges - Incorporate version tracking into platform reviews to proactively avoid future Extended Support exposure ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [AWS Blog: OpenSearch Version Support aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/big-data/amazon-opensearch-service-announces-standard-and-extended-support-dates-for-elasticsearch-and-opensearch-versions/) - [Amazon OpenSearch Pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/opensearch-service/pricing/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - AWS OpenSearch CER-0147 ### [Outdated Elasticsearch Version Triggering Extended Support Charges](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/outdated-elasticsearch-version-triggering-extended-support-charges) Many legacy workloads still run on older Elasticsearch versions - such as 5.x, 6.0-6.7, or 7.1-7.8 - due to inertia, compatibility constraints, or lack of ownership. Once these versions exceed their standard support window, AWS begins... Databases - AWS OpenSearch CER-0130 ### [Suboptimal Use of Intel-Based Instances in OpenSearch](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-use-of-intel-based-instances-in-opensearch) AWS Graviton processors are designed to deliver better price-performance than comparable Intel-based instances, often reducing cost by 20-30% at equivalent workload performance. OpenSearch domains running on older Intel-based families... Databases - AWS OpenSearch CER-0367 ### [Underutilized OpenSearch Service Domain](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underutilized-opensearch-service-domain) OpenSearch Service managed domains are sized by choosing data node instance types and counts, optional dedicated master (cluster manager) nodes, and an EBS volume per data node. These choices are usually made from a peak ingest estimate or... Databases --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.