How to properly delete Porter clusters and clean up AWS resources

When you need to delete a Porter cluster and clean up all associated AWS resources, it's important to follow the correct sequence to avoid stuck deletions or dangling resources.

Proper deletion sequence

Important: Always delete resources through Porter first, not directly in AWS. Deleting resources directly in AWS while Porter still has access can cause them to be automatically recreated.

1. Delete applications first: Remove any applications running on the cluster before deleting the cluster itself.

2. Delete the cluster through Porter: Navigate to the Infrastructure tab in your Porter dashboard and click the Delete Cluster button. This process can take up to 30 minutes.

If cluster deletion gets stuck

Sometimes cluster deletions can hang due to dependencies or AWS API issues. Common causes include:

• Security groups with dependencies

• Subnets that cannot be deleted due to attached resources

• Route tables with active routes

• Load balancers that haven't been cleaned up

If your cluster deletion is stuck for more than an hour, contact Porter support for assistance. Do not attempt to delete resources manually in AWS while the deletion is in progress, as this can complicate the cleanup process.

Cleaning up dangling resources

After deleting a cluster through Porter, you should check your AWS console to ensure all resources have been properly removed. If you find any remaining resources, you can clean them up manually using the deleting dangling resources guide.

Common dangling resources include:

• EBS volumes (especially unattached ones)

• Target groups with k8s prefixes

• VPC endpoints

• Security groups

• Load balancers

What not to do

• Don't delete resources directly in AWS first - This can cause Porter to recreate them automatically

• Don't delete the IAM role before the cluster - This will prevent Porter from properly cleaning up resources

• Don't delete the project before the cluster - Always delete clusters before deleting the Porter project

If you've already deleted resources incorrectly

If you've already deleted resources directly in AWS or deleted the IAM role first, contact Porter support. The team can help clean up the remaining resources and remove the cluster from your Porter dashboard manually.