Deleting AWS Config Data
AWS Config allows you to delete your data by specifying a retention period for your ConfigurationItems
.
When you specify a retention period, AWS Config retains your ConfigurationItems
for that specified period.
You can choose a period between a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 7 years (2557 days). AWS Config deletes data older than your specified retention period.
If you do not specify a retention period, AWS Config continues to store ConfigurationItems
for the default period of 7 years (2557 days).
When recording is switched on, the current state of the resource is when a ConfigurationItem
is recorded and until the next change (a new ConfigurationItem
) is recorded.
To understand the behavior of retention period, let's take a look at the timeline.
When recording is switched on, the current state of a resource always exists and can't be deleted irrespective of the date the
ConfigurationItem
is recorded.When AWS Config records new
ConfigurationItems
, the previousConfigurationItems
are deleted depending on the specified retention period.
In the following timeline, AWS Config records ConfigurationItems
at the following dates. For the purpose of this timeline, today is represented as May 24, 2018.

The following table explains which ConfigurationItems
are displayed on the AWS Config timeline based on selected retention period.
Retention Period | Configuration Items displayed on timeline | Explanation |
---|---|---|
30 days |
December 12, 2017 |
The current state of the resource started from December 12, 2017 when the |
365 days |
December 12, 2017; November 12, 2017, and March 10, 2017 |
The retention period shows the current state December 12, 2017 and previous The |
After you specify a retention period, AWS Config APIs no longer return ConfigurationItems
that represent a state older than the specified retention period.
AWS Config cannot record your
ConfigurationItems
if recording is switched off.AWS Config cannot record your
ConfigurationItems
if your IAM role is broken.
Setting Data Retention Period in AWS Management Console
In the AWS Management Console, if you do not select a data retention period, the default period is 7 years or 2557 days.
To set a custom data retention period for configuration items select the checkbox. You can select 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or a custom period. For a custom period, enter the number of days between 30 and 2557 days.
