When working with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Elastic IPs (EIPs) are a lifeline for keeping your EC2 instances accessible with a static public IP address. But accidents happen, what if you released an Elastic IP by mistake? Can you get it back? Let’s dive into the details.

Can You Retrieve a Released Elastic IP?

The short answer: not always.

Once you release an Elastic IP, it goes back into Amazon’s pool of available public IP addresses. At that point, AWS does not guarantee that you can reclaim the same IP. If someone else has already been assigned that IP, it’s gone.

However, if the released IP is still sitting unallocated in Amazon’s pool, you do have a chance to grab it again. Timing is everything here, the quicker you act, the better your chances of reclaiming it.

Pre-Requisites

Before you attempt to retrieve your released Elastic IP, make sure you’re set up properly:

  • AWS CLI Installed & Configured: Install and configure the AWS Command Line Interface if you haven’t already.
  • IAM Permissions: Ensure your account has the required permissions (e.g., ec2:AllocateAddress).
  • Access Options: You can use AWS CLI locally, from AWS CloudShell, or through the AWS Management Console.

How to Reclaim a Released Elastic IP Using AWS CLI

If the IP hasn’t been taken by another account, you can try allocating it again with this command:

aws ec2 allocate-address –domain vpc –address 52.xx.xx.135

Command Breakdown:

  • aws ec2 allocate-address → Allocates a new Elastic IP to your account.
  • –domain vpc → Ensures the allocation happens within your VPC domain.
  • –address 52.xx.xx.135 → The specific IP you want to reclaim (replace with your actual IP).

Example Response

If the allocation succeeds, you’ll see a JSON response similar to this:

{

 “PublicIp”: “52.xx.xx.135”,

 “AllocationId”: “eipalloc-00c6067fxxxbxx9da”,

 “PublicIpv4Pool”: “amazon”,

 “NetworkBorderGroup”: “us-east-1”,

 “Domain”: “vpc”

}

Key fields to note:

  • PublicIp: The Elastic IP you’ve allocated.
  • AllocationId: Unique ID for the Elastic IP.
  • PublicIpv4Pool: Identifies the source pool (usually “amazon”).
  • NetworkBorderGroup: The AWS region where the IP resides.
  • Domain: Confirms allocation in the VPC domain.

Important Notes

  1. Availability is not guaranteed – You can only reallocate the IP if it’s still available.
  2. Act quickly – Delays increase the chance of the IP being assigned to another AWS customer.
  3. Console option – If CLI feels intimidating, you can attempt reallocation via the AWS Management Console as well.

Conclusion

While AWS doesn’t provide a direct way to retrieve a released Elastic IP, you might be able to reclaim it if it hasn’t been reassigned. The process is straightforward with the AWS CLI, but the outcome depends entirely on availability.

The best approach is to be cautious with Elastic IP management. Double, check before releasing an IP, and keep IAM permissions and monitoring in place to avoid accidental releases.

At ServerAdminz, we specialize in managing complex server and cloud infrastructure challenges like this. Our experts ensure that your AWS resources are configured, monitored, and safeguarded against avoidable mistakes, so your business can stay online without disruption.

If disaster strikes, remember: quick action is your best chance at recovery.