Instance type billing FAQ
Image billing FAQ
Block storage billing FAQ
Network billing FAQ
How do I view the internet traffic usage of an ECS instance?
How is inbound and outbound traffic billed for pay-as-you-go instances?
What is the difference between pay-by-bandwidth and pay-by-traffic?
When I request a refund for an ECS instance, will the attached EIP also be refunded?
Am I billed for traffic generated by a cyberattack on my ECS instance?
When I purchase a subscription ECS instance, can I select pay-by-traffic for bandwidth?
Snapshot billing FAQ
Appendix
Can I release an ECS instance manually?
You can manually release pay-as-you-go instances and set an automatic release time. However, you cannot manually release subscription instances.
Pay-as-you-go bills and charges
To view the billing details for an instance, copy its ID or name. For more information, see View and export bill details.
Switching to pay-as-you-go
The ability to switch from subscription to pay-as-you-go is subject to certain conditions. The ECS instance that you want to switch must be in the Waiting or Stopped state.
How image license fees are charged
When you use an image to create an ECS instance or change its operating system, you may be charged license fees for the image. The fees vary based on the image type.
Public images:
Windows Server: Fees are based on the instance type. The actual fees are displayed when you create the instance.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux/SUSE Linux Enterprise Server: Fees are charged based on the instance type.
Other public images: Free of charge.
You are charged image fees if you use a custom image that was created from a paid image.
You are charged image fees if you use a shared image that was derived from a paid image.
Marketplace images: Marketplace images are provided by independent software vendors (ISVs). The fees are displayed on the purchase page in the Marketplace.
Community images: Community images are publicly shared custom images. If a community image is created from a paid image, you are charged license fees for the image when you use it to create an ECS instance.
For more information, see Image billing.
License fees for imported custom images
You are not charged image software license fees when creating an ECS instance, provided you imported the custom image with the Bring Your Own License (BYOL) option.
You are charged the license fees specified by Alibaba Cloud when creating an ECS instance, provided you imported the custom image with the Alibaba Cloud Official License option.
Fees for creating custom images
Creating a custom image generates a snapshot by default, which incurs snapshot fees. If you have not purchased an OSS resource plan or a Storage Capacity Unit (SCU), snapshots are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis by default. For more information, see Snapshot billing.
Fees for copying custom images
Copying a custom image may incur the following fees:
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Snapshot fees: When you copy an image, corresponding snapshots are created in the destination region. These snapshots consume your snapshot capacity, and you are charged for their storage size. For more information, see Snapshot billing.
NoteSnapshots generated from an image copy are retained indefinitely, overriding the retention policy of the source image's snapshots.
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Data transfer fees: Copying an image between regions incurs no data transfer fees. In other words, you are not charged for the snapshot replication traffic generated by the image copy. Alibaba Cloud will issue an official announcement before this policy changes.
Fees for sharing custom images
Sharing an image does not consume the custom image quota of the recipient account. Alibaba Cloud does not charge the recipient account for receiving a shared image.
If a recipient creates an ECS instance from a shared image that was derived from a paid image, the recipient is charged for the image. For example, if Alibaba Cloud account A shares a paid image with Alibaba Cloud account B, and account B uses the shared image to create an instance, account B must pay for both the image and the instance.
Fees for importing custom images
Importing a custom image incurs the following fees:
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Before you import a custom image, you must upload the on-premises image file to OSS. This incurs OSS storage fees.
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During the import process, image files are uploaded to and downloaded from OSS. This incurs OSS data transfer fees.
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When you import a custom image, OSS API operations are called. This incurs OSS request fees.
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When you import a custom image, ECS creates a snapshot by default, which incurs storage fees. By default, snapshots are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. For more information, see Snapshot billing.
How are ESSDs billed?
You are charged for the storage capacity of an ESSD after it is created, regardless of whether you attach it to an instance. ESSDs support the subscription and pay-as-you-go billing methods.
Subscription: Disk capacity (GiB) × Unit price × Subscription duration
Pay-as-you-go: Disk capacity (GiB) × Unit price × Billing duration
For detailed billing rules for ESSDs (PL0 to PL3), see Block storage billing. Prices for ESSDs (PL0 to PL3) vary by region. For specific prices, see the Block Storage Pricing page or the .
SSD disk purchase and pricing
For a list of instance families that support SSD disks, see Instance family. Prices vary by region. For specific pricing, see the Pricing page.
SSD disks are a previous-generation disk product and are being phased out in some regions and zones. When you select a disk, we recommend that you select an ESSD AutoPL disk instead of an SSD disk. For more information about ESSD AutoPL disks, see ESSD AutoPL disks.
Billing for pay-as-you-go data disks
You are charged for the storage capacity of a data disk after it is created, regardless of whether you attach it to an instance.
Pay-as-you-go: Disk capacity (GiB) × Unit price × Billing duration
For detailed billing rules, see Block storage billing. Disk prices vary by region. For specific prices, see the Block Storage Pricing page or the .
OSS resource plan offset priority
Resource plans offset fees based on the billing time of each product. Therefore, no product is given priority for fee deductions.
Snapshot billing with an OSS resource plan
The OSS resource plan does not match the billable items.
OSS resource plans include various types, such as storage plans and data transfer plans. Only Standard-LRS storage plans can be used to offset snapshot storage fees. Check the type of resource plan that you purchased. For more information, see Resource plans.
An OSS resource plan can offset only the storage capacity fees of standard snapshots. It cannot offset snapshot replication traffic fees.
The region of the OSS resource plan does not match the region where the fees are incurred.
This occurs if your snapshots are in a region different from that of your OSS resource plan. For example, an OSS resource plan for the China (Hangzhou) region cannot be used to offset snapshot storage fees incurred in the China (Shanghai) region.
The actual snapshot usage exceeds the specifications of the OSS resource plan.
If an OSS resource plan is used to offset snapshot storage fees, any excess usage is automatically billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
For more information, see OSS resource plans.
Snapshot billing with OSS subscription plans
If you purchase a subscription OSS storage plan, you are not billed for snapshot capacity that is within the plan's limit.
Viewing ECS internet traffic usage
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console.
In the navigation pane on the left, choose .
Click View Usage Details.
Select a time range. You can query and export data only for a single calendar month at a time. Set Product Name to ECS - Pay-as-you-go or ECS - Subscription, and set Billing Item to Outbound Traffic.
Click Export CSV. On the Export History page, wait for the file status to change to Successful, and then click Download in the Actions column.
Open the downloaded CSV file to view the internet traffic usage of the ECS instance.
Traffic billing for pay-as-you-go instances
You are not charged for traffic between ECS instances in the same local area network (LAN) or between ECS instances and other Alibaba Cloud services. Traffic between an ECS instance and the internet is billed as follows:
Inbound traffic is free of charge. Inbound traffic refers to traffic that flows into an ECS instance, such as when you download resources from the internet to your instance, or when users upload resources to your instance by using tools like FTP.
Outbound traffic is billed. Outbound traffic refers to traffic that flows out of an ECS instance, such as traffic generated when your instance provides external access or when users download resources from your instance by using tools like FTP.
For more information about how bandwidth is billed, see Public bandwidth billing.
Pay-by-bandwidth vs. pay-by-traffic
With pay-by-bandwidth, you are charged for the fixed amount of bandwidth that you specify. Your outbound bandwidth will not exceed this limit.
With pay-by-traffic, you are charged for the actual traffic you use. This is a pay-as-you-go method. To prevent high costs from sudden traffic spikes, you can set a peak bandwidth for your outbound traffic.
For more information, see Public bandwidth billing.
Price difference after IP billing changes
When you switch the billing method for the bandwidth of a fixed public IP address from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic, the bandwidth is then billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. If you then convert the public IP address to an EIP and change the billing method of the EIP to subscription, the subscription fee for the EIP may not match the previous pay-by-traffic fee. This price difference can occur if you received a discount when you purchased the ECS instance, but no discount is available when you switch an EIP from pay-as-you-go to subscription.
EIP refund when refunding an ECS instance
No. An EIP continues to incur charges after it is disassociated from an ECS instance. If you no longer need the EIP, release it to stop billing. For more information, see Release a pay-as-you-go EIP.
Adjusting peak bandwidth
Yes, you can. For more information, see Overview of instance upgrade and downgrade methods.
Billing for traffic from cyberattacks
You are not charged if the attack generates only inbound internet traffic. However, if the attack generates outbound internet traffic, Alibaba Cloud bills you for that traffic.
We recommend that you use Security Center to enhance the security of your ECS instance.
Selecting pay-by-traffic for subscription instances
Yes, you can. For more information, see Create an instance on the Custom Launch tab.
For information about billing for pay-by-traffic bandwidth, see the Cloud Product Pricing page.
For more information about pay-by-traffic bandwidth pricing, see the Cloud Product Pricing page.
How is pay-by-traffic bandwidth billed?
Pay-by-traffic is a pay-as-you-go method where you are billed for your actual traffic usage. Bills are settled on the hour. To ensure that your services run as expected, make sure that your payment method has a sufficient balance or credit limit. To prevent high costs from sudden traffic spikes, you can set a peak bandwidth.
Switching from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic
Yes. You can switch from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic by downgrading the bandwidth in real time. However, you can perform this operation only a limited number of times. For more information, see Modify the public bandwidth of a subscription instance.
You can also switch the bandwidth billing method by downgrading the configuration upon renewal. The new configuration takes effect in the next billing cycle. For more information, see Downgrade configurations upon renewal.
Can I adjust peak bandwidth anytime?
You can adjust the peak bandwidth at any time by downgrading the bandwidth in real time. The change takes effect immediately. However, you can request a refund for this operation up to three times per instance. We recommend that you make downgrade decisions with caution.
If you have scheduled a configuration downgrade for a subscription ECS instance upon renewal, you cannot upgrade or downgrade the instance before the next billing cycle starts.
Public bandwidth usage with overdue payments
If your account has an overdue payment, your subscription ECS instance continues to run. However, the pay-by-traffic public bandwidth service is suspended, preventing the ECS instance from accessing the internet. You can resume the public bandwidth service only after you settle the overdue payment. To ensure that your services run as expected, make sure that your payment method has a sufficient balance or credit limit.
Overdue payment notifications
Yes, you will receive an SMS notification. We recommend that you top up your account promptly to avoid service interruptions.
Upgrading an instance with overdue payments
No. You cannot upgrade the instance type if your account has an overdue payment. You must settle the overdue payment first.
Service resumption after settling overdue payments
Yes. If the public bandwidth service is suspended due to an overdue payment, it automatically resumes after you settle the payment. No manual intervention is required.
Traffic price after switching to pay-by-traffic
You are charged for your actual traffic usage, and fees are settled on the hour. For more information, see the Product Pricing page.